Processing Venison
Contributors to this thread:Wisconsin
From: FredBear76
01-Dec-21
I recently purchased a grinder as I want to start processing my own venison. I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions on good casings/spices for summer sausage and snack sticks? I'll be mixing my venison with some beef in early January, so I have some time to get ready.
From: FredBear76
01-Dec-21
I recently purchased a grinder as I want to start processing my own venison. I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions on good casings/spices for summer sausage and snack sticks? I'll be mixing my venison with some beef in early January, so I have some time to get ready.
From: vilascounty
01-Dec-21
This is my kind of thread. I'm big on the sausage game! I've honestly never had a problem with any casings, just buying what's available. LEM is a popular brand and I have DeWied in my fridge right now.
One small piece of advice..... start small with the sausage batches! I just switched from a manual grinder to an electric one last year......... wish I made the switch must sooner
From: vilascounty
01-Dec-21
I know you mentioned beef, but I'm personally partial to pork for the fat portion of the sausage. None of the butchers/meat markets near my carry pork fatback though. I usually grab some when I'm headed to the "big city". Mixing with pork butt (shoulder) has always treated me well when I couldn't get fatback.
I've also stopped being meticulous about trimming the silverskin, etc of my deer that gets ground ..... I'm sure others would disagree, but I have not noticed a difference and makes the processing time much faster. Although if you're getting into too much connective tissue (like the shanks), that will be trouble on your grinder. I save those parts for the pressure cooker.
Really curious to see how otherse do sausage
From: Pete-pec
01-Dec-21
https://www.psseasoning.com/
These guys out of Iron Ridge have everything you need. I buy the wood, casings, spice batches, you name it from them. LEM is the go to for grinders, mixers and stuffers. Smoke box is up to you, but I use an electric box. I can do 50 pounds of summer sausage at a time. There is an initial investment, so don't go cheap, and don't go small. You will want to upgrade.
From: Pete-pec
01-Dec-21
And screw beef! Pork butt at about 1/3. Include the fat cap. Never liked beef fat in my sausage.
From: vilascounty
01-Dec-21
Electric is a good choice for sausages. You want to be real careful with the heat or the fat will render and mess up your sausages. At least that has been my experience.
From: huntnfish43
01-Dec-21
huntnfish43's Link
PS&S Spices follow their recipes but its roughly 15# Ven and 5# each of Beef 70/30 and Pork trim for a 25# batch. You can buy everything you need with them, spices, casings etc. I buy a 50# box of pork and one of beef from a large meat purveyor any left over gets ground into Hamburger.
Also could not agree more on starting with a few smaller batches before going for broke. You can get smaller quantities of trim from your local meat department or butcher shop.
HF43
From: Pete-pec
01-Dec-21
Vilas, flip your sausages. When you tie the ends, make another loop that allows you to hang one end, then the other after a few hours. They reach internal temp quicker, and the smoke is more evenly distributed. Yes, you can "cook" them if you are not careful, and of course rotating them from hotspots.
From: vilascounty
01-Dec-21
Good advice, thanks!
From: FredBear76
01-Dec-21
This is great, thanks for the advice. I bought the 1 HP Carnivore from Cabela's. I think it will do the trick. I also have a pellet smoker, so that should work out for the sausage. I'm going with Beef because a friend is butchering a steer and offered the mix if I help grind.
From: vilascounty
01-Dec-21
I too have a Cabela's grinder. It "feels" like Chinese junk compared to my old beefy manual grinder, but it hasn't let me down so far and the price was right.
From: CaptMike
01-Dec-21
I prefer beef fat for venison I grind for burger and pork for the venison that goes into sausage. Grind the meat when it is partially frozen. It cuts so much nice that way.
From: Trickle rut
01-Dec-21
My father was a butcher. We made home made venison sausage. He would take it to work to smoke and cure. We used smoked pork butt to add to it. What is smoked butt you ask? Think Canadian bacon. Came in smoked tubes at the local store or deli. Don't see it anymore. You all as old as myself know what I mean.
From: vilascounty
01-Dec-21
CaptMike, I also usually mix beef fat (in the form of tallow) for burgers, however the burgers still sometimes have a tendency to separate and not stick as one piece, even if I add around 80/20 fat. Got any tips in that regard?
From: DiRTY MiKE
01-Dec-21
DiRTY MiKE 's Link
Hank shaw has some great recipes. I added the link here
From: CaptMike
01-Dec-21
Vilas, I can’t say that I have had that happen. I often times will chop onion and mix that and the burger with an egg when making burgers on the grill.
From: Live2Hunt
02-Dec-21
Vilas, what I found to keep straight Venison burgers to hold together is to keep the thawed burger cold and patty them cold and really pat them. Get the grille hot and spray with Pam. Generally when I see bubbles on top I flip them quickly. We enjoy the straight burgers so I've gotten good at making them. I don't care if there mixed or not, my wife prefers the straight venison burgers. Go figure.
From: vilascounty
02-Dec-21
thanks for the tips!
From: Hoot
03-Dec-21
Live - We do the same. I grind most of my venison without adding anything. My wife has a very hard time with domesticated meat because of all the fat content. I grind almost the entire deer into burger, except for a few steaks, the back straps and the inside loin, by the way there is no meat more tender and delicious than those inside loins. BTW - My wife is carnivore when it comes to venison. LMAO!
