Homemade Venison Breakfast Sausage
This homemade venison breakfast sausage is one of the easiest and tastiest deer sausages I've ever eaten, and for good reason. It's blended with the proper fat ratio and packed with those classic flavors that we all love.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer or Meat Mixer
Ingredients
- 3.5 pounds boneless venison, (large dice)
- 1.5 pounds pork fatback, large dice
- 3 tablespoons coarse kosher salt, (around 40 grams)
- 1/4 cup minced fresh or jarred ginger, or 1 tablespoon dried ginger
- 2.5 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2.5 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh sage, finely chopped or 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons dried sage
- 1/2 cup real maple syrup, chilled in the refrigerator
- 1/2 cup ice-cold water
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients except for the maple syrup and water into a large bowl. Toss thoroughly to combine.
- Grind the venison mixture through the small die plate into your chilled mixing bowl or a bowl that is sitting over ice.
- Using your stand mixer's paddle attachment (or a sturdy spoon), start mixing the sausage at a low speed. Slowly pour in the chilled maple syrup. Now slowly pour in the ice-cold water and mix on low speed until the liquids are fully combined and the meat has a tacky/sticky appearance.
- Check for Seasoning: Fry a small piece of the sausage and taste. Now is the time to add seasoning if needed. This could be more salt, herbs, or maple syrup. Add chili flakes for heat. Repeat until you are satisfied with the finished product.
- Refrigerate until needed or freeze for future use.
NOTES
- Keep everything very cold. Chill the venison, pork fat, grinder parts, bowl, maple syrup, and water before you start so the fat stays firm and the sausage binds cleanly.
- Grind before adding liquids. Toss the venison, pork fat, salt, ginger, thyme, coriander, black pepper, garlic, and sage together first, then grind the mix through the small die plate into a chilled bowl.
- Mix until it turns tacky. Add the chilled maple syrup and ice-cold water slowly while mixing on low, and stop when the sausage looks sticky and holds together well.
- Cook a test patty. Fry a small piece before packing or freezing the batch so you can adjust the salt, herbs, maple syrup, or heat while it is still easy to fix.
- Use enough fat. The post recommends about 30 percent fat for the best breakfast sausage texture, though it notes 20 percent is the minimum you should aim for.
- Cook over medium heat. Because this sausage contains maple syrup, it can brown too quickly if the pan gets too hot.
- Store it tightly wrapped. Raw sausage keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or you can freeze it in 1-pound portions for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 1586kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 77g | Fat: 129g | Saturated Fat: 47g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Monounsaturated Fat: 59g | Cholesterol: 347mg | Sodium: 4369mg | Potassium: 1228mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 44IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 12mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutrition is per serving.
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