Homemade Venison Summer Sausage
Smoked venison summer sausage with pork and spiced using a quick-cure method. Rich, tangy, and perfect for holidays, charcuterie boards, or hunting snacks.
Equipment
- Grinder Plates: Small plate and Large (coarse plate)
- Fermento, Buttermilk Powder, or Summer Sausage Seasoning Packet (for 5 pounds).
- Pink Curing Salt: (Instacure No. 1 or Prague Powder No. 1)
- Dextrose
- Summer Sausage Casing or other Fibrous Casing
- Butchers Twine (Optional)
- Smoker (Using an electric smoker is an easy way to achieve precise temperatures)
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment or Meat Lug
Ingredients
- 3 pounds venison, diced (silver-skin, sinew and fat removed)
- 1 1/2 pounds pork butt, diced (pork shoulder)
- 3 tablespoons dextrose
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt (approximately 40 grams per 3 tablespoons of kosher salt)
- 6 grams pink salt (instacure #1) (approximately 1 teaspoon per 6 grams)
- 2 to 4 ounces of cold water
- 1/2 cup Fermento or buttermilk powder
- 8 ounces (1/2 pound) fatty smoked bacon, diced (or pork back fat)
Instructions
- In a chilled bowl, add the pre-chilled venison, pork shoulder (pork butt), salt, dextrose and pink salt (instacure # 1). Mix well to combine.
- Grind the above mixture through a large die plate into a pre-chilled large bowl or a bowl that is set over ice.
- In a separate smaller bowl mix all of the seasonings and fermento or buttermilk powder. Stir in enough cold water to dissolve and to form a paste. This will usually be between a 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of water.
- In a stand mixer or meat lug add the ground venison and paste. Mix thoroughly using a paddle attachment or sturdy spoon for about 2 minutes. Add the diced bacon to the venison mixture and fold in until just combined.
- Add the sausage mixture to a food-safe storage container or gallon freezer bag. Press the sausage down, ensuring that there are no air pockets. If using a storage container, add plastic wrap directly to the top of the meat, pressing down firmly. Then, cover the entire top of the container with more plastic wrap. If using a gallon freezer bag, remove all air and fold over any extra space in the bag.
- Refrigerate for 2 days.
- Grind the sausage for a second time, using the small die plate. If you want to check the flavor, now is a good time to fry up a piece. Add more seasoning if you think it needs any. But remember you will more than likely be eating this sausage cold or at room temperature and cold food needs a little more salt than hot food.
- Stuff the sausage mixture into your casings to your desired lengths.
- Hang them to let dry for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature or in the fridge. This will help get you maximum smoke flavor.
- Cold smoke the sausages or smoke them at the lowest temperature you can for 2 hours (this step ensures a great smoky sausage). Now get your smoker set at as close to 180 degrees F as you can and hot smoke them until the internal temperature is 150 degrees F.
- Pull the sausages from the smoker and let them hang at room temperature for 2 hours so that they bloom and turn that rich mahogany color that we all dream about. What you're left with is a delicious summer sausage that is ready to eat or refrigerate until needed.
NOTES
- Keep everything ice-cold. Chill the meat, bacon or back fat, bowls, and grinder parts before you start. Warm fat will smear and give the sausage a worse texture.
- Use the full fat ratio. This recipe is made for 3 pounds of venison and 1 1/2 pounds of pork shoulder, plus an additional 8 ounces of bacon or back fat. That balance is what keeps summer sausage moist.
- Mix the seasoning paste. Stir the spices and Fermento or buttermilk powder with cold water until they form a paste before mixing them into the ground meat. That helps the seasoning distribute more evenly.
- Chill it for 2 days. This is a quick-cure summer sausage, so the sausage mixture needs to rest in the refrigerator for 48 hours before the second grind and smoking step.
- Grind it twice. Run it once through a coarse plate and again through a small plate. The second grind gives the sausage a firmer texture and better color.
- Cook a test piece. Fry a small piece after the second grind, then adjust the seasoning, especially since this sausage is usually eaten cold or at room temperature and may need a little more salt.
- Dry before smoking. After stuffing, let the sausages dry for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature or in the refrigerator so the smoke clings better.
- Smoke low, then finish. Start with cold smoke or your smoker’s lowest setting for 2 hours, then raise it to about 180 F and cook until the internal temperature reaches 150 F. Higher heat can make the sausage grainy.
- Let them bloom. After smoking, hang the sausages at room temperature for about 2 hours. This helps develop the deep mahogany color and finishes the texture.
- Keep them refrigerated. This is not a shelf-stable dry-cured sausage, so it should be wrapped well and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or frozen for about 3 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 783kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 98g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 351mg | Sodium: 5242mg | Potassium: 1644mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 41IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 193mg | Iron: 12mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutrition is per serving.
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