Homemade Venison Summer Sausage

This is my favorite smoked venison summer sausage, made with pork and spices using a quick-cure method. It's rich, tangy, and perfect for holidays, charcuterie boards, or hunting snacks.

Servings: Pounds

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 5

Course: charcuterie

Cuisine: German

Ingredients

Instructions

Grind and then Refrigerate

In a large bowl, combine venison, pork shoulder (pork butt), salt, dextrose, and pink salt (Instacure #1). Mix well to combine. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes before grinding.
Grind the above mixture through a large grinder plate into a chilled bowl, or a bowl set over ice.
In a separate smaller bowl, mix coriander, mustard powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and fermento (or buttermilk powder). Stir in enough cold water to form a paste. This will usually be between 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup of water.
In a stand mixer or large bowl, add the ground venison and fermento paste. Mix thoroughly for about 2 minutes using a paddle attachment or a sturdy spoon. Add the diced bacon and fold in until just combined.
Place the mixture in a large bowl or gallon freezer bags. Press the sausage down, ensuring that there are no air pockets. If using a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap.
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.

Regrind the sausage and Check Seasoning

Grind the sausage for a second time, using a small grinder plate.
Cook off a small piece of the sausage over medium-low heat in a pan. Let the sausage cool to room temperature and then taste for seasoning. Adjust the salt if needed.

Stuff & Hang the Sausage

Stuff the sausage mixture into your casings to your desired lengths. Ensure there are no air pockets and secure the open end with butcher's twine.
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.

Smoke the Sausage

Cold-smoke the sausages at 60-90 ℉ for 2 hours. If you don't have a way to cold-smoke, skip to the next step.
Set your smoker to around 180 degrees F. Hot-smoke the sausages until the internal temperature is 150 degrees F.
Pull the sausages from the smoker and let them hang at room temperature for two hours. This allows the sausages' color to bloom and turn a rich mahogany.
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, giving the sausage a worse texture.
Control the smoker temperature: I don't recommend smoking the sausages above 180°F. If your smoker will not get that low, 200°F will work in a pinch. Any higher than that, it will cause your sausages to leach fat and become dry.
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.

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutrition is per serving.

Make this recipe?Mention @Larry__White or tag #WildGameGourmet!