Sausage

[robm65]

What's better Whitetail or Mule Deer mixed with Pork.

[burnme]

As long as it is a healthy deer, clean kill, and field dressed properly, I believe either are excellent

[HyperMOA]

Which one was fat from alfalfa, and which one had been eating spruce bark?

[calgarychef]

The one eating alfalfa should be roasts and steaks the one eating spruce bark should be sausage.

[HyperMOA]

Originally Posted by calgarychef

The one eating alfalfa should be roasts and steaks the one eating spruce bark should be sausage.

Easy boss! He asked which would be better; not how to hide the taste of a rutty old deer.

[Mountain Guy]

I'd put money you couldn't tell the diff.

[HyperMOA]

I have no science to back me up here, but we find using pork or pork fat, our sausage sometimes turns rancid after 9ish months. With beef or beef fat, we have not experienced this. Not sure if there is actual truth or others experience this, but I speak only from personal experience.

[chewydog]

I have to ask why you are using pork fat? I've been making my own sausage professionally and privately for 25 years and have not once used fat. I use ground pork as that has enough fat content for the sausage I make. I certainly don't want to eat fat which is what you in fact doing!


!

[Mountain Guy]

Originally Posted by chewydog

I have to ask why you are using pork fat? I've been making my own sausage professionally and privately for 25 years and have not once used fat. I use ground pork as that has enough fat content for the sausage I make. I certainly don't want to eat fat which is what you in fact doing!


!

I've never used straight pork fat but I suppose using straight fat would still do the job. Can't see why using lower % fat wouldn't give similar results to using higher % ground

[HyperMOA]

Originally Posted by Mountain Guy

I've never used straight pork fat but I suppose using straight fat would still do the job. Can't see why using lower % fat wouldn't give similar results to using higher % ground

Yep, with ground we usually mix 50-50. With plain fat we mix 5 -10% We mix and cook test patties, until we are happy with the moisture content. A 50-50 fat mix would be like Mortadella or something.

[Skybuster]

Originally Posted by Mountain Guy

I'd put money you couldn't tell the diff.

I believe this to be true. Provided all else is equal. Like others we mix our wild meat 50-50 with pork. We usually find cuts of pork on sale are cheaper than buying trim. The mix makes a nice moist sausage. I personally can't tell if the result is Whitetail or Mule deer. You could tell me it is elk and I'd believe you.

I think the most important point is clean, fairly fresh meat. A good mix of pork and your favorite sausage recipe. Off you go.

[The Cook]

If I had a whitetail and a mulie hanging side by side I would remove the choice cuts from both ( backstraps and tenderloins), the roasts from the whitetail and make sausage by combining most of the mulie and all the trim from the whitetail.

[calgarychef]

Originally Posted by chewydog

I have to ask why you are using pork fat? I've been making my own sausage professionally and privately for 25 years and have not once used fat. I use ground pork as that has enough fat content for the sausage I make. I certainly don't want to eat fat which is what you in fact doing!


!

Buy pork butts (shoulders) lots of meat an just enough fat. Pork meat for some reason emulsified well and holds moisture in the mix better than anything.

[Andrzej]

Deer Sausage

For best results deer meat should be mixed with pork back fat, bacon or fatty pork trimmings.
Meats Metric US
deer meat 500 g 1.10 lb.
pork belly (bacon) 500 g 1.10 lb.
Ingredients per 1000g (1 kg) of meat
salt 18 g 3 tsp.
Cure #1 2.5 g ½ tsp.
pepper 2.0 g 1 tsp.
mustard, ground 2.0 g 1 tsp.
marjoram, dry 3.0 g 2 tsp.
garlic 7.0 g 2 cloves
cold water 100 g ⅜ cup
Instructions

Grind all meats and fat through a 3/8” (10 mm) plate.
Mix ground meat with all ingredients adding water.
Stuff tightly into 32-36 mm hog casings. Make 6” long links.
Hang overnight in a cool place.
Preheat smoker to 130º F, (54º C) then apply hot smoke for 2-3 hours. In the last hour of smoking start slowly increasing the temperature to about 170º F, (77º C)
Preheat smoker to 130º F, (54º C) then apply hot smoke for 2-3 hours. In the last hour of smoking start slowly increasing the temperature to about 170º F, (77º C).
Stop cooking when internal meat temperature is 160º F, (71º C).
Shower sausages with cold water and hang them to further cool down.
Store in refrigerator.

Notes

Sausage does not need to be smoked. After stuffing the sausage may be cooked for 40 minutes in hot water (176º F, 80º C).


Venison Sausage

Venison is a naturally lean meat and to make a good sausage pork meat (70/30) or pork fat must be added.
Meats Metric US
venison 600 g 1.32 lbs.
pork butt or fat pork trimmings 400 g 0.88 lb.
Ingredients per 1000g (1 kg) of meat
salt 18 g 3 tsp.
Cure #1 2.5 g ½ tsp.
pepper 2.0 g 1 tsp.
marjoram, dry 3.0 g 2 tsp.
garlic 3.5 g 1 clove
cold water 100 ml ⅜ cup
Instructions

Grind all meats and fat through a 3/8” (10 mm) plate.
Mix ground meat with all ingredients adding water.
Stuff tightly into 32-36 mm hog casings. Make 6” long links.
Hang overnight in a cool place.
Preheat smoker to 130º F, (54º C) then apply heavy smoke for 2-3 hours. In last hour of smoking start slowly increasing temperature to about 170º F, (77º C).
Stop cooking when internal meat temperature is 160º F, (71º C).
Shower sausages with cold water and hang them to further cool down.
Store in refrigerator.

Notes

Sausage does not to be smoked. After stuffing the sausage may be cooked for 40 minutes in hot water (176º F, 80º C).

[Battle Rat]

Originally Posted by HyperMOA

Which one was fat from alfalfa, and which one had been eating spruce bark?

Deer eat spruce bark?
Is that common?

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by HyperMOA

I have no science to back me up here, but we find using pork or pork fat, our sausage sometimes turns rancid after 9ish months. With beef or beef fat, we have not experienced this. Not sure if there is actual truth or others experience this, but I speak only from personal experience.

Your sausage lasts 9 months??!!
I'm lucky if it lasts 9 weeks!
Cat

[omega50]

Beef and Pork have different MAP requirements

[omega50]

Originally Posted by chewydog

I have to ask why you are using pork fat? I've been making my own sausage professionally and privately for 25 years and have not once used fat. I use ground pork as that has enough fat content for the sausage I make. I certainly don't want to eat fat which is what you in fact doing!


!

So you don't want to eat fat and never use fat but the 30-ish % fat in your fatty ground pork is acceptable and somehow different?

Colour me confused!!!

[Mountain Guy]

I think it boils down to what exactly your mixing up.

Any species of gut shot stinky old rutted out male ungulate would require a higher % of dilution of pork or beef to make it palatable..... of course you would have to throw in a bundle or 2 of garlic and maybe a pound of spice.

If the doesn't do it .... then that's where the inlaws and your favorite boss fit in

[HyperMOA]

Originally Posted by omega50

Beef and Pork have different MAP requirements

What are MAP requirements?

[HyperMOA]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

Your sausage lasts 9 months??!!
I'm lucky if it lasts 9 weeks!
Cat

When my brothers and I make sausage its nothing to pump out 200 -300lbs. So yes it lasts well over 9 months.

[HyperMOA]

Originally Posted by Battle Rat

Deer eat spruce bark?
Is that common?

I was being facetious. I was pointing out that diet has a huge bearing on flavour. Deer from the old country (Southern Sask) taste much different than my first Alberta deer I harvested in Edson. Deer that feed on crops or tame hay will taste better than deer that spend their entire life in the bush.

[omega50]

Originally Posted by HyperMOA

What are MAP requirements?

Modified Atmosphere Packaging

Beef requires higher O2 and some CO2 to facilitate the myoglobin bloom and pork does not benefit from that gas mixture and needs higher Carbon Dioxide and some Nitrogen.

My cryovac machine has the capability to gas purge the environment.

[HyperMOA]

Originally Posted by omega50

Modified Atmosphere Packaging

Beef requires higher O2 and some CO2 to facilitate the myoglobin bloom and pork does not benefit from that gas mixture and needs higher Carbon Dioxide and some Nitrogen.

My cryovac machine has the capability to gas purge the environment.

Please, can you elaborate on this more. How would this affect me, being I still wrap using butcher paper?

[omega50]

Originally Posted by HyperMOA

Please, can you elaborate on this more. How would this affect me, being I still wrap using butcher paper?

Modified packaging is used primarily to dupe consumers into buying older meat that still appears fresh. It does prolong shelf life and can affect rancidity.

It does not affect what you are doing..

To the OP

Diet can be a primary influence on meat flavour. Lots of factors at play.

Whitetail or Mule Deer taste are so variable as to make it a personal choice or preference.

The best sausage makers I know always cook and eat a bit of the meat before choosing the spices. Why guess?? Just let taste guide you.

The meat is telling you everything that you need to know.

Ideally do a taste test.
On the same day make a couple lbs of sausage from your whitetail and from your Muley. Same spices, similar cuts and the same split pork blend.

Then decide for yourself

[Mountain Guy]

Originally Posted by HyperMOA

I was being facetious. I was pointing out that diet has a huge bearing on flavour. Deer from the old country (Southern Sask) taste much different than my first Alberta deer I harvested in Edson. Deer that feed on crops or tame hay will taste better than deer that spend their entire life in the bush.

Well... lots of variables and personal preferences to dictate what tastes good
I've had exceptional tasting bush deer ( also from Edson area ) and some nasty tasting prairie deer.

[HyperMOA]

Originally Posted by Mountain Guy

Well... lots of variables and personal preferences to dictate what tastes good
I've had exceptional tasting bush deer ( also from Edson area ) and some nasty tasting prairie deer.

Yes there are variables. A fawn with spots still on it from Edson will be better than a gut shot, rutted up buck that is so old it has only 1 tooth left in its mouth. However, I will stand by my statement. Given the exact same deer in any location if it eats oats all its life or browses in the bush the oats will make a tastier deer. Bigger too. My point aren't sask deer taste better than Edson deer. Its just in southern sask every deer is grain fed. In Edson there are grain fed deer too, but many live out their life never leaving the bush.

[calgarychef]

Originally Posted by Andrzej

Deer Sausage

For best results deer meat should be mixed with pork back fat, bacon or fatty pork trimmings.
Meats Metric US
deer meat 500 g 1.10 lb.
pork belly (bacon) 500 g 1.10 lb.
Ingredients per 1000g (1 kg) of meat
salt 18 g 3 tsp.
Cure #1 2.5 g ½ tsp.
pepper 2.0 g 1 tsp.
mustard, ground 2.0 g 1 tsp.
marjoram, dry 3.0 g 2 tsp.
garlic 7.0 g 2 cloves
cold water 100 g ⅜ cup
Instructions

Grind all meats and fat through a 3/8” (10 mm) plate.
Mix ground meat with all ingredients adding water.
Stuff tightly into 32-36 mm hog casings. Make 6” long links.
Hang overnight in a cool place.
Preheat smoker to 130º F, (54º C) then apply hot smoke for 2-3 hours. In the last hour of smoking start slowly increasing the temperature to about 170º F, (77º C)
Preheat smoker to 130º F, (54º C) then apply hot smoke for 2-3 hours. In the last hour of smoking start slowly increasing the temperature to about 170º F, (77º C).
Stop cooking when internal meat temperature is 160º F, (71º C).
Shower sausages with cold water and hang them to further cool down.
Store in refrigerator.

Notes

Sausage does not need to be smoked. After stuffing the sausage may be cooked for 40 minutes in hot water (176º F, 80º C).


Venison Sausage

Venison is a naturally lean meat and to make a good sausage pork meat (70/30) or pork fat must be added.
Meats Metric US
venison 600 g 1.32 lbs.
pork butt or fat pork trimmings 400 g 0.88 lb.
Ingredients per 1000g (1 kg) of meat
salt 18 g 3 tsp.
Cure #1 2.5 g ½ tsp.
pepper 2.0 g 1 tsp.
marjoram, dry 3.0 g 2 tsp.
garlic 3.5 g 1 clove
cold water 100 ml ⅜ cup
Instructions

Grind all meats and fat through a 3/8” (10 mm) plate.
Mix ground meat with all ingredients adding water.
Stuff tightly into 32-36 mm hog casings. Make 6” long links.
Hang overnight in a cool place.
Preheat smoker to 130º F, (54º C) then apply heavy smoke for 2-3 hours. In last hour of smoking start slowly increasing temperature to about 170º F, (77º C).
Stop cooking when internal meat temperature is 160º F, (71º C).
Shower sausages with cold water and hang them to further cool down.
Store in refrigerator.

Notes

Sausage does not to be smoked. After stuffing the sausage may be cooked for 40 minutes in hot water (176º F, 80º C).

This is one of the best posts ever, if you want to make decent sausage save this and follow the guidelines. Many folks like to "experiment" with different amounts of salt, spices etc. and end up messing up their meat. The amounts for salt and cure, don't really vary much. Additionally if you only make sausage once a year and make a 300lb. batch you're setting up yourself up for failure.
I make batches no more that 10kg. Because I ain't an expert and smaller amounts are much easier to keep consistent. Also notice in the recipes above that the number of herbs and spices is minimal, in other words don't go crazy with some of everything, you'll just muddle up the taste.

Great post ...I'm gonna put it in my sausage recipes

[Mountain Guy]

Originally Posted by HyperMOA

Yes there are variables. A fawn with spots still on it from Edson will be better than a gut shot, rutted up buck that is so old it has only 1 tooth left in its mouth. However, I will stand by my statement. Given the exact same deer in any location if it eats oats all its life or browses in the bush the oats will make a tastier deer. Bigger too. My point aren't sask deer taste better than Edson deer. Its just in southern sask every deer is grain fed. In Edson there are grain fed deer too, but many live out their life never leaving the bush.

Is a grain fed farm animal better tasting than a grass fed one?

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by Mountain Guy

Is a grain fed farm animal better tasting than a grass fed one?

Without a doubt.