Venison Sasauge TOO DRY?

[uncowboy]

 Other people have mentioned this in past posts. I am posting this because I have had dence ground venison sasauge come out bad. If you cant get a larger gring what I started doing was adding Olive Oil to the mix before stuffing. All recipes have you adding water . I use olive oil instead . Mix it up just like normal and stuff. Never had anyone notice or complain. Cooks up nice in a pan or on the grill. J.Michael

[Lloyd Smale]

biggest cause of it is using to much venison and not enough pork to save a bit of money. Most recipes call for at least 1/2 ground pork but but i make it in 25 lb batches and use 15 lbs of pork but to 10 lbs of venison. The pork not only adds the fat need to keep it moist but gives your sausage much better flavor. Only sausage i make that doesnt use that much pork is summer sausage. for that i use 9lbs venison and 3lbs of pork.

Other people have mentioned this in past posts. I am posting this because I have had dence ground venison sasauge come out bad. If you cant get a larger gring what I started doing was adding Olive Oil to the mix before stuffing. All recipes have you adding water . I use olive oil instead . Mix it up just like normal and stuff. Never had anyone notice or complain. Cooks up nice in a pan or on the grill. J.Michael

[BUGEYE]

biggest cause of it is using to much venison and not enough pork to save a bit of money. Most recipes call for at least 1/2 ground pork but but i make it in 25 lb batches and use 15 lbs of pork but to 10 lbs of venison. The pork not only adds the fat need to keep it moist but gives your sausage much better flavor. Only sausage i make that doesnt use that much pork is summer sausage. for that i use 9lbs venison and 3lbs of pork.

Other people have mentioned this in past posts. I am posting this because I have had dence ground venison sasauge come out bad. If you cant get a larger gring what I started doing was adding Olive Oil to the mix before stuffing. All recipes have you adding water . I use olive oil instead . Mix it up just like normal and stuff. Never had anyone notice or complain. Cooks up nice in a pan or on the grill. J.Michael

your ratios are almost exactly what my processor used to use on mine.  good stuff.

[Buckskin]

As much as I love venison, it is a poor meat for sausage in itself. But like any other meat, if you mix pork/pork fat with it it's delicious. I'm not sure about the olive oil thing, I prefer good old pork fat!  We are going to be butchering hogs in a couple weeks as we do every year. And I will be harvesting plenty of fat for cooking and sausage. The best fat for sausage is the stuff that is around the kidneys, it has the perfect texture/flavor for sausage.  The kidneys eat well to, but you have to boil the piss out of them! Sorry! That's an old joke my Dad always tells...
 
The venison/pork and fat ratio can obviously be adjusted to taste, but you should have about 30% fat for good sausage. More pork certainly won't hurt the sausage.

[AtlLaw]

biggest cause of it is using to much venison and not enough pork to save a bit of money. Most recipes call for at least 1/2 ground pork but but i make it in 25 lb batches and use 15 lbs of pork but to 10 lbs of venison. The pork not only adds the fat need to keep it moist but gives your sausage much better flavor. Only sausage i make that doesnt use that much pork is summer sausage. for that i use 9lbs venison and 3lbs of pork.

I'm gonna have to try that Lloyd.  My last batch of 50/50 (venison/boston butt) turned out way to dry.  And I can't find anybody that will sell me pork trimmings!      I'm reduced to saving up bits of bacon... 

[FPH]

biggest cause of it is using to much venison and not enough pork to save a bit of money. Most recipes call for at least 1/2 ground pork but but i make it in 25 lb batches and use 15 lbs of pork but to 10 lbs of venison. The pork not only adds the fat need to keep it moist but gives your sausage much better flavor. Only sausage i make that doesnt use that much pork is summer sausage. for that i use 9lbs venison and 3lbs of pork.

Other people have mentioned this in past posts. I am posting this because I have had dence ground venison sausage come out bad. If you cant get a larger gring what I started doing was adding Olive Oil to the mix before stuffing. All recipes have you adding water . I use olive oil instead . Mix it up just like normal and stuff. Never had anyone notice or complain. Cooks up nice in a pan or on the grill. J.Michael

X2....add more pork.  Fatty pork if possible.  My gradfather was a butcher......holds for beef sausage also.

[FPH]

IMHO....... Elk will make a better sausage if you have it.......um um good.

[Bugflipper]

I mix mine up without fat. Deer fat tastes about as nasty as sheep fat to me. When it's cooking time it's started first. When it's browned off the biscuits go in. Then the sausage is put on a rack in the frying pan, water is added and a lid goes on top. It gets steamed on top of the rack. Leftover sausage goes in a ziplock bag. Reheated in the bag in the microwave. It's moist the second time as well.

[FPH]

I mix mine up without fat. Deer fat tastes about as nasty as sheep fat to me. When it's cooking time it's started first. When it's browned off the biscuits go in. Then the sausage is put on a rack in the frying pan, water is added and a lid goes on top. It gets steamed on top of the rack. Leftover sausage goes in a ziplock bag. Reheated in the bag in the microwave. It's moist the second time as well.

Trim out the deer fat.......use pork fat.

[Bugflipper]

I do trim out the deer fat and don't add any other. No need for it.

[FPH]

I do trim out the deer fat and don't add any other. No need for it.

As long as you are happy.  That is what matters.

[Buckskin]

I do trim out the deer fat and don't add any other. No need for it.

Well if it ain't got fat in it, it ain't sausage. It's just meat with seasoning.

[zacharoo]

60 to 40 ! 60% venison 40%  Boston butt. Secret is cajun seasoning green onion, shallots, cellery,and secret sause. Whould tell you but would have to shoot you after!!!!!!!
Zacharoo

[Ranger99]

are we talking breakfast-type sausage
or pan sausage, or link-type sausage?


nothing ever goes in mine but deer pieces.
now, when we make breakfast or pan sausage
we sometimes buy a box of bacon ends to
grind in it to give it some grease. otherwise
i want mine dry and no grease.

[cabledad]

IMHO....... Elk will make a better sausage if you have it.......um um good.

I agree 30 years ago I killed a Elk and made sausage out of Elk and boston butt 50 50 and smoked in a storm cellar in 30 degree weather with pecan wood. So good.Eat it for breakfast and it would stay with you most of the day,makes me want to head back for Colorado.   

[Buckskin]

I've had sausage made out of nearly every big game species in North America, and besides an old ram, there isn't much taste difference between them.  Put elk sausage next to venison with the same recipe and I will bet you anything you couldn't tell them apart.

[FPH]

I've had sausage made out of nearly every big game species in North America, and besides an old ram, there isn't much taste difference between them.  Put elk sausage next to venison with the same recipe and I will bet you anything you couldn't tell them apart.

I disagree....Elk ad Bison stand apart to me.

[Lloyd Smale]

I agree. Making sausage with the pork/wild meat ration i do id guess you could substitute horse meat or dog meat and nobody would be the wizer. I ate some summer sausage made by a freind out of wild turky instead of venision and i would have never known if he wouldnt have told me. Now if you made it like bugflipper without any pork added you might and i mean might be able to tell but when i make sausage be it fresh or summer sausage i use spices and arent cheap with them. I like my sausage to taste like sausage not like a hamburger patty. I remember laughing at my dad one day at camp. Hes a tight sob and wont add pork to his because it cost to much. He fried some meat up for breakfast that he was calling sausage. He put it on my plate and i could tell by looking at that dry patty that it was nothing but hamburger. I asked and he told me it was burger with some garlic salt and he added a lb of bacon to 15lbs of it to give it some flavor and fat. I told him at that ratio all he did was throw away a lb of bacon. Not enough fat to add anything to the sausage and not enough bacon flavor in it for that much meat. He was happy with it though so i guess thats all that mattered. In all reality making fresh sauage with the ratio i make it using venison is probably silly. For a few bucks more you can make it out of pork, have a better end product and save the venison for hambuger or summer sausage, but its just fun playing with different things once in a while

I've had sausage made out of nearly every big game species in North America, and besides an old ram, there isn't much taste difference between them.  Put elk sausage next to venison with the same recipe and I will bet you anything you couldn't tell them apart.

[Buckskin]

I've had sausage made out of nearly every big game species in North America, and besides an old ram, there isn't much taste difference between them.  Put elk sausage next to venison with the same recipe and I will bet you anything you couldn't tell them apart.

I disagree....Elk ad Bison stand apart to me.

That is because you know what it is and it's special to you. Bison really isn't much different than beef aside from not having any marbling in it, so less flavor.  I had a bison ribeye once in one of Turner's restaurants down in Atlanta, supposed to be a house special. Tasted like a dry beef ribeye to me.

[FPH]

Th

I've had sausage made out of nearly every big game species in North America, and besides an old ram, there isn't much taste difference between them.  Put elk sausage next to venison with the same recipe and I will bet you anything you couldn't tell them apart.

I disagree....Elk ad Bison stand apart to me.

That is because you know what it is and it's special to you. Bison really isn't much different than beef aside from not having any marbling in it, so less flavor.  I had a bison ribeye once in one of Turner's restaurants down in Atlanta, supposed to be a house special. Tasted like a dry beef ribeye to me.

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 Elk I knew.  The Bison and Ostrich was given to me and I was unaware of the source. Ostrich was a bit dry.  I do tend to make all my sausage these days a bit on the dry side ( health concerns you know).