deer sausage help

[Charlie Tango]

I have been making summer sausage with my deer for a couple of years.  I buy the seasoning from Gander Mountain and follow the recipe.  My problem it that the sausage is just OK.  I want it to be better than ok.

I buy Eastman italian sausage flavor and would like to spice it up.  I would like to make it hot, but not so hot that I am the only one that will eat it.

What type of pepper and how much do I put in the seasoning for a five pound batch of sausage?

Any other ideas?

thank you '

Charlie Tango

[Ramrod]

Some Ideas.
For an Italian sausage you would usually use crushed red pepper flakes. 1 Tablespoon for 5 lbs is a good place to start. Most hot recipies call for a couple of Tablespoons of Paprika, to give the sausage a nice red color.
A couple of cloves of fresh garlic, crushed and minced, perks up any kind of sausage.
A cup of wine wouldn't do it any harm either.
For a summer sausage or a smoked "Beef Stick" type sausage , I like to add 3 Tablespoons whole mustard seeds. Edit- This is for a 10 pound batch.

[PeterB]

I don't make my own sausage, but when I make jerky I add cayenne pepper to spice it up some times.  I know that the sausage maker who I have make slim jims also adds cayenne pepper to the slim jims to make them spicey.  For jerky I add about 1/4 tea spoon to a pound to give it a nice bite.  Go easy.  1/2 tsp to a pound starts gettin pretty hot :twisted: .  I like it that way, and so do my kids, but the wife is a little wimpy.  Give it a try.

[srwshooter]

i played around with this a few years ago and found that i could do better buying premixed seasonings and just add to them .
www.eldonsausage.com has great seasonings. there pepperoni and summer sausage are great. they have everything you need.
they have a book called"SAUSAGE & JERKY HANDBOOK "  that has lots of recipes.
also try www.lemproducts.com