Smoked Venison Summer Sausage

The Taste of Childhood

Every year driving up to the dove fields, I would peek in my dad’s ice chest looking for one thing, Summer Sausage. This was one of those quick snacks we'd eat after a long hot day in the field, piled high with cheddar cheese on some cracks, paired with an ice-cold coca cola.  This recipe was inspired by my childhood, one I’m passing down to my kids and now, you too.

What you will need

• Meat Grinder
• Sausage Stuffer
• Sausage Casings
• Gloves
• Smoker

Ingredients

• 8 pounds venison 
• 2 pounds wild boar (could substitute standard pork or do an all Venison version) 
• *If you’re not using fats you will need to add 1.5 cups water
• Homemade spice mix
• 2 tablespoon cracked pepper
• 2 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder 
• 2 tablespoons mustard seed 
• 1 tablespoon sea salt 
• 1 tablespoon Marjoram 
• 2 tablespoons cup quick cure
• *If you're not using a smoker, add two teaspoons liquid smoke

If you're looking for a great pre-made seasoning you have to check out LEM’s Backwoods Seasonings. I used theirs this last go around and it was perfect. One simple package, just dump, mix and stuff. 

Directions

1. Place all your grinder and stuffer parts (minus the motor) in the freezer. The colder the meats and grinding parts, the better the sausage. If they ground gets too warm it becomes a paste, and paste in sausages in a no-no! 
2. Take Venison and Boar meat and grind together. To me this is a Key step, I like to cube both meats and grind them together. By grinding them together you get a better mixer on the meat. I use the largest grind plate. I like the texture it gives my sausage. 
3. Once meats have been ground season the meat with Seasonings and Cure. Another quick tip is to mix the meat in a frozen stand up mixer or with frozen metal spoons. If you mix with your hands you add the heat from your hands to the meats. If you want to use your hands, simply rub them down with ice cubes and mix away, 
4. Let meat mixture rest in the fridge for 12-24 hours. This will help develop the flavors and allow the cure to start working. 
5. Using a summer sausage casing start stuffing the sausages with the chilled seasoned meat. 
6. Make sure you are stuffing the meat as full and tight as you can, you want the casings to be filled. I tend to make sure the casings push me rather than the other way around. 
7. Once all casings are filled let sausage sit at room temp while you get your smoker ready. 
8. You want to set your smoker to 180-220 degrees. I smoke my sausage till they hit 165 degrees. 
9. Key step: Remove Sausages from the smoker and put in a ice bath. This ice bath method will stop the cooking of the meats. Once temps get down to 100-120 remove from water, dry off and place in fridge overnight. 
10. You’re now ready to eat, freeze, or share your amazing summer sausage.

About the Author

He calls himself an organic meat harvester and for good reason. He believes, the wild game he hunts, and eats is as organic as it gets. We happen to agree. Jeremiah Doughty doesn’t hunt for prize he hunts for food on the table and his goal is to teach others that the meat you put on the table can not only look great but taste, even greater. So, get ready. This Smoked Venison Summer Sausage recipe we think will just about blow your mind and taste buds.