Pork-Venison Sausage
Description
I got this old family recipe from D’Hanis hog farmer, deer hunter and sausage-maker Dennis Herrmann. Use this recipe as a guide, but if you’re serious about making sausage, try to get invited to a few sausage-making parties, where you can learn from the pros. I consider sausage-making a culinary art that takes time, persistence and a good smokehouse. It’s also a great reason to get together with friends and family to celebrate a Texas food tradition. (Equipment note: The equipment for sausage-making is a big investment. At the very least, you will need a meat grinder with a sausage-stuffer attachment.).—Amy CrowellIngredients
At a glance
Main Ingredient
Pork
Sausage
Venison
Course/Dish
Meat
Makes
enough for winter
100 lbs. ground meat (60% lean pork/40% venison or
50% fatty pork/50% venison)
1 ½ lbs. salt
¾ lb. black pepper (or substitute ¼ lb. cayenne pepper)
1 ½ lbs. coriander
¼ c. mustard seeds (optional)
4-6 heads of garlic (peel cloves and place in a blender;
add 2 c. water and blend.)
Hog casings (“Don’t use the synthetic casings! They’re just
not as good,” says Dennis.)
50% fatty pork/50% venison)
1 ½ lbs. salt
¾ lb. black pepper (or substitute ¼ lb. cayenne pepper)
1 ½ lbs. coriander
¼ c. mustard seeds (optional)
4-6 heads of garlic (peel cloves and place in a blender;
add 2 c. water and blend.)
Hog casings (“Don’t use the synthetic casings! They’re just
not as good,” says Dennis.)
Methods/steps
Mix meat and spices together—preferably by hand—and pour the garlic-water mixture over the top. Remember—always season the meat before you grind! Load the meat into the grinder, crank it through the sausage stuffer and fill the casings. Vacuum-pack the finished links for freezing, or smoke them once or twice for dried sausage. You can also cook and eat the sausage right then and there.
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