Making breakfast sausage

[kramman]

Anyone willing to help out a newbie make some venison
breakfast sausage? I've never done this before so if you have a recipe u use I would appreciate some help. I've got a grinder and just don't know how to start. Prefer sage and or maple ground sausage. Thanks Mark

[LndShrk]

I have a recipe I will post up when I get home this evening. It is both sage and  (brown sugar)

[Coasthunterjay]

 

Awesome thread ...I have about 5 gal. Of sausage I need to make up also.

[et1702]

Use pork butts for grind and mix at about 20%+  Could also use some maple flavored bacon into the mix.   Also, I buy my various seasoning from Whole Foods.  My buddy is a meat cutter there and they have some pretty good seasoning mixes all ready to go.  Just ask any of the butchers and they will sell some to you.  They have maple and sage, plus a bunch of others (green chilie Habenero is good if you like a little heat).  Mix some together if you like both flavors.  Grind deer once.  Grind pork once.  Mix deer, pork and seasonings together by hand and regrind everything.  Ready to divide up and wrap.  Always a good idea to cook some up while you are working to test the product...lol.

ET

[KillerBeee]

My elk hunting crew make breakfast sausage each year and it's great. One of the guys made hot Italian sausage this year and it was even better to my taste. Pretty easy, though I don't have the recipe yet.

Have fun and enjoy.

[kramman]

Et I'll give it a try. Is the seasonings bought in 1 pack? Also does everyone trim their deer all the waydown i.e no fat.

[chukar58]

I have made various types of sausage and my best recommendation is go light on the seasonings and cook some up and if needed add more.   Most pre packaged seasoning mixes were far too strong for the amount of sausage being made.   I like to start with about 60% to 70% of the directed amount of spices and seasonings and usually end up at about 80%.  You can also add more spice and seasoning just before cooking it to kick up a bit.     Yes you will want to trim off all deer fat for best results.

[JLS]

my best recommendation is go light on the seasonings and cook some up and if needed add more.

 

Best advice you will get on making sausage.

I used pork bellies for mine.  Portugese and spicy Italian were awesome.  Breakfast sausage I went way to heavy on onions and it wasn't so awesome.

Make a small batch first, or else plan on tasting/adding as you go.

[kramman]

Thanks for all the advice. I'm gonna get a batch going next week I'll let everyone know how it went. Mark

[DoubleJ]

Adding pork is best but I use this recipe when I don't have any pork on hand and it's never let me down

http://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-breakfast-sausage-164092

[BOWHUNTER45]

My recipe is soooooooooo good I can not share it  I will PM you if your lucky 

[LndShrk]

Very simple but sooo sooo good.. The brown sugar and crushed peppers you can play with to your liking.

2 teaspoons dried sage
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1.5lbs venison
.5lbs ground pork

[Boss .300 winmag]

that one sounds good, BH45 share your recipe. 

[jrebel]

Take a look at this web site.  You can buy the stuff in most hunting / outdoor stores I have been to.  I use the "Country Blend / sage" and it is fantastic.  I mix the flavor packet a little heavy cause I like the flavor of sage (example:  if the pack says it will mix with 15 lbs of meat....I will mix it with 10-12 lbs of meat).  I always do a minimum of 30% pork but and as much as 50%.  If you don't the sausage will be really dry and, in my opinion, nasty. 

Good Luck. 

http://www.hicountry.com/products/fresh-sausage-seasonings/

[James E]

As mentioned, you can buy the mix etc. When grinding and mixing, get some shaved ice and grind with the meat and seasoning, it will help with the grinding and mixing. The meat can gum up without doing this, unless you can keep it very cold.

[Alan K]

I mix the flavor packet a little heavy cause I like the flavor of sage (example:  if the pack says it will mix with 15 lbs of meat....I will mix it with 10-12 lbs of meat).

I too do mine this way with purchased mixes.  Naturally they try and say their mix goes further than it does (IMO).  I cut back the amount of meat that their mixes say to use by 20% as a general rule of thumb.   

[boomstick]

Sage is ok but if you replace it with rosemary equal parts it even better. Just measure out the whole rosemary and the chop it up to a fine piece but not powder.

[boomstick]

The recipe on this page is close to mine. I do 20% straight pork fat with my deer or elk. Cube both in to 1" or smaller  and add the seasoning mix well and grind twice through 3/16 plate. Grinding  with spice added will help mix it and its doesn't in up tacky from over mixing.

[jrebel]

Just made 55 lbs of sausage last week and it turned out great.  I used the Hicountry sage and german blends and like both  equally as well.  I use the German blend to make soup....like the Zupa toscana you get from olive garden....it is amazing. 

[Jason]

jrebel that soup looks tasty 

[swinters]

Anyone willing to help out a newbie make some venison
breakfast sausage? I've never done this before so if you have a recipe u use I would appreciate some help. I've got a grinder and just don't know how to start. Prefer sage and or maple ground sausage. Thanks Mark

Though not really a "Breakfast Sausage recipe, there's a recipe called "Quebec venison patties" in George Herter's book from the 60's that we use.  The basic recipe is good and for variety we toss in a sprinkling of crushed red pepper, sage or rosemary.  My personal favorite is the basic recipe with up to a tablespoon of crushed peppers.  It says to take 5 pounds of lean venison with absolutely no fat (fat can give off-flavors, plus we render the fat and use it to make the best pie crusts in the world) and mix in the following:
2 level tablespoons ground black pepper
3 level tablespoons ground nutmeg
3 level tablespoons salt
2 level tablespoons dried powdered onion
1/4 level teaspoon powdered garlic.
Make into patties and fry in beef suet or butter.  Patties can be wrapped and frozen for up to 3 months. 

[NRA4LIFE]

I tinkered around with my own recipes for years but just couldn't seem to get it right.  I now use mixes, it's very economical.  Then you don't have an open jar of marjoram laying around that goes bad.  My favorite so far is Eldon's Mild Country Breakfast Sausage.  I add extra sage to it also.  I mix 50-50 pork and venison.