Venison Sausage without the fat

[bearpaw]

Well this has been a challenge because as everyone pretty much knows the best sausage has 30% to 40% fat. But I wanted to make some sausage that didn't sacrifice the healthy reasons for eating lean wild game. So trimmed off all the fat, only used lean venison, and tried a couple different boxed High Country sausage mixes.

We made 30# of Italian exactly as the instructions say except used all lean meat and no pork or fat. We also made some zesty with an old jerky marinade recipe. Both types taste pretty good but they are pretty dry. Not sure what to do to make them juicier without adding the pork and fat? 

I have enough meat left over for a couple more batches, and I have some German and Country seasoning mixes. Any ideas?

[BigD]

Lean or not, looks tasty.

[Skyvalhunter]

Boy that sure looks tasty Bearpaw

[rasbo]

my concern would be how dry is it..I wonder if one put apple in it if that would work???

[dogtuk]

get a binder Soy protein or use some oats there are several others out there powdered milk all of these should help retain moisture great looking sausages by the way I do a lot of my snack stix with just wild game meat they turn out pretty good

[bearpaw]

get a binder Soy protein or use some oats there are several others out there powdered milk all of these should help retain moisture great looking sausages by the way I do a lot of my snack stix with just wild game meat they turn out pretty good

First time we ever tried making our own sausage and it worked better than I ever expected, other than being too dry.
Do I just ask for soy protein at the store?
Does oats for oatmeal cereal work?

[bearpaw]

my concern would be how dry is it..I wonder if one put apple in it if that would work???

rasbo, your apple idea sounds good, have you ever tried doing that?

I wonder if applesauce would work?

[bearpaw]

I cooked it in the oven for 45 min. My wife thinks maybe I need to boil it instead of using the oven?

[rasbo]

my concern would be how dry is it..I wonder if one put apple in it if that would work???

rasbo, your apple idea sounds good, have you ever tried doing that?

I wonder if applesauce would work?

not sure about sauce,a friend in Idaho chopped the apple in small pieces then cooked it till it was soft before adding to the mixture...oh he put some onion in with it

[bearpaw]

my concern would be how dry is it..I wonder if one put apple in it if that would work???

rasbo, your apple idea sounds good, have you ever tried doing that?

I wonder if applesauce would work?

not sure about sauce,a friend in Idaho chopped the apple in small pieces then cooked it till it was soft before adding to the mixture...oh he put some onion in with it

Did you try some, was it good?

[rasbo]

my concern would be how dry is it..I wonder if one put apple in it if that would work???

rasbo, your apple idea sounds good, have you ever tried doing that?

I wonder if applesauce would work?

not sure about sauce,a friend in Idaho chopped the apple in small pieces then cooked it till it was soft before adding to the mixture...oh he put some onion in with it

Did you try some, was it good?

he was the best sausage maker I know so yes it was good

[dogtuk]

get a binder Soy protein or use some oats there are several others out there powdered milk all of these should help retain moisture great looking sausages by the way I do a lot of my snack stix with just wild game meat they turn out pretty good

First time we ever tried making our own sausage and it worked better than I ever expected, other than being too dry.
Do I just ask for soy protein at the store?
Does oats for oatmeal cereal work?

I have not used the oats before I think you need to grind them into a powder but yes they do work I would buy some dry non fat powdered milk at the store try 2 oz per 10 pounds of meat and see how you like it

[huntlakewood]

Looks good to me

[DOUBLELUNG]

Try steaming it, or simmer in tomato sauce, or use for chili 

[NRA4LIFE]

I use soy protein concentrate and have made brats out of pure venison and they turned out much better than using no binder at all.  I buy the big (5 lb I think) containers from The Sausage Maker.

[daddysprad]

They look great to me, great job. 

I made some lean german sausage this year and it was really dry.  I now boil them in beer before I grill.    

My favorite way to fix them is an old boy scout recipe called "a Train Wreck".  In a dutch oven place 2 pounds chunked sausage, 1 head of cabbage, 1 large onion, 3 lbs of spuds, a bunch of mushrooms, and some kind of hot peppers to taste.  Cover all with water (or beer), season and slow boil until spuds are soft.  You can also cook it longer and it turns into a creamed soup.  Now I'm hungry.

[WCTaxidermy]

Dale, those look good.  I'll be over in a minute to sample them. John 

[JKEEN33]

I make all our sausage without the added fat. It is drier, but I don't mind it that way. I preffer that over all the fat and grease. Try simmering in water for about 20. That's how I cook mine. Looks good to me!

[Hangfire]

In 2009 my son ask Masons, near Diamond Lk, to make pronghorn German sausage with out adding fat. They said they had to use some kind of a binder. They have a non fat binder that they used. My son looked the stuff up and felt it was not a harmfull additive and had the sausage made. They are very good either boiled or on the grill. Masons were very willing to tell him what they used.

[bearpaw]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I did a little more experiementing and came up with a couple more recipes that I liked.

One of the best ones, tastes just like a real good brat:

5 pounds course ground Venison burger
High Country - Country Seasoning  (mixed to their stronder recipe)
2 tablespoons Pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Mix all ingredients, regrind with course grinder plate, stuff into hog casings, put in cool water on stove, bring to boil, boil 15 to 20 minutes.

[bearpaw]

Another easy one that we like real well was using the High Country Italian Seasoning, mixed to their recipe. I didn't remake any with the dry milk or applesauce, but may try that next time. Also next time I will boil it, that seems to keep the sausage more moist.

I did add the dry milk and applesauce to a small batch of original seasoning and it is moister. Next time I think I will try just the milk without the applesauce. The original was pretty good too.

The High Country German Seasoning tasted real good in breakfast sausage patties. Will definitely make it again. It's easy to pull out packages of hamburger and add the seasoning. Seems a little better if you let it sit overnight after mixing, its really good the next day.