Mixing venison and pork in summer sausage is a mouth-watering recipe. However, you can’t add the ingredients randomly and pray for the best.
Venison summer sausage pork ratio is known as the key to success. Once you identify the proportion of each meat, you can’t resist your sausage’s taste.
Health’s Kitchen will cover everything you need to know about this topic. Let’s follow our post and discover the best recipe for your food!
Venison Summer Sausage Pork Ratio
If you are a beginner, the ratio of venison-to-pork in summer sausage should be 2:1. It means that you need 5 pounds of pork for 10 pounds of venison.
The 2:1 ratio is standard and yields delicious sausage. However, if its taste doesn’t satisfy you, feel free to adjust the ratio.
What is venison summer sausage?
Summer sausage refers to any sausage that people keep for a long time without refrigeration.
This cured meat arose in Europe, where people came up with this recipe while seeking ways to preserve their food during the summer.
The primary ingredient for this food is pork, beef, or a mixture of two. When you add venison, you will have venison sausage.
How much pork to add to venison sausage?
The ratio of venison and pork should be 2:1 the first time you prepare the sausage. This recipe allows you to test whether you like a lean taste to your food.
With this ratio, the pork will act as a nice balance for the venison’s dominant aroma. The flavor might not be as fatty, though, as you prefer.
If you get overwhelmed with the venison taste, reduce it to the 1:1 or 1.5:1 ratio.
Keep changing it when you cook the sausage next time until you find the perfect recipe. There isn’t any rule for it.
How much pork fat to add to venison sausage?
Some people argue against adding pork fat to the venison sausage. However, you don’t have to stick to this opinion.
Often, many cooks advise using fat in the sausage. Please note that the venison is very lean, and it will make your sausage too dry.
As a result, the particles can’t bond together, affecting the texture negatively.
So, how much pork fat to add to your recipe? Your personal preferences and taste will determine how you reply to this question.
You can increase the pork content to 50% for a rich but not overwhelming pork flavor.
Trimmings or other leaner components can make up half the 50% pork content. Meanwhile, pork fat can make up the other half.
Finding the ideal ratio for your preference will need some trial and error. Feel free to customize your recipe.
We advise beginning with a total of five pounds of pork and venison with the ratio of ingredients as follows:
- 60% of venison
- 10% of pork trimmings
- 20% of pork fat
The fat content is not the same in a chunk of pork. We recommend fatback for the best result as it tastes good. This solid fat is what you need for your sausage.
Another thing to bear in mind is to avoid lard. It will lead to a mess because it may melt and strain before turning solid again.
How To Make Venison Summer Sausage?
Before starting, make sure you don’t miss anything in this list:
- 10 pounds of venison
- 5 pounds of pork
- 1 cup of water
- 1/3 cup of sea salt
- 1/8 cup of mustard seed, sugar, and ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of garlic powder
- 1 1/1 teaspoons of thyme and basil
You have everything at hand. Let’s follow the steps to make the venison sausage:
- While preparing the sausage, immerse three to four fibrous casings in water for about half an hour.
- If not done before, grind your pork and venison on a coarse plate separately. After that, grind the two ingredients together to blend them thoroughly.
- Mix seasonings, water, and cure in a mixing bowl. Then, stir them with the ground meat. A stand mixer can help you mix the ingredients quickly. If you don’t have one, stir them with your hand.
- Stuff the mixture into the casings, which are about two to three inches in diameter. Using a grinder featuring a sausage stuffer or stuffing attachment is advisable.
- Put the stuffed casings in the fridge and let them sit there for 24 to 48 hours. The longer the casings sit, the better flavor they will have.
- Preheat your smoker to 175°F.
- Hang the refrigerated sausages in the smoker and smoke for four hours or until the inner temperature hits 155°F.
- Allow the sausages to cool down naturally and put them back in the fridge or freezer.
- You can take them out to serve whenever.
- Storing sausages in vacuum-sealed bags is the best idea for maximizing their lifespan.
Tips For Mixing Pork With Sausage
The following tips will help you have the most impressive outcome:
- Check the meat’s origin carefully. It is always advisable to choose premium pork.
- Also, you can add organic spices and ingredients to your sausage.
- Pork is actually fat, yet the fatback is particularly fatty.
- Lard will dilute the flavor of the summer sausage. Hence, do not include it in your recipe.
- Since the tastes are different, you might use less or more than we recommend. Adjust your ratios until you find your preferred flavor.
- Try experimenting with the ratio of 3:1 for either pork or venison.
Conclusion
The ideal ratio of venison and pork when cooking venison sausage is 2:1. Yet, if the outcome doesn’t have your desired taste, feel free to adjust the recipe.
Hopefully, you will find this article helpful. Please let us know if you have any difficulties following our guide. We will always be ready to help.
