This is our basic recipe and method of
making deer sausage.
We usually make 5,000 to 7,000 pounds of deer sausage each deer season.
We use an 80/20 ratio of deer to pork. We use only 80/20 pork trim, which is
roughly 73% lean pork.
We coarse grind the deer/pork mixture first.
Then we add the premixed
seasoning along with 10 lbs. of water (just use the ratio of 1 lb. of water
for every 10 lbs. of meat).
Then we thoroughly mix the meat,
seasoning, and water. We have good tap water in Jackson, MO, so we
just take water from the tap, put in clean milk jugs, and let set 24 hours for
the chlorine to dissipate. You could also use distilled water or spring
water. Make sure the water is as cold as possible - eg. let the water set
in the refrigerator at least 4 or 5 hours to get it as cold as possible.
Then we fine grind this mix (fine grind is just like ground beef you get at the
grocery store).
We then stuff the raw deer salami in "3
lb." casings (2½ inches in diameter by 20 inches long) and set in the
cooler (or refrigerator - with the temperature as close to 38 degree's as
possible).
The next morning we hang the casings in the smokehouse (by the string
loops on the end of the casings on bacon
hooks) (we use real hickory
sawdust to produce the smoke), until the internal temperature of the sausage
is 150 degrees. (Don't "just guess" when the deer sausage is
done. Use a probe style meat
thermometer to know EXACTLY when the deer sausage hits 150 degrees F.
We then allow the sausage to cool to room temperature overnight, and the next
day place them in the cooler to chill.
That's it.
That's a very quick summary of our recipe and how we make our deer sausage.
We use F.W. Witts Deer Salami mix.
We also sell Deer Casings.
In sausage making or meat processing,
temperature is very important both in making sure the meat is properly chilled
and in cooking or smoking the sausage to its optimum temperature. Our
thermometers are very economical and should be used in all meat processing.