For many hunters, pork fat is an essential ingredient when making venison sausage. The rich, fatty pork adds moisture and flavor that can be lacking in lean wild game meat. However, you may sometimes want to produce a batch of sausage without using pork. Whether for dietary reasons or because you simply want to highlight the unique flavor of venison, it is possible to make delicious deer sausage without pork.
Why Use Pork in Venison Sausage?
There are a few main reasons pork fat is commonly added to venison when making sausage
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Moisture – The high fat content in pork keeps the sausage juicy and succulent during cooking. Venison alone can become dry.
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Flavor – Pork contributes rich, meaty flavor that balances out the sometimes gamey notes in venison.
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Texture – The fat also gives sausage a smooth, tender texture and mouthfeel.
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Binding – Pork fat assists in binding and emulsifying the sausage, helping it hold together.
So when formulating sausage without pork, it’s important to find ways to mimic its moisture, fat content and binding abilities.
Tips for Making Venison Sausage Without Pork
Here are some tips for producing tasty venison sausage without using pork:
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Add beef fat – Using fat trimmed from beef cuts like chuck or brisket can provide moisture similarly to pork
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Use bacon ends – Diced bacon ends offer smoky pork flavor without as much fat.
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Incorporate oil – Adding olive or avocado oil can replace some of the fat that would come from pork.
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Mix in dairy – Ingredients like milk, cream, or cheese can add moisture and fat.
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Bind with eggs – Eggs assist with binding and texture when emulsified into the meat.
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Mind your ratios – Be careful not to make the sausage overly lean, which can lead to dry or crumbly sausage. Shoot for 20% fat content.
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Grind properly – Use a coarse grind for a pleasant, chunky sausage texture.
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Season well – Don’t be shy with spices, herbs, garlic, etc. to add lots of flavor.
Recipes for Venison Sausage Without Pork
Here are some tasty venison sausage recipes to try that don’t require pork:
Breakfast Sausage – Venison, sage, thyme, red pepper flakes, black pepper, milk, egg
Italian Sausage – Venison, fennel seed, oregano, red wine, garlic, olive oil, parmesan
Bratwurst – Venison, caraway seed, white pepper, nutmeg, onion, beer
Andouille – Venison, paprika, cayenne, thyme, onion, garlic
Chorizo – Venison, ancho chili, cumin, oregano, vinegar, olive oil
Final Tips
When removing pork from venison sausage recipes, remember:
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Don’t eliminate fat completely or the sausage may become dense or dry when cooked.
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Leaner sausages require gentler cooking methods like poaching versus grilling.
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If needed, binders like egg or breadcrumbs can help lean sausage hold together.
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Season assertively to make up for lack of pork flavor.
With careful formulation and seasoning, you can absolutely create fantastic venison sausage without pork. The venison flavor will shine brighter than ever.
DIY Venison Sausage Recipe
Yield: Approximately 4 pounds venison sausageTotal time: 1-2 hours
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds of trimmed venison cut in cubes, almost frozen
- 1 pound ground mixed vegetables (directions below)
- 2 ounces of cold water and 3 tablespoons of kosher salt mixed with 1 cup of non-fat dry milk powder
- 2 tablespoons fine ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoons fennel seed, ground
- 1 teaspoon star anise, ground
- 3 tablespoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons marjoram
- 2 tablespoons ground bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon mustard powder
- 6 tablespoons fresh minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 package hog sausage casings
Special Equipment:
Cooking homemade venison sausage with fresh ingredients makes for a fun, healthy meal. (Chef Derek St. Romain photo)
Directions:
- Start with three to four onions, red and green bell peppers, green onions, one head of celery, fresh parsley, fresh basil, and two bulbs of fresh fennel. Make a ground vegetable mix. Put them all together and grind or purée them until you get 1 pound. Cook the mixture for 15 minutes on medium. Put the cooked ground vegetables in a bowl and put it in the fridge to cool down to below 40 degrees. Some of the most important parts of this recipe are the greens (Chef Derek St. Romain photo) .
- Use the medium plate on your grinder to cut up and grind all the deer meat. Use a plate that’s big enough to hold all the meat you want to grind. (Chef Derek St. Romain photo) .
- After the vegetable mix has cooled, add it to the ground venison along with everything else (except the powdered milk, cold water, kosher salt, and sausage casings).
- Next, make a paste by mixing the kosher salt, cold water, and powdered milk. Combine the paste with the deer meat and mix it in well. Use the paddle attachment on your stand mixer if you have one. You can now start the real fun. You can put the sausage in casings or leave it in bulk. We make them both ways to use in different recipes.
- For deer sausage links, soak the casings in water for at least 30 minutes before putting the meat inside them. To get rid of all the salt, I like to run water through each strand of coax. Place one string of casings on top of the grinder’s stuffing pipe attachment. Then, start pushing the sausage through to fill the casing. Fill the cases almost all the way to the top, but be careful not to tear them. The sausages should be left out to dry for at least an hour after they are all stuffed. If you can hang them in the fridge overnight, do that. After that, you can smoke them in a smoker or freeze them without cooking them first. For about 25 minutes on the stove, cook the sausages in butter and onions. You can also cook them on the grill like you would your favorite smoked sausage. When you’re making links, the kids can help fill the cases. (Chef Derek St. Romain photo) .
- For large amounts of deer sausage, put the meat mixture in bags and freeze them in 1- to 2-pound portions. When I freeze meat, especially wild game, I always use a Food Saver bag machine. To make meat sauce, I use this as ground meat. I also make big patties for a sausage Po-boy on French bread. There are a lot of different recipes and ways to cook venison sausage, which is one of its best features. (Chef Derek St. Romain photo) .
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FAQ
What can I substitute for pork fat in sausage?
Do you need to add pork to deer sausage?
What sausage is made without pork?
Can you use beef fat to make deer sausage?
What can I do with venison sausage?
You can use this bulk venison sausage to make sausage gravy for biscuits, or you can fry it into patties. You can also fry and crumble to use on pizza, in sausage tortellini soup, or many other recipes. Anywhere you use bulk pork sausage – you can substitute homemade venison sausage. Here is an article with “ Cooking venison tips”.
Is sausage casing healthier option to eat?
Cellulose casings and some natural casings are perfectly fine to eat. Sausage casings are used to hold and shape filling inside so that it can be cooked. There are natural sausage casings and synthetic varieties, and most of them are edible. The healthiest way to cook them is by boiling or baking. Sausages provide high levels of vitamin B12 and iron, both of which are essential for healthy red blood cells and hemoglobin production.
What are some good venison sausage recipes?
Here are some other venison sausage recipes you can play with, once you get the basic technique down: Venison bratwurst, done the way they make “red brats” in Wisconsin. British bangers, a dense sausage that uses a little ground grain as a filler. Venison sausage with sage, which is similar to this one, but with wintry seasonings.
Can you use venison fat in a crumbly sausage?
No one likes crumbly sausage. More on this in a bit. You will want fatty pork shoulder or pork belly, or a mix of both. You can use beef fat, too, if you prefer; use fat trimmed from steaks and roasts. As for the venison in this venison sausage, you’ll want to use trim, mostly.