The Best Smoked Venison Sausage Recipe - PS Seasoning

Maybe your like

Your cart is currently empty

Shop now Gift message Unit price: per Skip to content

FREE Sample on every order | Free Shipping $49+

Best Sellers Previous panel Best Sellers
- BBQ Rubs, Seasonings & Sauces
- Steak Seasonings
- Cooking Seasonings & Sauces
- Taco Seasonings & Sauces
- Burger Seasonings
- Wing Seasonings & Sauces
Honey BBQ Snack Stick Seasoning
Sweet and smokey flavors unite in our #1 selling and award-winning Honey BBQ Snack Stick Seasoning.
Notorious P.I.G. Pulled Pork Rub
Filled with sweet brown sugar and tongue-tinglin' peppers, this pulled pork seasoning blend will hypnotize your taste buds.
Sausage Making Previous panel Sausage Making
- Sausage Seasonings Previous panel Sausage Seasonings
  - Bratwurst & Fresh
  - Snack Sticks
  - Summer Sausage
  - Cured Specialty
- Casings Previous panel Casings
  - Natural Casings
  - Collagen Casings
  - Fibrous Casings
- High Temp Cheese Previous panel High Temp Cheese
  - Cheddar
  - Pepperjack
  - Mozzarella
  - Habanero
  - Swiss
  - Bleu
- Cures & Binders Previous panel Cures & Binders
  - Binders
  - Cures
  - Whole Spices
- Processing Kits Previous panel Processing Kits
  - Jerky Kits
  - Sausage Kits
How to: Homemade Venison Summer Sausage
Learn how to make delicious, tangy homemade deer summer sausage with our tried and true Jalapeno Cheddar Venison Summer Sausage recipe. A staple in the Midwest, this large diameter cured sausage can be made from a mixture of pork, beef, venison or other combinations of wild game.
Cooking & BBQ Previous panel Cooking & BBQ
- BBQ Rubs & Seasonings Previous panel BBQ Rubs & Seasonings
  - BBQ Rubs
  - Steak Seasoning
  - Seasoning Shakers
  - Taco Seasoning
  - Burger Seasoning
  - Wing Seasoning
- Sauces Previous panel Sauces
  - BBQ Sauces
  - Cooking Sauces
  - Mustards
  - Wing Sauces
- Gifts Previous panel Gifts
  - Gift Cards
  - Gift Boxes
  - Bundles
  - Merchandise
Spicy Dill Pickle Wing Rub
This dill-icious seasoning blend is sure to pack a punch. Fire up your taste buds because this spicy and tangy combination of dill, red pepper, and vinegar is guaranteed to make your next batch of wings take flight. Plus it's great on pork, potatoes, or as an ingredient to an array of dips, so you'll want to opt for the 24 oz. shaker!
Smokers & Equipment Previous panel Smokers & Equipment
Dry Agers

Electric Smokers

Supplies & Accessories
Recipes Previous panel Recipes
- Recipes Previous panel Recipes
  - Beef
  - Pork
  - Poultry
  - Sausage
  - Seafood
  - Wild Game
- Blog Previous panel Blog
  - Hunting & Processing Season
  - Cooking Tips
  - Meat & Sausage Making
  - Product Spotlight
  - News

8003288313

[email protected]

Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Tiktok
Youtube

back-to-school /
deer-camp-bundle /
Sausage /
Wild Game

How to: Smoked Venison Sausage - Deer Sausage Recipe

Looking for the best smoked venison sausage recipe? You’re in buck! (get it)? Turn your harvest into an easy, mouthwatering smoked deer sausage Among all the smoked venison recipes we've seen around, this is surely our favorite. This guide will show you exactly how to make deer sausage at home, from grinding to seasoning and smoking like a pro.

Close-up of a smoked venison sausage sliced open, revealing its juicy, tender interior with a perfect pink hue and smoky glaze, part of an easy homemade smoked deer sausage recipe using Butter Garlic seasoning and natural hog casings.

Make the most of your harvest with these easy and delicious Homemade Smoked Deer Sausages.

Want to learn how to make deer sausages to die for? Don't look any further and let PS Seasoning guide you. Stay tuned for the best smoked venison sausage recipe! Whether you're processing your own deer or getting it from your local butcher or meat market, homemade venison sausage is easy to make and one of our favorite ways to enjoy deer meat. Approved by our professional chefs, these smoked venison sausages will surely please all your guests.

Why Make Smoked Venison Sausage?

Venison is naturally lean, which means it's especially important to control the amount of fat and moisture in your deer sausages. Smoking adds depth and preserves your meat. Using our Butter Garlic Brat seasoning and Natural Hog Casings will give you that perfect balance of savory and tender texture.

What you'll need for your Venison Sausages

3 lbs. Venison or other wild game meat
3 lbs. Fatty Pork Belly or Trims (for moisture and flavor)
1 package No. 294 Butter Garlic Brat Seasoning: Pre-measured for 25 lbs. of meat, you'll need to measure out 4 oz of seasoning
3 oz Binder Flour
1 1/4 tsp Pink Cure
1/2 Cup Distilled Water
Natural Hog Casings (32-35mm)
Meat Grinder with 3/8" & 3/16" Plates
Sausage Stuffer with 3/4" Horn
Smoker - We used the Pro Smoker PK 100 Electric Sawdust Smokehouse

The Perfect Venison to Fat Ratio

Venison, like most game meats, is extremely lean, making it difficult to use on its own in deer sausage making. No matter what kind of venison sausage you're making, you'll need to add fat to your meat block to ensure you have moisture and flavor. The fat ratio of pork belly lends itself very well to venison, and it also has a smooth flavor that won’t overpower our venison and make delicious deer sausages. Pork belly has a fat ratio of about 30%, which means the total fat content of our sausage will be around 15%-20%. For smoked venison sausages, you want to be somewhere in the range of 15-25% fat to lean ratio. Close-up of freshly cut venison on a metal tray, ready to be grinded and prepared as a sausage, as part of the best homemade venison sausage recipe.

Close-up of freshly cut venison on a metal tray, ready to be grinded and prepared as a sausage, as part of the best homemade venison sausage recipe.

Grind your Venison

We are going to be grinding the deer meat twice for this venison sausage recipe: Once through a 3/8” plate and then again through a 3/16” plate. We start with a coarse grind just to begin the process of breaking down the meat. You don't want to force the meat through the 3/16” plate right away or it would likely overload the grinder and prevent the meat from breaking down evenly.

Grinding fresh venison meat using a meat grinder for a homemade smoked venison sausage recipe, falling into a stainless steel bowl, as part of the sausage-making process for hunters and wild game cooking enthusiasts.

Grinding twice will also allow us to mix in our venison sausage seasoning between grinds. This is a helpful trick to evenly distribute the seasoning throughout the meat block and make the most delicious deer sausages possible.

Once the first grind is complete, mix in the Butter Garlic Brat Seasoning gently by hand. This specific spice blend is especially great as deer sausage seasoning as it really brings out the unique venison flavor. Once the sausage seasoning is mixed in, pass the meat block through the grinder with the 3/16” plate for the final grind.

Grinding seasoned venison and pork mixture through a meat grinder for a homemade smoked venison sausage recipe, with freshly ground wild game sausage filling a bowl, highlighting the preparation process for DIY wild game sausage making for hunters and meat processors.

Add Water, Cure & Binder Flour

Now that the grind is done, it's time to add in our water. We recommend a 2-3% water content of your total meat block. Always remember to keep your water or liquid as cold as possible to keep the temperature of the meat down.

Because our meat block is on the leaner side, we're also going to add Binder Flour in our recipe, which will improve fat and moisture retention in our venison sausages.

The pink salt, or curing salt is a standard addition to smoked sausage. The acts as a preservative that will help avoid any food safety issues and it will also give it a standard pinkish color that is common in smoked sausage.

This would also be the time to add any other ingredients you’d like to have in your deer sausage recipe. For example, High temp cheese or crushed jalapeno would make delicious pairings with the Butter Garlic, but we chose to keep it simple.

Pro Tip: Always taste before you case! You want to make sure your sausage seasoning and flavor levels are exactly where you want them to be inside your deer sausages before you stuff the meat mix into casings. Fry up a patty quickly and adjust as needed.

Shop Cures & Binders

Close-up of a homemade smoked venison sausage patty sizzling in a cast iron skillet on a gas stove, being flipped with a metal spatula to ensure even browning and caramelization during the cooking process; part of a wild game sausage recipe using ground venison, pork fat, and traditional smoking techniques for rich, smoky flavor.

Venison Sausage Stuffing & Linking

Natural hog casings are the standard for making bratwurst. For our deer sausages, we did these with a 32-35 mm sized casing. We set the sausage stuffer up with 7/8” horn (3/4” works well too) and then filled it with our meat block. Pack the meat down into the stuffer as best you can with your hands to avoid any air pockets. We don’t want air pockets in our venison sausage, which means we need to avoid them in the stuffer too.

Pro Tip: To load your casing, find the end of the sausage casing strand and put two fingers in the end to open it up. Run water through a few times to open it up and prevent any tangles from happening as you load it onto the horn.

Shop Sausage Casings

Stuffing smoked venison sausage into natural casings using a sausage stuffer, preparing homemade deer sausage with pork fat for smoking

Keeping a finger on the top of your horn, begin stuffing your venison sausages just enough so that you can still pinch the meat down, but not too full that they won’t be able to twist. Use your other hand to gently guide the stuffed sausage away from your stuffer. Once your strand is stuffed, go through with a sausage pricker or knife and remove any large air pockets.

To twist, grab one end and pinch a divot to make a venison sausage that’s about 6-6.5” in length. Grab the first pinch with your left hand and pinch another 6” down with your right hand so you have two links. Twist forward and repeat the process until you’ve linked all your strands.

Man wearing black gloves twisting freshly stuffed smoked venison sausage links on a countertop, preparing homemade deer sausage mixed with pork fat and seasoning before smoking.

Smoke Like a Pro

So how to smoke sausages and for how long?

For the best flavor and texture, we always recommend letting your venison sausage rest in the refrigerator or cooler overnight. Place the links on a rack lined sheet tray and refrigerate overnight, uncovered. Keeping them uncovered will allow the sausage casings to dry out. If the sausage casings are wet when you smoke the sausage, it can act as a barrier to smoke flavor being absorbed into the meat.

For venison sausage smoking, we're using our Pro Classic a great all-purpose electric cabinet smoker. For your smoked sausage temperature, you want to preheat your smoker to 130 degrees F and hang your links on smoke sticks, leaving a few inches between each link to promote air flow and even cooking. After 45 minutes, start your smoke by filling the sawdust pan ¼ full with hardwood sawdust and dampening it with water. Place on the burner and increase the temperature to 150 degrees for another 45 minutes.

Shop Smokers

Placing homemade smoked venison sausage links into the Pro Smoker PK 100 Smokehouse, preparing deer sausage mixed with pork fat and seasoning for slow smoking to enhance flavor.

Remove the sawdust and raise the temperature one more time to 170 degrees F and finished out the cooking process for another 2 ½ hours or until the smoked sausage reached an internal temperature or 155 degrees F. When smoking sausage like this, slowly increasing the temperature of the smokehouse is important to avoid the fat from rendering and leaking out of the casings. Once the sausage reaches 155 degrees, place in an ice bath for about 25 minutes until the internal temp of the meat dropped to 105 degrees to stop the cooking process. If you're not eating right away, place in refrigerator or cooler and allow to cool down to 40 degrees or less.

And that's it! Your smoked venison sausages are ready to grill over the barbecue and get everyone to ask for more. What did you think of our venison sausage recipe? Let us know in the comments!

PS Seasoning

Facebook
X
Twitter
Pinterest
Email

star

Smoked Venison Sausage

Rated 3.6 stars by 137 users

Share on Twitter
Share on Facebook
Share on Pinterest
Share on Whatsapp

Cuisine

American

Author:

PS Seasoning

Servings

Prep Time

90 minutes

Cook Time

4 minutes

Make the most of your harvest with these easy and delicious Homemade Smoked Deer Sausages. Whether you're processing your own deer or getting it from your local butcher or meat market, homemade venison sausage is easy to make and one of our favorite ways to enjoy deer meat.

Smoked venison sausage links in a cast iron skillet, having just undergone the slow cooking process for optimal flavor and tender texture, essential steps for the best homemade smoked venison sausage recipe.

Ingredients

3 lbs. venison or other wild game meat
3 lbs. fatty pork belly or trims
4 oz. Butter Garlic Brat Seasoning
Add To Cart
3 oz Binder Flour
1 lb. Package ∙ $ 12.99 Add To Cart
1 1/4 teaspoons Pink Cure
Add To Cart
1/2 cup water
Natural Hog Casings (32-35 mm)
Add To Cart

View Cart (0) Checkout

Directions

Cut the venison and pork belly into grinderappropriate sized pieces. Place on a tray and in the freezer for 15-20 minutes while you set up the grinder.
Assemble the grinder with a 3/8” plate to start and grind the meat once through the 3/8” plate.
Gently combine the Butter Garlic Sausage Seasoning with the once ground meat. Place back in the fridge while you reset the grinder.
Replace the grinder plate with a 3/16” plate and grind seasoned meat through once.
Add the binder flour and pink salt to the meat block and combine well with your hands or a meat mixer.
Add water and mix until protein extraction starts. Prep sausage stuffer with a ¾” horn. Load stuffer with meat block, avoiding any air pockets when loading.
Thread sausage casings onto horn and gently begin stuffing into casings, leaving just enough give to twist them.
Link off sausages and use a sausage pricker or sharp knife to remove any air pockets.
Place on a rack lined sheet tray and place in the fridge overnight to dry and to develop flavors.
Preheat smoker to 130 degrees F. Hang sausages on smoke sticks, allowing at least 2” between sausages. Place in the smoker for 30 minutes.
Place ¼ pan of moistened sawdust on the heating element and increase the house temperature to 150 degrees. Smoke for 45 minutes.
Remove the sawdust and increase the house temperature to 170 degrees and cook for 2-3 hours, or until an internal temperature of the sausage reaches 155 degrees F.
Take the sausages out of the smokehouse and place in an ice bath for 15-20 minutes to rapidly chill.
Store in vacuum packed bags for future use or grill up right away and enjoy!

Recipe Note

Add high-temp cheese or crushed jalapenos for a kick!

Older Post Newer Post

2 comments

Good
Calvin simply December 11, 2023
Thanks for this recipe, I think I’ll give it a go. Question: If planning to eat within a couple of days and given that we’re cooking them to a safe temperate, is the curing salt a required here?
Dan August 01, 2023

Name Email Message

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published