Venison Sausage makers

[PropsterII]

Where do you folks recommend south of the cities - say Northfield to Red Wing, Inver Grove to Rochester - to get my sausage made? I just brought what I had to Gregg's out of convenience. I like that they will still make it this long after deer season, because I take great care with my trim and prefer to have only my meat used versus mixing with others. Which is part of the problem - I convert most of my deer to steaks, except for a bit of neck, a little off the lower hind legs, and most of the front quarter which doesn't amount to much when you get rid of all the silver skin and junk.  So the problem is I had maybe 15-20 lbs of trim, which is enough for them to make one batch of only one kind of sausage. So my question is, does anyone do smaller batches so I can get a little variety here and there?  Or do any of you do-it-yourselfers that are set up to make your own, make it for others? I would be happy to pay a premium of sorts just for the flexibility. Thanks 

[leechlake]

I think you're in the same place we've all been and why we started doing it ourselves.   When you get back 30 pounds of anything the first package tastes a lot better than package #20.  Can't expect the sausage maker to set up for less than what they can make money at.  Options are buy a grinder for $100, find a friend as you mentioned, or ask someone you know who has a grinder so you can try it yourself.  

You can keep sausage pretty simple if your new by making things that don't require putting in a casing.  Bulk sausage or patties.  

[PropsterII]

If it was just the grinder that would be one thing, but really it would be grinder, stuffer and smoker right?

[reinhard1]

I processed venison at my home for 10 years and made it just like you mentioned.  All boneless and everyone got their own meat back.  Hard to find places that do that anymore.  I make small batches all year long.  That's because I enjoy it and am always looking to tweek my next batch for new flavors.  I also would encourage you to save up for some equipment.  You can get set up for under 500 bucks.  If you have a Kitchenaid mixer, you could get the grinder attachment and just pay for a stuffer for around 100 bucks.  If you like we could help you on here with the step by steps.  You can also check out my page www.sausageheavenoutdoors.com and look in the Homemade sausage page and you can see for yourself what's involved in sausage making and the step by steps.  Once you get into it, you will wonder why you spent all that cash in the past.  Plus you will know exactly what goes into what you eat.  Most places use beef fat or fatty pork trim when making venison sausage.  I have always used pork butt.  When you make something you want quality and enjoyment.  Venison is hard enough to come by for most of us, so it's important that we get the best sausage made from it.  good luck.

It would be the grinder, stuffer, and smoker yes.  However you don't need a stuffer if you just like bulk sausage like breakfast sausage.  Stuffing from a grinder is not the best thing even if they come with the stuffing tubes.  A vertical stuffer can be gotten for around 100 bucks and make sausage making very easy.  Yes the smoker.  For that great smoked taste, that's needed.  However you can also use liquid smoke and use your oven.  I have used my oven many times when it was very cold out.  good lluck.

[PropsterII]

I will check that out, thanks. When I was a kid and hunted with my dad and his buddies, we always used to pool all the venison and make it ourselves. During the 16 day gun season we'd have butchered or hung (depending on weather) any deer from the first two weekends and save. Then my dads friend Pete would bring up a live hog in a trailer that last weekend. He'd shoot her in the head with a .22 through the boards in the trailer, tho one time she kicked the heck out of it before succumbing. We then butchered the hog and any deer, ground the two (I remember my hands being so cold!) and stuffed the hog casings and smoked it all in my dads homemade smoker. Most of that equipment was ancient then so no longer around. But maybe I will think about doing it myself again. 

[leechlake]

24 minutes ago, PropsterII said:

If it was just the grinder that would be one thing, but really it would be grinder, stuffer and smoker right?

I have a smoker but don't use it a lot for sausage.  Must be a personal preference thing.

[delcecchi]

and you can make a smoker using a cardboard box....

Just google cardboard box smoker.  (not sure I would put it on my deck..)

And a kitchen aid mixer with grinder and stuffing tube would let you get started, see how you like it.

 

Edited February 6, 2016 by delcecchi

[reinhard1]

So true Del !!  Would work perfect for cold smoking especially.  however it would have it's drawbacks depending how sturdy the box is when very windy or when it's cold for it's lack of insulation, but yes it would work well.  In the old days smoking was done in "Teepee" style tents made from animal skins.  good luck.

[Cooperman]

Propster,

My brother in law has his made a Greg's meats in Hampton, very good! I myself like the other guy's have my own equipment, and enjoy making my own. Keep in mind that you don't have to wait until you get venison to use you equipment, you can make all kinds of sausage all year long

good luck

[tlv1959]

Buck ridge meats in Millville does everyones deer separate they do great work and are quick about getting it back to you

[reinhard1]

Welcome to the forum and HSO tlv1959!!  good luck.

[leechlake]

here's a bad tip but a tip all the same.  I make my own sausage and therefore use my own meat.  I'm pretty sure I get about a B- or less on removing all silver skin and sometimes even some fat.  If you don't do such a good job with your meat then it won't bother you bringing it in to a butcher if it's mixed together.  I think that mentality has a little bit of fallacy to it anyhow.  Most guys treat their deer just fine from gutting to butchering.  

[PropsterII]

You may be right LL but back in the day I saw too much lack of care at places like Pioneer and others where guys left hair on the meat or you could just tell from the carcass that some deer just were not well cared for. I'm not going to take any chances. Venison in my opinion is too valuable and too good when done right. And when a guy says he he can process his deer in an hour, well he's not taking all the silver skin and fat out either. 

[delcecchi]

If I was using a box this time of year, and was trying to get stuff up to temp, I would either smoke it and then stick in a low oven, or throw a couple of those moving blankets over the box for insulation. 

[reinhard1]

Kris, I processed deer for 10 years and I have seen it all.  I have seen them bring in a bloody mess, with hair, and a lot of tallow in the trim.  I told guy's that just bring in the trim that it has to be clean.  I'm not saying the silver skin has to be taken off.  Beef has that also and it goes in the trim.  But excess tallow, bloody areas [around the shot area], and hair is something I didn't accept.  That is what doesn't go in my sausage mix and I don't want it in theirs also since I did all seperate.  Locker plants don't have the time to go through the trim.  Telling them this before hand saved me time and turned out a better product. I have seen the mess that some guy's bring in for sausage at a couple of places I helped out back then.  They were places some of my co-workers operated and they tried to do their best with the trim but in the end also told folks that the trim better be good or go somewhere else.  Reputation keeps a buisness rolling and bad trim can ruin it quickly.  I'm fussy also because as Propster stated, venison is special, something that's once a year for most.  Now, I do not take all the silver skin off, because it's no different than the silver skin in beef, but everything else goes.  I even rinse my trim with water before freezing.  The hair floats to the top.  good luck.

[PropsterII]

Reinhard, I read thru your web page for quite a bit of time last night. Drooling over all those different recipes. There are 3-4 I'd like to do each year with my venison so I think you've got me convinced to gear up eventually and start making my own. Do you have an email address where I can ask you a few questions about getting started such as equipment, materials, where to buy, etc? Thank you !

[reinhard1]

PM sent.  good luck.

[KEN W]

You really don't need a smoker to make good sausage. I use Hi Mountain powdered smoke for all my sausage making. And I have 3 smokers. When trying to guess how long and how much smoke to put on it, you are guessing. With powdered smoke you add 1 tsp per pound of meat. Tastes the same every time. I sill use a smoker to cook it. But no smoke. You can use your oven. Just don't set the temp higher than 175 degrees. Just go to a store that sells Hi Mountain and powdered smoke should be there.  Doing this will save you money over buying a smoker. Try it first with a small batch before buying a smoker.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PropsterII]

Thanks RH, I'll shoot you an email this week. I see Ken recommends a max temp in the oven of 175. In many of your recipes where you used the oven you did 220 I believe. No need to keep it no higher than 175?

[KEN W]

The problem with setting the temp to high is that you will render out the fat to the bottom of the smoker or oven. Your sausage with be dry and crumble. I learned that the hard way. I wouldn't go higher than 200.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[reinhard1]

I go 225 all the time in the oven and will today.  Properly mixed sausage mix, with powdered milk and the right amount of water will retain the moisture and I have had very little or no rendering of fat.  I have gone to 225 in the smoker as well to finish off sausage after cold smoking.    Cold smoking is at temps around 80 deg. typically.  Then you get into what's called "hot" smoking.  Those temps can be all over the place depending on personal preference.  I know guy's that smoke at 140 deg. for the first couple of hours building up the color with the wood and then increasing the temps 10 degrees every hour until internals are at safe levels.  Nothing wrong with oven temps at 175, it's just that I have used 225 for years and never had a problem.  It has a lot to do with as I said:

Proper fat to lean ratio

Proper liquid amount used

Using a binder such as powderd milk

Proper linking or tying off of type of sausage being made

I contribute to a nation wide smoking forum as well and you would see all kinds of different methods that work for folks.  This is all part of the fun and addiction of smoking and sausage making.  Get some ideas to get started and soon those ideas may work for you and you will stay with them.  However tweeking recipes and figuring out things that work for you will also come about.  The main thing is that you turn out a product that YOU are happy with.  Over the years I have learned to not use pure fat in my sausage.  Doesn't matter if it's beef or pork fat.  I use pork butt and beef together in most sausage recipe's when I don't have venison.  All pork butt for breakfast sausage if I want a higher fat ratio type sausage.  But no pork or beef fat.  Pork butt alone without the fat cap is 35% fat on it's own.  Today I will use the oven for my venison ring bologna.  Only I will make sausage links instead of rings.  good luck.

 

[KEN W]

As you say....to each his own. You basically learn from trial and error. I respect your opinions, since you have been doing this for a long time. I have also been making my own sausages for a long time. My venison hasn't seen a butcher shop in over 40 years.I also use the proper fats, liquids, and powdered milk, and link all my sausages. So we do basically the same things.

Back in the 80's I bought a copy of the sausage makers bible....."Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing" by Rytek Kutas. It has 500 pages of recipes and methods of making sausage and curing meats. All of the recipes that require cooking use temps of 160-175. So it takes awhile to get the meat up to 145-150.Early on I tried using a higher temp to get them done faster and the results were .....dry crumbly sausage.

So anyone new trying to do this should try small batches to find out what works for them.

By the way.....Reinhard.....I like your page and have used some of your recipes. Good stuff.

Edited February 8, 2016 by KEN W