SMOKED DEER SAUSAGE RECIPES

Steps:

• 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 sharop 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!

Steps:

• Slice the meat against the grain between 1/8-inch and 1/4-inch thick. This is easier to do when the meat is chilled in the freezer for an hour or hasn’t fully defrosted. Place all the sliced meat in a large, resealable bag.
• If you have a mortar and pestle, smash the garlic cloves until you reach a rough paste. Mix the garlic with the water, soy sauce, pink curing salt (Prague powder #1), red wine vinegar, black pepper, and sugar until well blended.
• Pour the liquids into the bag with the meat and mix to coat each piece on both sides. Marinate in the fridge for at least 12 hours and up to two days, tossing and mixing the bag periodically.
• Prepare a smoker according to manufacturer’s settings using your choice of wood. Pre-heat to 160 degrees.
• Remove the meat from the marinade and squeeze off excess liquid. Lay each piece of meat on a metal grid or pizza screen. If you have the time and space, let the pieces air-dry for a few hours in the refrigerator so it will absorb more smoke.
• Smoke the venison for 3 to 4 hours. It should be fully dry but still pliable. If your smoker cannot get below 180 degrees, you can opt to smoke for 1 hour to impart flavor, then switch to a traditional dehydrator set at 145 to finish. This will prevent the jerky from becoming bitter or too brittle.
• Once completely cool, store in an airtight bag for 1 to 2 months. The jerky can also be refrigerated for 3 to 6 months or frozen for a year.
• Note: Pink curing salt (also known as Prague Powder #1) is a blend of sodium chloride (table salt) and sodium nitrite. It is used to prevent the growth of botulism bacteria, impart the savory flavors of cured meat, and give it a pink color when smoked. Although it isn’t required, I recommend it if you’re storing the meat for more than a few weeks. Do not use more than a teaspoon per 5 pounds of meat.