Hunter’s Guide · Wild Game
Venison Sausage
Most of a deer becomes either steak or sausage. Here’s what to make from the trim — ratios, recipes, and what works.
Venison is too lean to make good sausage on its own. Whitetail averages 1–3% fat. For comparison, a pound of beef chuck has 15–20% fat — that’s what holds together as a burger and what gives sausage its juicy texture.
The fix is pork. Pork fat or pork shoulder trim mixed into venison brings the fat ratio up to a sausage-friendly 20–30%. The result tastes like venison — clean, lean, with character — but doesn’t fall apart in the casing or dry out on the grill.
The Math
Fat ratios that actually work.
70/30 venison/pork shoulder — The universal ratio. Works for everything — brats, summer sausage, snack sticks, breakfast, Italian. Adds about 15% fat to the mix overall.
80/20 venison/pork fat (back fat) — If you’re adding pure fat instead of pork shoulder, you can use less by weight. Slightly leaner finished product.
60/40 venison/pork shoulder — Richer, more forgiving. Good for first-time sausage makers and for cooks where you want maximum juiciness (think bratwurst on a grill).
100% venison — Jerky and some snack sticks. Lean is the goal.
The Lineup
Seven recipes for the trim pile.
What we make most often from venison at Stittsworth — or what we’d teach a hunter to make at home.
| Recipe | Meat Ratio | Cure? | Smoke |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venison Snack Sticks The most-made venison sausage. Portable, shelf-stable. | 70% venison / 30% pork | Cure #1 required | Hickory, 4-6 hrs at 170°F |
| Venison Summer Sausage Crackers and cheddar. The Minnesota classic. | 70% venison / 30% pork | Cure #1 required | Hickory or apple, 6-10 hrs |
| Venison Brats Grill, smoke, or pan-fry. Stuffed in natural hog casings. | 70% venison / 30% pork | No cure (fresh) | Optional smoke for color |
| Venison Breakfast Sausage Bulk or patties. Sage + maple is the classic. | 75% venison / 25% pork | No cure (fresh) | No smoke |
| Venison Italian Sausage Fennel + garlic + red pepper. Sub for pork Italian in any recipe. | 70% venison / 30% pork | No cure (fresh) | No smoke |
| Venison Jerky No fat added. Sliced thin against the grain. | 100% lean venison | Cure #1 required | Hickory, 4-6 hrs at 160°F |
| Venison Bologna / Ring Bologna Sliced cold for sandwiches. Underrated. | 70% venison / 30% pork | Cure #1 required | Hickory, 6-8 hrs |
A Word on Cure
When to use Cure #1.
Cure #1 (sodium nitrite, often called “pink salt” or “Prague powder #1”) is required for any sausage that will be smoked at low temperatures for extended periods — snack sticks, summer sausage, jerky, ring bologna. It prevents botulism in the long danger-zone window of low-temperature smoking.
Use the correct amount — 1 ounce per 25 pounds of meat is the standard ratio. Too little is unsafe; too much is also unsafe (and tastes bad). Don’t freelance.
Fresh sausage that’s cooked to 160°F internal quickly — brats, breakfast sausage, Italian sausage — doesn’t need cure. The high-heat cook is the safety mechanism.
Part of the Wild Game series. See also: Smoked Summer Sausage, Snack Sticks.
Let our smokehouse do the work.
Drop your deer at Stittsworth and choose your sausage allocation. We do the cure, the seasoning, the smoke.
Custom Processing