50/50 venison and pork?

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Thats kinda what i figured. I have a bunch of ground venison right now and i thought it would be a quick snack stick to just buy the big tubes of pre gound beef to mix with the venison i already have. Use the normal pepperoni seasonings and do a 24hr ferment with FLC culture. I would think it would turn out pretty good.

If you are also trying to figure out what to do with a bunch of pure ground venison you can also do jerky out of it. Ground meat jerky is MUCH easier on the teeth and that is basically what all the rectangular jerky sticks and bags of jerky chunks are these days :)
 
I don't know about the addition of wine and the higher ferment , but don't know why it wouldn't work .
As far as how much , I add the liquid and binder by feel . I add slowly until it comes together then I stop there . For me it depends on the fat in the meat mix on how much liquid it needs .
Thanks. Maybe Ill make some time to do a small batch this weekend and see what comes out of it. If i like it ill do a big batch.
 
If you are also trying to figure out what to do with a bunch of pure ground venison you can also do jerky out of it. Ground meat jerky is MUCH easier on the teeth and that is basically what all the rectangular jerky sticks and bags of jerky chunks are these days :)
I have done a lot of the ground jerky but we like the whole muscle sliced thin for jerkey. Only reason i have so much ground right now is i didnt have time to process that one myself with the temps we had at the time. I jusst had them cut the back straps and tenderloins out whole then 2 roasts, stew meat from the neck and the rest was ground. I typically do a lot of different cuts myself but it gets pricey when you have someone else do it for you. And im typically disappointed with how good of a job they do.
 
I have done a lot of the ground jerky but we like the whole muscle sliced thin for jerkey. Only reason i have so much ground right now is i didnt have time to process that one myself with the temps we had at the time. I jusst had them cut the back straps and tenderloins out whole then 2 roasts, stew meat from the neck and the rest was ground. I typically do a lot of different cuts myself but it gets pricey when you have someone else do it for you. And im typically disappointed with how good of a job they do.

I understand. I just got done with my yearly processing. We did 9 deer and 30 pounds of pork butts (no feral hogs came out to kill so bought pork this year :( )
 
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Thanks for all the info everyone for all the info. Got a pretty good idea ofnwheren I'm headed now.
 
I don’t have any tips or suggestions for you but can offer this...I’ve probably used two dozen or so deer processors over the years here in Texas. Every single one of them used a 50/50 venison/pork ratio in their sausages, whether it was smoked, dried, snack sticks or SS. Could be a coincidence but maybe not.
 
I don’t have any tips or suggestions for you but can offer this...I’ve probably used two dozen or so deer processors over the years here in Texas. Every single one of them used a 50/50 venison/pork ratio in their sausages, whether it was smoked, dried, snack sticks or SS. Could be a coincidence but maybe not.

Hi Alan.

Take this for what it is worth but let me shed a little light on the deer processing business.

  • They get Pork Butts or other fatty cuts of pork for lets say $0.77/lb or less, maybe much less.
  • A deer will yield roughly 35% of its weight in meat (at least in Texas).
    The deer in TX generally are not these massive bodied deer that we see as you go North to colder areas of the country. It's just nature. Animals in colder climates have to put on more body mass to survive where animals in hot climates tend to be smaller to deal with the heat.
  • So a 100 pound doe in TX will give you roughly 35 pounds of meat.
  • People bring in a 100 pound deer (35 pounds of meat) and then tell the processor they basically want 50-70 pounds of meat out of it hahahahaha. People who don't process an animal don't generally understand and simply want the meat so the processors make it happen.
  • So with 35 pounds of meat and an order for lets say 70 pounds of sausage the processor will mix in more meat which is likely the less expensive pork. So 35 pounds of venison + 35 pounds of pork butt will give 70 pounds of meat
  • The processor charges $3.75-$6 for a pound of sausage.
    • 35 pounds of venison = $0 cost to the processor
    • 35 pounds of $0.77/lb pork = $26.95 cost to the processor
    • So 70 lbs of sausage at lets say $4/lb = $280 cost to the hunter
    • Base processing fee = $65-$85 animal processing fee (lets say $75) so = +$75 to cost to the hunter
So as you can see the processor makes a healthy bit of money (after they deduct other expenses like materials, labor, electiricty, rent, etc.) when they go 50/50 venison and pork, it's just part of their business model.

Armed with that knowledge you can better pick and choose how you want your animals processed.
My brother and I made over 70 pounds of feral pork sausage last year. My brother and I didn't have the time to mess with deboning the meat from the pigs so he took the feral hog quarters to a processor last year and dropped it off with trimmed pork backfat we have and told them to grind the meat up with the back fat at a 80/20 meat/fat ratio. They gave it back to us and just charged the $75 processing fee for the pigs. We then did all the sausage seasoning and stuffing when we had the time.
Long story shot (all my posts are long and meandering lol) we knew how to make the best decision for our situation (a time crunch) with the lowest cost and the maximum benefit. We made it work for us rather than us working for it :)

Anyhow, probably way more info than you care for but it is good info to know so. I hope this helps :)
 
Hi Alan.

Take this for what it is worth but let me shed a little light on the deer processing business.

  • They get Pork Butts or other fatty cuts of pork for lets say $0.77/lb or less, maybe much less.
  • A deer will yield roughly 35% of its weight in meat (at least in Texas).
    The deer in TX generally are not these massive bodied deer that we see as you go North to colder areas of the country. It's just nature. Animals in colder climates have to put on more body mass to survive where animals in hot climates tend to be smaller to deal with the heat.
  • So a 100 pound doe in TX will give you roughly 35 pounds of meat.
  • People bring in a 100 pound deer (35 pounds of meat) and then tell the processor they basically want 50-70 pounds of meat out of it hahahahaha. People who don't process an animal don't generally understand and simply want the meat so the processors make it happen.
  • So with 35 pounds of meat and an order for lets say 70 pounds of sausage the processor will mix in more meat which is likely the less expensive pork. So 35 pounds of venison + 35 pounds of pork butt will give 70 pounds of meat
  • The processor charges $3.75-$6 for a pound of sausage.
    • 35 pounds of venison = $0 cost to the processor
    • 35 pounds of $0.77/lb pork = $26.95 cost to the processor
    • So 70 lbs of sausage at lets say $4/lb = $280 cost to the hunter
    • Base processing fee = $65-$85 animal processing fee (lets say $75) so = +$75 to cost to the hunter
So as you can see the processor makes a healthy bit of money (after they deduct other expenses like materials, labor, electiricty, rent, etc.) when they go 50/50 venison and pork, it's just part of their business model.

Armed with that knowledge you can better pick and choose how you want your animals processed.
My brother and I made over 70 pounds of feral pork sausage last year. My brother and I didn't have the time to mess with deboning the meat from the pigs so he took the feral hog quarters to a processor last year and dropped it off with trimmed pork backfat we have and told them to grind the meat up with the back fat at a 80/20 meat/fat ratio. They gave it back to us and just charged the $75 processing fee for the pigs. We then did all the sausage seasoning and stuffing when we had the time.
Long story shot (all my posts are long and meandering lol) we knew how to make the best decision for our situation (a time crunch) with the lowest cost and the maximum benefit. We made it work for us rather than us working for it :)

Anyhow, probably way more info than you care for but it is good info to know so. I hope this helps :)

I agree with every point you stated. Our deer have very little fat and I’ve taken deer in the Midwest, which aside from being much larger, also had a 1/2” layer of fat over its entire body. Suspect the climate and soybeans have something to do with it. As you mentioned, deer processing into sausage is expensive to have done and quality/tastes vary greatly. It may be 50% pork but is that pork 80/20 or 60/40 fat content or what? All of these things have led me to learn up and gear up to begin making my own sausage this year. Smoker nearly ready and processing equipment will be here shortly. Always appreciate your insight so don’t be bashful.
 
Personally I like to mix sausage with more beef than pork. 50% pork and 50% venison tastes more like pork sausage than venison to me.
I usually use 60% venison 20% beef fat and 20% pork butt for most sausage.
Summer sausage I'll go 70% venison 20% beef fat and 10% pork fat if I can get it otherwise I use 10% pork butt.
For venison burger I'll go 70% venison and 30% 70/30 ground chuck or 85% venison and 15% beef fat.
I think the beef is much closer in taste than the pork and if I'm making venison sausage I don't want it to taste like pork sausage which at 50-50 it does to me. If I want pork sausage then I just use pork.
 
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Personally I like to mix sausage with more beef than pork. 50% pork and 50% venison tastes more like pork sausage than venison to me.
I usually use 60% venison 20% beef fat and 20% pork butt for most sausage.
Summer sausage I'll go 70% venison 20% beef fat and 10% pork fat if I can get it otherwise I use 10% pork butt.
For venison burger I'll go 70% venison and 30% 70/30 ground chuck or 85% venison and 15% beef fat.
I think the beef is much closer in taste than the pork and if I'm making venison sausage I don't want it to taste like pork sausage which at 50-50 it does to me. If I want pork sausage then I just use pork.

I’ve had 10%-20% brisket added to ground venison many times but never had a venison/beef sausage before. I’ll have to keep this mind. Thanks.
 
I agree with every point you stated. Our deer have very little fat and I’ve taken deer in the Midwest, which aside from being much larger, also had a 1/2” layer of fat over its entire body. Suspect the climate and soybeans have something to do with it. As you mentioned, deer processing into sausage is expensive to have done and quality/tastes vary greatly. It may be 50% pork but is that pork 80/20 or 60/40 fat content or what? All of these things have led me to learn up and gear up to begin making my own sausage this year. Smoker nearly ready and processing equipment will be here shortly. Always appreciate your insight so don’t be bashful.

There's no telling on what the ratio of pork and pork fat is that they are adding. If they are adding pork butts then they are about 80/20 on their own. I keep it simple and use only pork fat for my sausage unless I'm going for beefy flavor then I add beef fat. The beef fat makes my ground meat venisons pastrami sandwich meat taste like pastrami. If I was mixing venison for burger with any fat I would also use beef. I don't mix fat with my venison ground and just roll 100% venison if I make a burger with it but mostly use it for all other ground beef needs (taco meat, spaghetti, etc.) besides burgers :)
 
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Thanks everybody for all the help. I ended up doing an 80/20 mix by grinding in pork fat.
Here is a pic of some of the finished product
Hickory smoked venison andouille.
20191115_141052.jpg
 
Thanks everybody for all the help. I ended up doing an 80/20 mix by grinding in pork fat.
Here is a pic of some of the finished product
Hickory smoked venison andouille. View attachment 411686

Nice! I'm assuming they turned out tasting well?
Any lessons learned or changes for your next attempt?

:emoji_blush:
 
Nice! I'm assuming they turned out tasting well?
Any lessons learned or changes for your next attempt?

:emoji_blush:
Yeah they turned out quite well. Will probably up the fat a little next time they are just every so slightly dry and maybe a few small seasoning tweaks but overall for my first go I couldn't be more pleased.
 
Yeah they turned out quite well. Will probably up the fat a little next time they are just every so slightly dry and maybe a few small seasoning tweaks but overall for my first go I couldn't be more pleased.

Sounds like good simple little tweaks. Soon you will have it nailed and will make perfect sausage! :D
 
I usually go 2:1 pork to venny with my ground mix. But that's usually because I only get one deer a year, if that.

This year I was blessed with a trip for a management hunt and came back with several for the freezer so I'm going with 1:1.
 
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