Elk Sausage Fat Source

[Dave Rowell]

I have killed at least one elk every year since 2000 and we have always done all our own processing. Hundreds of deer on top of that. That said, I have never added pork to my sausage for the fat source. We have always used beef suet. Yeah, I know. Everyone else uses pork butt. I've just never wanted to mix another meat into my elk. Besides, I get beef suet free. I'm ready to reconsider. I like Jimmy Dean sausage as well as anyone else, but I don't kill wild hogs. I would appreciate any comments, opinions, suggestions and recommendations.

 

[poacherjoe]

I don't put anything into my Elk or Deer meat ! If I am making sausage ,Bologna or Snack sticks I use pork butt or pork fat. to mix with the wild game. My butcher will give me all the pork trimmings I want for free .

 

[smokerjim]

I mainly use beef fat with my deer meat, usually 2lb fat per 8lb deer meat

 

[Dave Rowell]

I don't put anything into my Elk or Deer meat ! If I am making sausage ,Bologna or Snack sticks I use pork butt or pork fat. to mix with the wild game. My butcher will give me all the pork trimmings I want for free .

I'll have to ask the local butcher about pork trimmings. Thanks. When we grind, we definitely prefer a little more fat than is in elk meat, which is nil. Thanks!

 

[Dave Rowell]

I mainly use beef fat with my deer meat, usually 2lb fat per 8lb deer meat

That's what I've done for years. I'm reading on other discussions here that beef suet is better than beef fat. I tried kidney fat once and we didn't like it for burger. that's the only time I tried it, though.

 

[tallbm]

I have killed at least one elk every year since 2000 and we have always done all our own processing. Hundreds of deer on top of that. That said, I have never added pork to my sausage for the fat source. We have always used beef suet. Yeah, I know. Everyone else uses pork butt. I've just never wanted to mix another meat into my elk. Besides, I get beef suet free. I'm ready to reconsider. I like Jimmy Dean sausage as well as anyone else, but I don't kill wild hogs. I would appreciate any comments, opinions, suggestions and recommendations.

Hi there and welcome!

You will do fine with trimmed pork back fat. The butcher should be able to get it so you can buy it directly versus waiting for their scraps. If they have lots of pork fat scraps thats fine as well but they can order this in a box.

Anything you want with pork flavor like breakfast sausage should be fine to mix with pork fat.
I mix pork fat with venison meat for my Brats and other sausage and it comes out great!

When I want more beef flavor, which venison tastes more like, I use beef fat.

I live in TX where TX sausage is often both beef and pork so doing combos of venison, pork, and beef is not an uncommon thing here at all and comes out fine.

Just follow good practices and when you want something to resemble more of a pork product use pork fat. When more of a beef product use beef fat.

I hope this helps :)

 

[Dave Rowell]

Hi there and welcome!

You will do fine with trimmed pork back fat. The butcher should be able to get it so you can buy it directly versus waiting for their scraps. If they have lots of pork fat scraps thats fine as well but they can order this in a box.

Anything you want with pork flavor like breakfast sausage should be fine to mix with pork fat.
I mix pork fat with venison meat for my Brats and other sausage and it comes out great!

When I want more beef flavor, which venison tastes more like, I use beef fat.

I live in TX where TX sausage is often both beef and pork so doing combos of venison, pork, and beef is not an uncommon thing here at all and comes out fine.

Just follow good practices and when you want something to resemble more of a pork product use pork fat. When more of a beef product use beef fat.

I hope this helps :)

Thank you for the input! I'm eating Jimmy Dean sausage as we speak. I want to spend the effort to make sausage out of elk. I have a good blend to work with now. I just wanted to get input on pork fat, since we've always used beef fat. Do you ever use suet?

 

[tallbm]

Thank you for the input! I'm eating Jimmy Dean sausage as we speak. I want to spend the effort to make sausage out of elk. I have a good blend to work with now. I just wanted to get input on pork fat, since we've always used beef fat. Do you ever use suet?

No, I don't really have easy access to any. I use brisket fat (not the hard or stringy fat).

Living in TX I have access to a lot of well priced brisket throughout the year and I can usually save 2 pounds or so of good usable beef fat per brisket I buy. So I just save up like 6 pounds and then grind and use it when I need.

I do 80% meat and 20% fat so 6 pounds of beef brisket fat means I can make a total of 30 pounds of sausage that may need it.

I also grind up brisket for ground beef and it is about 80/20 naturally so that's my beef and beef fat journey.

I buy trimmed pork back fat as I have a couple of sources to get that and it works like a charm when I need pork fat for sausage!

 

[crazymoon]

DR, I suggest you try pork butt with your elk if you've never done it. IMHO it never covers up the taste of your game meat.

 

[BC Buck]

I prefer saving my brisket trimmings for grinding venison. Dont make me feel bad about paying for all that fat on a packer. Here in STL pork butts are selling for $1.89 LB. The good old days of .89 cents a LB are gone.

 

[Dave Rowell]

No, I don't really have easy access to any. I use brisket fat (not the hard or stringy fat).

Living in TX I have access to a lot of well priced brisket throughout the year and I can usually save 2 pounds or so of good usable beef fat per brisket I buy. So I just save up like 6 pounds and then grind and use it when I need.

I do 80% meat and 20% fat so 6 pounds of beef brisket fat means I can make a total of 30 pounds of sausage that may need it.

I also grind up brisket for ground beef and it is about 80/20 naturally so that's my beef and beef fat journey.

I buy trimmed pork back fat as I have a couple of sources to get that and it works like a charm when I need pork fat for sausage!

Thank you!

 

[Dave Rowell]

DR, I suggest you try pork butt with your elk if you've never done it. IMHO it never covers up the taste of your game meat.

I guess I just don't like to pay for meat or fat to add when I have so much free from elk. I should just get over it! Thanks.

 

[tallbm]

I guess I just don't like to pay for meat or fat to add when I have so much free from elk. I should just get over it! Thanks.

Nothing wrong with your thought process there. I am the exact same way.

I don't like mixing other meat with my game meat. The solution for me is to ONLY mix fat with the game meat so that I'm not just buying meat when I already have a ton of meat hahahaha.

I never buy pork butts and mix with my game meat. I only buy the fat.... unless I'm doing something like my Texas Hot Gut sausage which calls for beef (or venison) and pork anyhow. That is the one exception. All my other sausage is my game meat and beef/pork fat only per what the sausage flavor profile may call for :)

 

[archeryrob]

I use pork fat with venison for sausage and liverwurst. The butcher near me sells pork back fat for $.50 a pound.