Venison trail bologna

[stone5674]

I am just beginning to make my own trail bologna and snack sticks from my venison and I have questions I hope can be answered here.

I have made breakfast sausage for years but would like to avoid paying the price for the "fun" stuff every year. So far, I have made about 15 one pound chubs using Backwoods Trail Bologna and Backwoods Garlic Chili seasonings. They have all come out good but I'd like some guidance from the experts.

1. What have you found to be the right combination? Venison and pork fat, venison and beef fat, venison and ground pork, etc.?
2. Do fibrous casings allow smoke to enter the meat well enough or should I use collagen?
3. #1 curing salt or #2?
4. I have been dehydrating cheese because I struggle to get hi-temp cheese when I need it. I've had no issue with this.
5. I have cooked TB to 155 and then an ice water bath followed by a couple hours at room temp, then overnight in the fridge, vacuum seal and freeze. Is this okay?

Thanks!

 

[Brokenhandle]

Most important thing first... you want to use cure # 1.
Combination of meat to fats is kind of a preference and what you are making. Somewhere between 80 / 20 to 75/25. If you are grinding your own pork butts they are about 80/20 meat to fat ratio.
I haven't used fibrous casing so can't answer that.

Ryan

 

[indaswamp]

1. What have you found to be the right combination? Venison and pork fat, venison and beef fat, venison and ground pork, etc.?

We process anywhere between 600 and 1000 pounds of finished wild game product every February. You can look through my annual processing day threads. We like venison and beef grind for our ground meat. We use 40/40/20 venison/lean beef/ brisket or ribeye trim fat.

1. Do fibrous casings allow smoke to enter the meat well enough or should I use collagen?

both will allow smoke but you have to buy the casings specifically made for smoking....they are a little thicker and can handle the hanging in the smokehouse without ripping.

1. #1 curing salt or #2?

Always use cure #1 for smoked meats. Cure #2 is for dry aging salumi...like prosciutto.

1. I have been dehydrating cheese because I struggle to get hi-temp cheese when I need it. I've had no issue with this.

Good choice. I do the same as well as many others here. it works.

1. I have cooked TB to 155 and then an ice water bath followed by a couple hours at room temp, then overnight in the fridge, vacuum seal and freeze. Is this okay?

Yes. But technically, according to the USDA, you only need to achieve an internal temp. of 136*F for 30 minutes to achieve a LOG5 reduction in pathogens. This is pasteurization.
What I do is start a timer when the INT reaches 136*F... after 1.5 hours I pull the sausages. They are done. Might be 142 or 148 INT, but it does not matter....

The higher the INT you target, the higher the chance for fat out because of higher smoke chamber temperatures......lower for longer will achieve the same purpose.....

 

[slavikborisov]

I am just beginning to make my own trail bologna and snack sticks from my venison and I have questions I hope can be answered here.

I have made breakfast sausage for years but would like to avoid paying the price for the "fun" stuff every year. So far, I have made about 15 one pound chubs using Backwoods Trail Bologna and Backwoods Garlic Chili seasonings. They have all come out good but I'd like some guidance from the experts.

1. What have you found to be the right combination? Venison and pork fat, venison and beef fat, venison and ground pork, etc.?
2. Do fibrous casings allow smoke to enter the meat well enough or should I use collagen?
3. #1 curing salt or #2?
4. I have been dehydrating cheese because I struggle to get hi-temp cheese when I need it. I've had no issue with this.
5. I have cooked TB to 155 and then an ice water bath followed by a couple hours at room temp, then overnight in the fridge, vacuum seal and freeze. Is this okay?

Thanks!

1. i use pork back fat at 15-25% with all my venison. if i cant get backfat ill buy a pork butt and just trim it and do 50% pork butt, 50% lean venison.

2. either or, I use the pre-tied non-edible collagen casings from Walton inc either 52mm or 60mm or 70mm whichever size you prefer

3. cure #1 as you aren't curing the meat for more than 30 days

4. pittsburg spice company has good price on hi temp and so does webstaurant store, you just gotta buy it in 20lb of it, i buy the 20 lb take what i need then vac seal and freeze the rest is smaller positions in my deep freezer for later use.

5. yeah ill do 152 as long as its been 5 min i pull it. ive pulled at 148 before because like inda said my thermometer shows how long its been above 140.

 

[smokerjim]

I use beef or pig fat, I personally dont taste a difference between them when mixed. I do 8lb venison 2lb straight fat.

 

[crankybuzzard]

indaswamp covered it very well, nothing more I could add

 

[stone5674]

We process anywhere between 600 and 1000 pounds of finished wild game product every February. You can look through my annual processing day threads. We like venison and beef grind for our ground meat. We use 40/40/20 venison/lean beef/ brisket or ribeye trim fat.


both will allow smoke but you have to buy the casings specifically made for smoking....they are a little thicker and can handle the hanging in the smokehouse without ripping.


Always use cure #1 for smoked meats. Cure #2 is for dry aging salumi...like prosciutto.


Good choice. I do the same as well as many others here. it works.


Yes. But technically, according to the USDA, you only need to achieve an internal temp. of 136*F for 30 minutes to achieve a LOG5 reduction in pathogens. This is pasteurization.
What I do is start a timer when the INT reaches 136*F... after 1.5 hours I pull the sausages. They are done. Might be 142 or 148 INT, but it does not matter....

The higher the INT you target, the higher the chance for fat out because of higher smoke chamber temperatures......lower for longer will achieve the same purpose.....

By "fat out" I assume you mean losing fat through the casing? Could this be what lead to a crumbly texture? Sort of like meat loaf?

 

[stone5674]

I'm learning! I was using #2 cure and I'm not sure what difference that would make but I now have #1 to use going forward.

 

[Culinary Otter]

I'm learning! I was using #2 cure and I'm not sure what difference that would make but I now have #1 to use going forward.

I'm sure someone can answer this better than I, but here's a basic explanation.

#1 is salt and sodium nitrite, whereas #2 also contains sodium nitrate.

Nitrite will break down into nitric oxide during curing and smoking. In long cures (salumi), nitrite would be long gone before the meat is finished. Nitrate will break down into nitrite first before breaking down further, so it's suited to longer cures.

As to the combination question, I've landed on 50% venison, 50% pork trim + pork fat. (I'll use about 30% pork fat to venison by weight, then top up the rest with 80/20 trim to get a 50/50 mix). I find it gamey enough to tell its venison, but not so much that people that don't like game find it off-putting. All personal preference tho.

 

[indaswamp]

By "fat out" I assume you mean losing fat through the casing? Could this be what lead to a crumbly texture? Sort of like meat loaf?

Yes, the fat melting in the sausage and passing through the casing and dripping out of the sausage. If allowed to happen for very long, you end up with a very dry, crumbly, over cooked sausage.

I use bread crumbs and milk in my meat loaf, always juice and tender...

 

[indaswamp]

Yes, Cure #2 has nitrates, but it also has nitrites. The nitrates need biological activity and/or time to break them down into nitrites to keep making Nitrous Oxide.

 

[zwiller]

Nitrite will break down into nitric oxide during curing and smoking. In long cures (salumi), nitrite would be long gone before the meat is finished. Nitrate will break down into nitrite first before breaking down further, so it's suited to longer cures.

CORRECT. IF you want to learn more, time for the green Marianski book.

Kinda funny to me you want to make Trial Bologna being from Ohio. It's everywhere here so no desire to make it. So many other cool options. Buddy of mine makes KILLER venison sausage and uses a brat mix and pork fat back. This is pretty good too if into spicer stuff.
https://conyeagerspice.com/bologna-pa-deer/

 

[stone5674]

Yes, Cure #2 has nitrates, but it also has nitrites. The nitrates need biological activity and/or time to break them down into nitrites to keep making Nitrous Oxide.

I guess I was confused by long cure vs short cure. Long time smoke vs long time storage.

 

[Culinary Otter]

Buddy of mine makes KILLER venison sausage and uses a brat mix and pork fat back.

+1 to venison brats - just made some in my last batch and they turned out surprisingly well.

 

[indaswamp]

I guess I was confused by long cure vs short cure. Long time smoke vs long time storage.

Here ya go....my friend Eric (Cajuneric on SMF) explains it well:

 

[zwiller]

+1 to venison brats - just made some in my last batch and they turned out surprisingly well.

My bad. Did not mean venison bratwurst. My buddy makes a non fermented summer sausage which he calls venison sausage but many here on SMF and other places online commonly call "bologna". That took me some time to understand as I am sorta bologna snob LOL. Anyway the stuff is just like summer sausage but no ferment. Used backfat, brat mix, and cure #1. Fibrous casings say 2.5-3" diameter and smoked in big chubs. Happy the brats worked out tho!

 

[Culinary Otter]

Used backfat, brat mix, and cure #1. Fibrous casings say 2.5-3" diameter and smoked in big chubs.

Oh I can get behind that (as a fellow balogna snob).

 

[stone5674]

Here ya go....my friend Eric (Cajuneric on SMF) explains it well:

Very helpful, Thank you!

I find it rather disturbing that I bought seasoning at a world famous butcher shop and they gave me cure #2 for venison trail bologna.

ETA: I'm curious about the razor wire fence behind him. Did he make this video from prison?

 

[stone5674]

CORRECT. IF you want to learn more, time for the green Marianski book.

Kinda funny to me you want to make Trial Bologna being from Ohio. It's everywhere here so no desire to make it. So many other cool options. Buddy of mine makes KILLER venison sausage and uses a brat mix and pork fat back. This is pretty good too if into spicer stuff.
https://conyeagerspice.com/bologna-pa-deer/

I killed three deer this year and trying to find a variety of ways to use the meat. Yes, trail is readily available in Ohio but not at $1.50 per pound. Additionally, all my hunting friends share their trail bologna, jerky, snack sticks, etc. and it's nice when someone tastes mine and says "wow, did you make this yourself?"

 

[zwiller]

I killed three deer this year and trying to find a variety of ways to use the meat. Yes, trail is readily available in Ohio but not at $1.50 per pound. Additionally, all my hunting friends share their trail bologna, jerky, snack sticks, etc. and it's nice when someone tastes mine and says "wow, did you make this yourself?"

Nice harvest! Totally get that and nothing wrong with it at all. Heads up if you are going for the legit emulsified thing a Champion juicer gets really close but a double grind with a fine plate works in a pinch.