What is the Pork to Venison Ratio for Summer Sausage?

It can be challenging to make venison sausage during the summer. Maybe you don’t know how much pork to add because you want to do everything just right.

Pork makes up a large percentage of a summer sausage but venison doesn’t necessarily make up as much of the meat like pork, which can vary depending on the type of sausage. A good ratio is 80% pork to 20% venison.

Sausage that is too dry or too fat can be made by adding too little or too much. It is important to find a good ratio that will fit everyone’s tastes.

If you want a fattier sausage or less pork for a leaner sausage, you can experiment with more pork. 

This article will give you everything you need to know about the ratio of venison sausage to pork.

What is the Best Pork to Mix With Venison?

Venison will not be enough to make summer sausage. Venison, as you probably know, is deer meat. The meat is extremely lean with very little fat content.

If you were to make a summer sausage solely from venison meat, you would end up with a dry meat product.

Unless this is the type of sausage you prefer, you’ll need to find some other types of meat to add to the mix.

Pork might be the best option because some butchers prefer beef.

Venison sausage can be made into a semi-dry meat delicacy with the help of pork, which can give it a juicy, rich flavor and texture.

The shoulders or hinds are the best pork cuts to include here. If you don’t like the venison taste, pork belly could be a good choice.

The more belly content you add, the more you will complement the venison at the same time. Don’t forget to keep the meat cold before grinding it, no matter what the cuts are.

This can be used for the deer meat as well. When grinding and stuffing cold meat, it is much easier to work with.

Many recipes recommend starting with pork and partially frozen venison. When it comes to the origin of the meat, you want to use high-quality pork.

It would be ideal to have pastured pork here. Don’t forget to shop for organic spices and seasonings as well.

It’s a good idea to do your venison summer sausage shopping at your local butcher shop.

The butcher can give you additional pointers for making deer sausage, besides selling you the meat and spices.

How Much Pork Do You Need to Mix With Venison for Making a Perfect Summer Sausage?

If you have never made deer summer sausages before, you can start with a 2:1 ratio of venison to pork.

If you add 2 12 pounds of pork, you can get 5 pounds of venison. This is the safest and most neutral bet you could make.

If you try this option, you will be able to determine if you prefer a leaner taste for your summer sausage.

The venison flavor will be the dominant tone with the 2:1 ratio, while the pork will nicely complement it.

If you have 5 pounds of venison and 2 12 pounds of pork, you would get a spice mix for seven and a half pounds of summer sausage.

You might be concerned that the 2:1 ratio won’t be as fast as you would like. There is a chance that you can go for the 1:1 ratio.

There is a chance that the venison taste may be overwhelmed by the amount of pork. If you like pork and don’t mind being a pork person, go for it.

There aren’t really any rules here, just your own preferences. You might only want to add a small amount of pork if you love the unique flavor of venison.

If you are not a fan, then you should add some more pork to compensate.

Getting the right amount of curing ingredients and properly preparing and smoking the meat is the most critical part.

A 4:1 ratio of pork to venison is what some smokehouses will choose.

I like the idea of turning a deer summer sausage into a pork summer sausage with a slight touch of venison.

You can guess that there are many options out there. Don’t worry, you can experiment until you find the perfect combination.

How Much Pork Fat Do I Need to Add to Deer Summer Sausage?

The answer to this question is dependent on your taste and preferences. It is possible to add up to 50% pork content for a juicy yet not overpowering pork taste.

Half of the 50% pork content can be leaner portions such as trimmings, and the other half can be pork fat. It will take a few tries to find the perfect ratio for your taste.

I suggest starting with five pounds of venison and pork in total, with 60 percent being venison, 10 percent pork trimmings, and 20 percent pork fat.

One to two pounds of pork fat can be added with 40% pork hind and 40% pork fat. Fatback is the best pork fat you can use.

It’s not a good idea to add lard to your venison sausage. This will result in a mess because it melted and strained before it became solid again.

Solid fat coming from the back of a pig is called fatback, which is exactly what you need here.

Conclusion

It is rewarding to make deer summer sausage for the first time. When you start working with meat, there are a lot of questions to think about.

What is the best venison to sausage pork ratio, or how much pork fat is enough? These questions and more have been answered by me.

I hope the advice I have given solved the mysteries related to mixing pork and venison. If you are looking for fattier sausages and leaner links, start with a 2:1 ratio.

It can take a few tries to master the entire process. If you are off with the fat content, you will know how to change it the next time.

It’s important to remember that practice makes perfect!

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