Smoked Country Game Sausage

Smoked Country Game Sausage Recipe

Yield: about 10 lbs

Ingredients

• 3 lbs ground venison
• 3 lbs ground elk
• 4 lbs ground pork (rib tips or shoulder)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup kosher salt
• 1.5 tsp LEM Cure (pink salt)
• 4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1.5 tsp ground allspice
• 1.5 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 cup dry milk powder
• 1 cup jalapeños or Fresno chiles, minced
• 1 cup ice water
• LEM Natural Hog Casings

Instructions

In meat mixer or large tub, combine ground meats. Mix in dry ingredients and peppers by hand, making sure everything is evenly distributed. Transfer half of the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low at first, adding half of the water, then on medium for about 1 minute until the proteins bind and the sausage becomes tacky. Repeat with the other half of the sausage mixture.

Transfer the sausage to a stuffer and stuff into rinsed and soaked hog casings. Twist into links or rings as desired. Place stuffed sausages on a rack and rest overnight in the refrigerator.

Remove sausages from the refrigerator and let rest on the counter for about an hour. Use paper towels to pat dry any wet spots on the sausages. Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640 Pellet Smoker to 200°F. You can also add an A-MAZE-N Tube Smoker and your preferred wood pellets to add extra smoke flavor. *We prefer a combination of BBQr's Delight Pecan and Cherry Wood Pellets.

Cook the sausages until the internal temperature of the sausage reaches 150°F. Check the temperature with an instant read thermometer. Remove the sausage from the smoker and immediately shock them in a tub of ice water to stop the cooking. They can now be refrigerated, to be served cold later, or to reheat, grill over hot coals or poach in simmering liquid until the internal temperature reaches 150°F.