No, not that kind. This isn't Esther's.
For my 3000th post and in honor of the rapidly approaching deer season I present to you how to make 200 lbs of smoked venison/pork sausage. Or at least how we do it.
First build a sausage making room. The kitchen was ok for years but the lady of the house finally got tired of cleaning sausage off of the walls and carpet (if you want to half-*** it this step can be omitted).
Next acquire some deer. This one and three doe did nicely.
This was the fattest buck I have ever seen thanks to the neighbors who feed their deer tons of corn. My dad and their dad had a running feud going quite a while until their dad died.
Score: flaco’s dad 1, neighbors’ dad 0.
The feud was so bad the neighbors put a deer-proof fence between them and my dad’s place. Not all around their property, mind you, just the common fences between theirs and ours. I watched this buck follow their “deer fence” on their side of the property for 300 yards until he got to a little draw and climbed under the fence onto my side.
Score: flaco’s dad 2, neighbors’ dad 0.
Next, drink some beer and listen to some Bob Wills while cutting up 150 lbs of pork butt and 50 lbs of venison for a 3:1 ratio. Berate friend (christened that weekend with his porn name Harley Hoss) for inadvertently giving the gig’em. Cut up about 1 jalapeno/pound of sausage. Shuck a bunch of garlic too.
Then apply secret seasonings to meat and mix thoroughly. I hate this part. The meat is preferably near frozen for better cutting and grinding and I am a wuss when it comes to cold.
Take a break. Drink more beer and take pulls off of the whiskey bottle while listening to Pop tell lies.
Time to grind. Having a one horsepower grinder helps. A lot. One time through with the course screen then grind and stuff with the medium screen for links and pan sausage.
Time to take links to smoker. Note to self: buy Dos Equis stock.
Build fire in smoker.
Hang links.
Relax for a few hours drinking beer and telling tales.
Cowdog’s favorite time of the year.
Time to call in the women folk for the wrapping.
That is all there is to it except the hangover. My pop and I have been making his jalapeno sausage for nearly 40 years. When people try it for the first time, more often than not they say it is the best sausage they have ever had. He made the smoker out of an old ice box and this was the first year we smoked the sausage before vacuum sealing it and it turned out nicely. Generally we make a batch of 200 to 300 lbs once a year, a few weeks after deer season. Unsmoked, it keeps in the freezer about a year without getting old. Obviously, smoking it first should help it keep even longer but it is usually all gone by next year. Now all it needs is a little warming on the grill, oven or pan and it is ready to go.
It is something we have a blast doing and when you are set up like we are it is not that much trouble.
For my 3000th post and in honor of the rapidly approaching deer season I present to you how to make 200 lbs of smoked venison/pork sausage. Or at least how we do it.
First build a sausage making room. The kitchen was ok for years but the lady of the house finally got tired of cleaning sausage off of the walls and carpet (if you want to half-*** it this step can be omitted).
Next acquire some deer. This one and three doe did nicely.
This was the fattest buck I have ever seen thanks to the neighbors who feed their deer tons of corn. My dad and their dad had a running feud going quite a while until their dad died.
Score: flaco’s dad 1, neighbors’ dad 0.
The feud was so bad the neighbors put a deer-proof fence between them and my dad’s place. Not all around their property, mind you, just the common fences between theirs and ours. I watched this buck follow their “deer fence” on their side of the property for 300 yards until he got to a little draw and climbed under the fence onto my side.
Score: flaco’s dad 2, neighbors’ dad 0.
Next, drink some beer and listen to some Bob Wills while cutting up 150 lbs of pork butt and 50 lbs of venison for a 3:1 ratio. Berate friend (christened that weekend with his porn name Harley Hoss) for inadvertently giving the gig’em. Cut up about 1 jalapeno/pound of sausage. Shuck a bunch of garlic too.
Then apply secret seasonings to meat and mix thoroughly. I hate this part. The meat is preferably near frozen for better cutting and grinding and I am a wuss when it comes to cold.
Take a break. Drink more beer and take pulls off of the whiskey bottle while listening to Pop tell lies.
Time to grind. Having a one horsepower grinder helps. A lot. One time through with the course screen then grind and stuff with the medium screen for links and pan sausage.
Time to take links to smoker. Note to self: buy Dos Equis stock.
Build fire in smoker.
Hang links.
Relax for a few hours drinking beer and telling tales.
Cowdog’s favorite time of the year.
Time to call in the women folk for the wrapping.
That is all there is to it except the hangover. My pop and I have been making his jalapeno sausage for nearly 40 years. When people try it for the first time, more often than not they say it is the best sausage they have ever had. He made the smoker out of an old ice box and this was the first year we smoked the sausage before vacuum sealing it and it turned out nicely. Generally we make a batch of 200 to 300 lbs once a year, a few weeks after deer season. Unsmoked, it keeps in the freezer about a year without getting old. Obviously, smoking it first should help it keep even longer but it is usually all gone by next year. Now all it needs is a little warming on the grill, oven or pan and it is ready to go.
It is something we have a blast doing and when you are set up like we are it is not that much trouble.
