We have been making both link and breakfast for years but still trying to get our mix just right using deer and pork butts. Do most of you go 50/50 or 60/40 or 70/30? We made the mix last year at 60/40 using straight fat and it was way to greasy.

No more than 75/25 here.

Both link and breakfast?

60/40 straight fat sounds like a bit much
60/40 with pork butt or picnics would be a lot less fatty. That is what I shoot for.

Oh, it was way to much!!

Yep, same on both. Use water to keep it moist.

Water?

We add a bit of water if the mix is a little dry, helps it pack better.

We do the same with the water and it helps it to not get to sticky while mixing. I was thinking he said to use the water in the cooking process to keep it moist, sounds like it needs more fat in that case???

No, water goes in the mix. Red wine sometimes instead.


http://lpoli.50webs.com/Sausage%20recipes.htm

When I do mine, I clean the deer meat until there is almost zero white stuff on the deer meat. I usually mix 50/50 deer with wild hog shoulder meat. If using store bought pork butts, I would go with 65% deer and 35% pork (all depends on how fatty the pork).

Gotcha

I love the craft. I still have lots to learn, but I'm getting there.

yep, can be a lot of fun to test and experiment, especially with someone doing/helping that you enjoy their company. My dad loved playing around to find the perfect mix, spices, flavors, etc. Not having done any sausage making since he passed in '04, I still enjoy reading what others are doing.

We have made our own for years. I have seen others do things different and I have picked up some of their tricks over the years and it has made our process faster easier and better.

We still don't put any water/ice in our meat. Going 50/50 with venison and fat is way to much like you already stated. If using only fat I would go 10-20% fat and 80-90 meat. Honestly I have never found a good place to get fat for adding to sausage. Saw some pork but fat at the grocery store the other day for sale and it was over a $1 a pound for fat. Buying the boston but was only $1.40/lb... no way I would consider buying the fat for $1 a pound. For bbq sausage or boiling sausage I like a 50/50 mix of venison and pork. I find feral pork doesn't really have enough fat most of the time. For drying sausage, buck sticks (snack sticks), summer sausage, ground meat, etc. we go a lot closer to 60/40 to 80/20 venison and pork and have been happy.

I tend to use bacon ends for added fat if needed. indeed, pork fat is hard to come by.

I bought what was supposed to be 50/50 trimming last year and it was nothing but straight fat!! The sausage all stayed moist but there was a lot of grease cooking out. We are going to use butts like we have in the past and go 70/30 (deer/hog to pork) for both link and breakfast. We did smoke a bunch of it last year but I think we are going to vacuum seal it fresh and save a long step this year.

If any of you need a really good German sausage seasoning try Clifco seasonings. They are on the web and are located in Rendon/Burleson just south of Ft. Worth.

dude, you hit the mother load. straight fat is a good thing.

Yea, it was good fat but the ratio we were using it was to much! Should have gone like 85-15 or 90-10 NOT. 60-40!!!

This is my fist year processing my own. I used the grind from the processor last yr to make breakfast ( 50 /50 with Bacon ends ) how important is it to get All of the white /sliver off of the meat ?

Why not use Wright's Bacon ends and pieces? Get some smoke in the bargain.

It's not that important to me, unless you have a weak grinder like I use to use that would plug up with silver skin after a while. I have also known some people to be picky about how much of the "white stuff" is in the ground meat, but those were not normal people I leave most of the silver skin on when grinding, doesn't hurt a thing and I still turn out a good finished product with waaay more compliments than complaints. If I am BBQ'ng, grilling, frying, or making a roast I remove all silver skin and fat from venison.

That's what I do, best way to go IMO.

Great! thanks. I have removed a lot of it but some of that stuff is a real chore to get off.

I use them, but I really don't want all my sausage to taste like bacon. if you could get it uncured it would be the bomb.