3.5lbslean venison meat, trimmed of sinew You can substitute 5 lb of pork shoulder butt for the venison
1.5lbspork fat preferably back fat
22grams kosher saltThis is roughly 1.5 tablespoons
2teaspoonscrushed red pepper flakesyou can add up to 1 tablespoon if you want it more spicy
3tablespoonscrushed bergamotoptional
1.5tablespoons whole fennel seed
2teaspoonsblack peppercorns
Instructions
Toast the whole fennel seed and black peppercorns until aromatic in a saute pan on medium high heat for a couple minutes, or until aromatic. Transfer the seeds to a small bowl and reserve.
Cut the venison and pork fat into pieces that will fit through your grinder. Combine the meat and fat with all remaining ingredients and mix well. Chill the mixture and allow it to sit overnight.
The next day, grind the venison through a coarse die of a meat grinder, then mix in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Remove a small piece of sausage and cook to double check the seasoning, then adjust as needed until it tastes good to you.
Pack the sausage into casings and tie off roughly 6 ounce sausages, tapping them with a sausage pricker to remove air pockets if needed. From here the sausages can be refrigerated until needed, or wrapped tightly in plastic and frozen in labeled, dated packages.
Notes
Substituting bacon Many hunters often substitute bacon in recipes for sausage instead of pork fat. This will kind of work, but it's not ideal since bacon is already cooked. I don't recommend substituting bacon for pork fat here. If you don't have a meat grinder If you don't have a meat grinder, contact a butcher and have him grind some pork fat for you and mix it with pre-ground venison.