# 50/50 venison and pork?



## Cj7851 (Nov 5, 2019)

I'm preparing to do smoke sausage for the 1st time this year and I was just curious if anybody had ever done a 50/50 mix of venison and pork.  Was hoping that I could get some tips or reccomendations from someone who may have done it before or to be told hey that's s bad idea dont do that.  Thanks


----------



## oberst (Nov 5, 2019)

That is my typical mix over the years.  I buy butts and cut them up to add. I like a moist sausage and the fat level is to my preference. Have thought about trying a leaner mix though and will be interested in what others say about their preferred mix.


----------



## Sowsage (Nov 5, 2019)

Im sure others will chime in with better answers but for me i like about 25% fat for a smoked sausage. Typically a pork butt with the fat cap still on will yield  about 25% fat. Mix that with a basically 0%  fat venison  at  a 50/50 mix and you will have about 12% fat in your sausages.  For me thats pretty lean. But if you add nfdm (non fat dry milk) thats going to help keep the sausage moist and plump.


----------



## Winterrider (Nov 5, 2019)

Usually do all my sausages 60/40 otherwise to fatty/ greasy for my liking.


----------



## pc farmer (Nov 5, 2019)

How bout I throw this at you.   My mix is usually 3 lbs beef, 2 lbs pork  and 1 lb venison.  Works for everything from burgers to sausage.


----------



## Sowsage (Nov 5, 2019)

pc farmer said:


> How bout I throw this at you.   My mix is usually 3 lbs beef, 2 lbs pork  and 1 lb venison.  Works for everything from burgers to sausage.


This mix sounds good to me. If you had to throw out a guess of fat content what do you think your mix ends up at?


----------



## pc farmer (Nov 5, 2019)

I have no idea. 

 Sowsage
   80/20 beef, I bet the same for the pork and venison has no fat.


----------



## chopsaw (Nov 5, 2019)

I have always used 50 / 50  venison and pork .  However , I have started using beef chuck , pork and venison and like that better . The beef really adds  to the flavor for me .


----------



## wazzuqer (Nov 5, 2019)

We use a 50/50 mix Deer and Pork butt, have for many years. Have tried less pork , but it’s to dry for us . Plus it stretches out your Venison !


----------



## Sowsage (Nov 5, 2019)

chopsaw said:


> I have always used 50 / 50  venison and pork .  However , I have started using beef chuck , pork and venison and like that better . The beef really adds  to the flavor for me .


I can see the beef having good flavor over the pork with the venison. Honestly it makes sense to have the red meat fat with the red meat venison.  I have been throwing around the idea of mixing 50/50 beef and venison for some pepperoni snack sticks. I have done burgers 50/50 with a fatty beef...like the 70/30 stuff. And prefered that over a mix with pork. For burgers anyway. Have not really tried with sausage.


----------



## tallbm (Nov 5, 2019)

Cj7851 said:


> I'm preparing to do smoke sausage for the 1st time this year and I was just curious if anybody had ever done a 50/50 mix of venison and pork.  Was hoping that I could get some tips or reccomendations from someone who may have done it before or to be told hey that's s bad idea dont do that.  Thanks



Hi there and welcome!

When looking at sausage making practices I believe it is recommended to be in the 20-30% fat range (can maybe go down to 15% in some cases).

I do venison sausage every year and I buy trimmed pork back fat from the butcher or restaurant supply story.  I do 20% pork fat and 80% pure venison meat and the sausages come out awesome!
I also do my all pork sausages at 80/20 as well and same results.

The math is super easy at 80/20.  For 5 pounds of sausage it is 4 pounds meat 1 pound fat.  For 10 pounds sausage it is 8 pounds meat and 2 pounds fat.  Work in 5 and 10 pound increments from there and life is easy.

I intentionally want as much venison as possible and only use the fat from another animal because it is mandatory.  To me this makes the sausage as pure as it can be with the deer I have hunted. There's nothing wrong with other approaches of mixing in beef or pork, but I like knowing I'm eating venison rather than pork of beef with some venison tossed in.  This is strictly a me thing and I don't expect the world to think just like me so take it for what it is worth :)

I look forward to seeing what you land on for your venison sausage :)


----------



## tallbm (Nov 5, 2019)

Sowsage said:


> I can see the beef having good flavor over the pork with the venison. Honestly it makes sense to have the red meat fat with the red meat venison.  I have been throwing around the idea of mixing 50/50 beef and venison for some pepperoni snack sticks. I have done burgers 50/50 with a fatty beef...like the 70/30 stuff. And prefered that over a mix with pork. For burgers anyway. Have not really tried with sausage.



When I do my Ground Venison Pastrami Sandwich Meat (in loaf form then sliced) I use beef fat instead of pork.  I save the beef  fat that I trim from my briskets specifically for this.  It is the key to getting a beefy pastrami flavor that I could never get using pork fat :)


----------



## Sowsage (Nov 5, 2019)

tallbm said:


> When I do my Ground Venison Pastrami Sandwich Meat (in loaf form then sliced) I use beef fat instead of pork.  I save the beef  fat that I trim from my briskets specifically for this.  It is the key to getting a beefy pastrami flavor that I could never get using pork fat :)


I'd be intrested in your recipe for the pastrami  sandwich meat. ive done a couple old fashioned loafs before.  Im assuming the process would be about the same but different flavors obviously. Sounds tasty!


----------



## tallbm (Nov 5, 2019)

Sowsage said:


> I'd be intrested in your recipe for the pastrami  sandwich meat. ive done a couple old fashioned loafs before.  Im assuming the process would be about the same but different flavors obviously. Sounds tasty!



Ask and ye shall receive my friend 
Here is the full post on it: https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/pastrami-loaf-with-qview.263815/

In the 1st post I put a link that will jump you to the posting with all the exact recipe and instructions.

In all this is more like smoking sausage than it is like smoking a regular meat loaf.  The good thing is that it is fairly easy.

You just mix everything up.  
Line a loaf pan/foil pan/small cardboard box/etc. with plastic wrap and then push all the meat in and cover with the plastic wrap.  
You let it set overnight in the fridge and then unwrap the plastic wrap and gently dump the loaf onto a smoker rack.  (The plastic wrap allows you to easily pull the loaf out of the pan lol)
You smoke stepping up the smoker temp the same way sausage and bacon smokes are done until you reach the IT of 160F.  
Let cool in fridge overnight and then slice via a slicer (or electric knife, a regular knife is a bit difficult to use).
It is really really great stuff!  I took a Reuben sausage recipe and worked it into this sandwich meat version.  If you have any questions on it be sure to ask away


----------



## Sowsage (Nov 6, 2019)

tallbm said:


> Ask and ye shall receive my friend
> Here is the full post on it: https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/pastrami-loaf-with-qview.263815/
> 
> In the 1st post I put a link that will jump you to the posting with all the exact recipe and instructions.
> ...


Awesome thank you!


----------



## chopsaw (Nov 6, 2019)

Sowsage said:


> I have been throwing around the idea of mixing 50/50 beef and venison for some pepperoni snack sticks.


I have used beef and venison mix for sticks , big difference from using pork .  Pork gets used because it's cheaper .


----------



## Sowsage (Nov 6, 2019)

chopsaw said:


> I have used beef and venison mix for sticks , big difference from using pork .  Pork gets used because it's cheaper .


Thats kinda what i figured. I have a bunch of ground venison right now and i thought it would be a quick snack stick to just buy the big tubes of pre gound beef to mix with the venison i already have. Use the normal pepperoni seasonings and do a 24hr ferment with FLC culture. I would think it would turn out pretty good.


----------



## chopsaw (Nov 6, 2019)

Sowsage said:


> Thats kinda what i figured. I have a bunch of ground venison right now and i thought it would be a quick snack stick to just buy the big tubes of pre gound beef to mix with the venison i already have. Use the normal pepperoni seasonings and do a 24hr ferment with FLC culture. I would think it would turn out pretty good.


I've been doing the 24 hour ferment with T-SPX because that works with the temps I have in the house . I also do a post smoke hang in the basement if the temps are around 60 ish . 
Beef , venison and red wine for the liquid ( plus whatever seasoning ) makes a great end result . If you use the wine don't get something to dark . Gives the sausage an off color .


----------



## Sowsage (Nov 6, 2019)

chopsaw said:


> I've been doing the 24 hour ferment with T-SPX because that works with the temps I have in the house . I also do a post smoke hang in the basement if the temps are around 60 ish .
> Beef , venison and red wine for the liquid ( plus whatever seasoning ) makes a great end result . If you use the wine don't get something to dark . Gives the sausage an off color .


Ive not done the wine. But i think now that you have mentioned ill give it a go. Approximately how much per lb are you using? I usually ferment with the F-LC at about 100° with high humidity.  Do you think that will still be good with the adition of the wine?


----------



## chopsaw (Nov 6, 2019)

Sowsage said:


> Ive not done the wine. But i think now that you have mentioned ill give it a go. Approximately how much per lb are you using? I usually ferment with the F-LC at about 100° with high humidity. Do you think that will still be good with the adition of the wine?


I don't know  about the addition of wine and the higher ferment , but don't know why it wouldn't work . 
As far as how much , I add the liquid and binder by feel . I add slowly until it comes together then I stop there . For me it depends on the fat in the meat mix on how much liquid it needs .


----------



## tallbm (Nov 6, 2019)

Sowsage said:


> Thats kinda what i figured. I have a bunch of ground venison right now and i thought it would be a quick snack stick to just buy the big tubes of pre gound beef to mix with the venison i already have. Use the normal pepperoni seasonings and do a 24hr ferment with FLC culture. I would think it would turn out pretty good.



If you are also trying to figure out what to do with a bunch of pure ground venison you can also do jerky out of it.  Ground meat jerky is MUCH easier on the teeth and that is basically what all the rectangular jerky sticks and bags of jerky chunks are these days :)


----------



## Sowsage (Nov 6, 2019)

chopsaw said:


> I don't know  about the addition of wine and the higher ferment , but don't know why it wouldn't work .
> As far as how much , I add the liquid and binder by feel . I add slowly until it comes together then I stop there . For me it depends on the fat in the meat mix on how much liquid it needs .


Thanks. Maybe Ill make some time to do a small batch this weekend and see what comes out of it. If i like it ill do a big batch.


----------



## Sowsage (Nov 6, 2019)

tallbm said:


> If you are also trying to figure out what to do with a bunch of pure ground venison you can also do jerky out of it.  Ground meat jerky is MUCH easier on the teeth and that is basically what all the rectangular jerky sticks and bags of jerky chunks are these days :)


I have done a lot of the ground jerky but we like the whole muscle sliced thin for jerkey. Only reason i have so much ground right now is i didnt have time to process that one myself with the temps we had at the time. I jusst had them cut the back straps and tenderloins out whole then 2 roasts, stew meat from the neck and the rest was ground. I typically do a lot of different cuts myself but it gets pricey when you have someone else do it for you. And im typically disappointed with how good of a job they do.


----------



## tallbm (Nov 6, 2019)

Sowsage said:


> I have done a lot of the ground jerky but we like the whole muscle sliced thin for jerkey. Only reason i have so much ground right now is i didnt have time to process that one myself with the temps we had at the time. I jusst had them cut the back straps and tenderloins out whole then 2 roasts, stew meat from the neck and the rest was ground. I typically do a lot of different cuts myself but it gets pricey when you have someone else do it for you. And im typically disappointed with how good of a job they do.



I understand.  I just got done with my yearly processing.  We did 9 deer and 30 pounds of pork butts (no feral hogs came out to kill so bought pork this year :( )





						2019 Deer Hunt and Processing in the Books!
					

I have just wrapped up the processing on my big yearly meat hunting trip!  The hunt was a great success and the meat has come out tasting great so far!  Here are some pics and then I will write it all up.  My freezer filled again for the year! (Top is Venison Brats, 2nd from top Pork Franks, 3rd...




					www.smokingmeatforums.com


----------



## Cj7851 (Nov 7, 2019)

Thanks for all the info everyone for all the info. Got a pretty good idea ofnwheren I'm headed now.


----------



## Mastercaster (Nov 8, 2019)

I don’t have any tips or suggestions for you but can offer this...I’ve probably used two dozen or so deer processors over the years here in Texas. Every single one of them used a 50/50 venison/pork ratio in their sausages, whether it was smoked, dried, snack sticks or SS. Could be a coincidence but maybe not.


----------



## tallbm (Nov 9, 2019)

Mastercaster said:


> I don’t have any tips or suggestions for you but can offer this...I’ve probably used two dozen or so deer processors over the years here in Texas. Every single one of them used a 50/50 venison/pork ratio in their sausages, whether it was smoked, dried, snack sticks or SS. Could be a coincidence but maybe not.



Hi Alan.

Take this for what it is worth but let me shed a little light on the deer processing business.


They get Pork Butts or other fatty cuts of pork for lets say  $0.77/lb or less, maybe much less.
A deer will yield roughly 35% of its weight in meat (at least in Texas).
The deer in TX generally are not these massive bodied deer that we see as you go North to colder areas of the country.  It's just nature.  Animals in colder climates have to put on more body mass to survive where animals in hot climates tend to be smaller to deal with the heat.
So a 100 pound doe in TX will give you roughly 35 pounds of meat.
People bring in a 100 pound deer (35 pounds of meat) and then tell the processor they basically want 50-70 pounds of meat out of it hahahahaha.  People who don't process an animal don't generally understand and simply want the meat so the processors make it happen.
So with 35 pounds of meat and an order for lets say 70 pounds of sausage the processor will mix in more meat which is likely the less expensive pork.  So 35 pounds of venison + 35 pounds of pork butt will give 70 pounds of meat
The processor charges $3.75-$6 for a pound of sausage.
35 pounds of venison =  $0 cost to the processor
35 pounds of $0.77/lb pork = $26.95 cost to the processor
So 70 lbs of sausage at lets say $4/lb = $280 cost to the *hunter*
Base processing fee = $65-$85 animal processing fee (lets say $75) so = +$75 to cost to the *hunter*

So as  you can see the processor makes a healthy bit of money (after they deduct other expenses like materials, labor, electiricty, rent, etc.) when they go 50/50 venison and pork, it's just part of their business model.

Armed with that knowledge you can better pick and choose how you want your animals processed.
My brother and I made over 70 pounds of feral pork sausage last year.  My brother and I didn't have the time to mess with deboning the meat from the pigs so he took the feral hog quarters to a processor last year and dropped it off with trimmed pork backfat we have and told them to grind the meat up with the back fat at a 80/20 meat/fat ratio.  They gave it back to us and just charged the $75 processing fee for the pigs.  We then did all the sausage seasoning and stuffing when we had the time.
Long story shot (all my posts are long and meandering lol) we knew how to make the best decision for our situation (a time crunch) with the lowest cost and the maximum benefit.  We made it work for us rather than us working for it :)

Anyhow, probably way more info than you care for but it is good info to know so.  I hope this helps :)


----------



## Mastercaster (Nov 9, 2019)

tallbm said:


> Hi Alan.
> 
> Take this for what it is worth but let me shed a little light on the deer processing business.
> 
> ...



I agree with every point you stated. Our deer have very little fat and I’ve taken deer in the Midwest, which aside from being much larger, also had a 1/2” layer of fat over its entire body. Suspect the climate and soybeans have something to do with it. As you mentioned, deer processing into sausage is expensive to have done and quality/tastes vary greatly. It may be 50% pork but is that pork 80/20 or 60/40 fat content or what? All of these things have led me to learn up and gear up to begin making my own sausage this year. Smoker nearly ready and processing equipment will be here shortly. Always appreciate your insight so don’t be bashful.


----------



## pineywoods (Nov 9, 2019)

Personally I like to mix sausage with more beef than pork.  50% pork and 50% venison tastes more like pork sausage than venison to me. 
I usually use 60% venison 20% beef fat and 20% pork butt for most sausage. 
Summer sausage I'll go 70% venison 20% beef fat and 10% pork fat if I can get it otherwise I use 10% pork butt.
For venison burger I'll go 70% venison and 30% 70/30 ground chuck or 85% venison and 15% beef fat.
I think the beef is much closer in taste than the pork and if I'm making venison sausage I don't want it to taste like pork sausage which at 50-50 it does to me. If I want pork sausage then I just use pork.


----------



## Mastercaster (Nov 9, 2019)

pineywoods said:


> Personally I like to mix sausage with more beef than pork.  50% pork and 50% venison tastes more like pork sausage than venison to me.
> I usually use 60% venison 20% beef fat and 20% pork butt for most sausage.
> Summer sausage I'll go 70% venison 20% beef fat and 10% pork fat if I can get it otherwise I use 10% pork butt.
> For venison burger I'll go 70% venison and 30% 70/30 ground chuck or 85% venison and 15% beef fat.
> I think the beef is much closer in taste than the pork and if I'm making venison sausage I don't want it to taste like pork sausage which at 50-50 it does to me. If I want pork sausage then I just use pork.



I’ve had 10%-20% brisket added to ground venison many times but never had a venison/beef sausage before. I’ll have to keep this mind. Thanks.


----------



## tallbm (Nov 9, 2019)

Mastercaster said:


> I agree with every point you stated. Our deer have very little fat and I’ve taken deer in the Midwest, which aside from being much larger, also had a 1/2” layer of fat over its entire body. Suspect the climate and soybeans have something to do with it. As you mentioned, deer processing into sausage is expensive to have done and quality/tastes vary greatly. It may be 50% pork but is that pork 80/20 or 60/40 fat content or what? All of these things have led me to learn up and gear up to begin making my own sausage this year. Smoker nearly ready and processing equipment will be here shortly. Always appreciate your insight so don’t be bashful.



There's no telling on what the ratio of pork and pork fat is that they are adding.  If they are adding pork butts then they are about 80/20 on their own.  I keep it simple and use only pork fat for my sausage unless I'm going for beefy flavor then I add beef fat.  The beef fat makes my ground meat venisons pastrami sandwich meat taste like pastrami.  If I was mixing venison for burger with any fat I would also use beef.  I don't mix fat with my venison ground and just roll 100% venison if I make a burger with it but mostly use it for all other ground beef needs (taco meat, spaghetti, etc.)  besides burgers :)


----------



## Cj7851 (Nov 15, 2019)

Thanks everybody for all the help. I ended up doing an 80/20 mix by grinding in pork fat. 
Here is a pic of some of the finished product 
Hickory smoked venison andouille.


----------



## tallbm (Nov 15, 2019)

Cj7851 said:


> Thanks everybody for all the help. I ended up doing an 80/20 mix by grinding in pork fat.
> Here is a pic of some of the finished product
> Hickory smoked venison andouille.
> 
> ...



Nice!  I'm assuming they turned out tasting well?
Any lessons learned or changes for your next attempt?


----------



## Cj7851 (Nov 15, 2019)

tallbm said:


> Nice!  I'm assuming they turned out tasting well?
> Any lessons learned or changes for your next attempt?


Yeah they turned out quite well. Will probably up the fat a little next time they are just every so slightly dry and maybe a few small seasoning tweaks but overall for my first go I couldn't be more pleased.


----------



## tallbm (Nov 15, 2019)

Cj7851 said:


> Yeah they turned out quite well. Will probably up the fat a little next time they are just every so slightly dry and maybe a few small seasoning tweaks but overall for my first go I couldn't be more pleased.



Sounds like good simple little tweaks.  Soon you will have it nailed and will make perfect sausage! :D


----------



## rfwoodvt (Nov 17, 2019)

I usually go 2:1 pork to venny with my ground mix.  But that's usually because I only get one deer a year, if that.  

This year I was blessed with a trip for a management hunt and came back with several for the freezer so I'm going with 1:1.


----------

