Okay, so I’ve been craving some hearty, flavorful meals lately, and I stumbled upon this idea: hot Italian venison sausage. I love venison, I love Italian sausage, why not combine the two? I did some digging around and found some basic ideas, but nothing concrete, so I decided to just wing it and document my sausage-making adventure.
Getting Started: Gathering the Ingredients
First things first, I needed to get my hands on some venison. Luckily, I had a friend who had a successful hunting season. I ground up about 2 pounds of venison. I also grabbed a pound of pork shoulder, because venison can be pretty lean, and you need some fat for a good sausage. Then for spices and stuff I grabbed:
- Salt – about a tablespoon, just regular table salt.
- Black pepper – freshly ground, maybe a teaspoon? I just eyeballed it.
- Fennel seeds – These are KEY for that Italian sausage flavor. I used about a tablespoon and crushed them a bit with a mortar and pestle.
- Red pepper flakes – Gotta have that “hot” part, right? I went with a heaping teaspoon.
- Garlic powder – About a teaspoon.
- Onion powder – Same as the garlic, about a teaspoon.
- Dried oregano – Maybe half a teaspoon.
- Dried basil – Same as the oregano.
- Paprika – A teaspoon for color and a bit of extra flavor.
- Sugar – Just a pinch, to help with browning.
- Ice water – About half a cup, to keep things cold while mixing.
Mixing It All Up: The Messy Part
I threw the ground venison and pork into a big bowl. I made sure they are cut into 1 inch size. I’m not super picky about exact measurements when it comes to spices, so I just kinda went with my gut. I sprinkled all the dry ingredients over the meat, making sure to distribute everything evenly. Then, I poured in the ice water. The cold is super important because it helps the fat bind properly and prevents the sausage from getting crumbly.
Now for the fun part – getting my hands dirty! I mixed everything together, really working the spices and water into the meat. I did this for a good 5-7 minutes, until it felt sticky and everything was well combined. It’s kinda like kneading dough, but with meat. Which I think it is tiring and long.
Time to Eat
I cooked them in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. You could also grill them, bake them, whatever you like. These sausages were amazing with some peppers and onions, or just on a bun with some mustard. They were juicy, flavorful, and had just the right amount of heat. This homemade hot Italian venison sausage was absolutely a win!
