Multi-generational sausagemaking
Making sausage is a multi-generational tradition synonymous with hunting for many families, including mine. My family’s kielbasa recipe is so secret that my mom won’t disclose it to anyone! When we come to help make kielbasa, my mother always pre-mixes the spices. Once we made our own batch at home and my mom dropped off the spice mix! Every Christmas, we look forward to a package full of kielbasa and peanut butter balls from my parents.
Sausage-making is hard work and a spectacle – my oldest daughter pulled up a chair just to watch the flurry of activity taking over the kitchen! But the multi-day effort gives us a delicacy to savor the rest of the year. After the deer is procured, the venison needs to be harvested and cut into pieces small enough for the grinder. Then stages may include grinding, mixing in the spices, sausage stuffing, smoking, and packaging.
Our favorite breakfast patty recipe is a bit simpler plus it doesn’t require equipment such as a sausage stuffer or smoker. Also, the sausage is nitrate-free.
More often than not, we bring breakfast sausages camping. I especially enjoy them in breakfast sandwiches to fuel all the day’s adventures. I place the patty in-between slices of bread with eggs and cheese for a hearty meal.
Breakfast sausage Recipe
12 lbs of venison cut into 2”x2”x4” chunks
8 lbs of pork butt cut into 2”x2”x4” chunks
½ cup canning salt
2T white pepper
4T rubbed sage
2t ground ginger
2T nutmeg
2T thyme
1/2T crushed red pepper (optional)
Run the meat through the grinder twice (coarse or fine), alternating the venison and pork. Mix all the spices. Put the ground meat into an oversized bowl (a roaster pan also works well) and sprinkle the spices on top while using your hands to thoroughly mix in the spices. Add water in ¼ cup increments as needed. Pat out into patties. (Tip: My husband found wide mouth canning jar lids are the ideal size for forming the patties, plus the band is removable making it perfect to remove the patty.) Wrap the patties into freezer paper with a layer of freezer paper between each patty. Store in the freezer for several months.
Yield: 84 patties
To cook: Place the thawed patties in a single layer into a preheated non-stick skillet (cast iron works well) over medium heat. Add ½ cup of water and cover with a lid. Flip the patties after 10 minutes. Add more water if necessary. Cook thoroughly, about 10 minutes longer.
Other recipes:
I’m with my oldest brother before I can remember with the hand powered meat grinder.
Three generations of sausage makers including my oldest child enthusiastically mixing. (Pardon the cut off head, the photo credit goes to my middle child, who needed to be recruited to take her first ever photo since we all had meat hands!)
Despite a few hiccups at the beginning, we got into a rhythm with each child contributing.
Smoking is especially enjoyable on a nice day where we can sit down and read a good book in-between batches.
Yum!