Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation Anyone add beef instead of pork when making venison summer sausage?

When I grind my venison, I add a little beef fat to give me about a 95% lean burger. When I make venison summer sausage or snack sticks, I have always added about 20% ground pork for the fat content. I got to thinking (sometimes a dangerous thing) that if I added more beef fat to a grind or picked up some inexpensive 70% lean ground beef, it should give me the fat I need. Then I wouldn't need to smoke it to quite as high a temperature as I would with having the pork in it. Am I right, or am I missing something? Thanks, Al

That is how I mix meat. Buying fatty ground beef saves time, and it is easy to balance the fat content. I also add powdered milk or soy powder and water for moisture.

Yes and I fed it to the coyotes. Fat didn't melt/render like pork, real waxy texture.. I find pork butts on sale and grind em in

I always use beef fat in my deer bologna . Beef will freeze longer than pork without getting strong.i never smoke anything i put in casings. I dont like the bologna getting tough on the outside so cook mine in the oven for 2 hours then water bath it to bring it up to the correct temp. Then its a cold water bath to stop the cooking. Comes out perfect everytime.

Thanks for the replies.

srwshooter, your process sounds interesting. I'm guessing around 170 for the two hours in the oven? Then boiling water until it hits what temperature? 160ish? I may have to give that a try.

We use 20% pork in all our bologna. Add beef fat to venison for ground burger. Pork trim is cheap, around $2/#. Barry

The couple times I've done it I used beef fat. Was always excellent.

i cook mine at the lowest setting on my oven which is around 200deg for 2 hours. while its cooking i use my turkey frying pot(you must have a pot big enough to get the whole rolls under water) filled about half way up with water. bring the water up to 170deg internal temp after oven cooking won't be but 128-130deg. ad the rolls to the water and it should bring the water up enough to cover them. i usually put another pot of water on the stove so i can add more water if needed. my recipe includes a cure so it only calls for the meat to reach 156deg internal temp to be done. i then cold water bath it in another pan filled with ice water. leave it in the water until internal temp goes below 100deg. remove from water and let it cool on a towel. i then cut my rolls in half and vacuum seal. this method will keep in the freezer for 8-10 months.

it takes me 4-6hrs to make 20lbs but it always comes out the same. i buy bologna kits from conyeager spice company . one kit makes 10lbs of bologna. i chunk my deer meat into 1in cubes and freeze in 8lb bags. get the meat as lean and fat free as you can. add 2 lbs of beef fat ,i grind my fat while its half froze because it grinds better and then add to my chunks of meat,season before grinding,then stuff.

I just did a batch of bear summer sausage this spring in a water bath... I will never put another stick in the oven!

I smoked for a few hours first, vacuum sealed the whole rolls, dropped them in anew insulated bucket of hot water and kept adding hot water to reach 170. I then added boiling water as needed to maintain 170 for about 30 minutes. Poked one with a meat thermometer and it was 170 throughout.

Used pork bellies to add under 5% and the results are very good.

Going to have to try the hot water method.

If using any beef at all , it is steak trimmings.Straight beef suet leaves waxy film in my mouth. I use pork in my sausage and don't add anything to ground burger for deer, elk and pronghorn.That makes for better spaghetti, taco, chile etc.If using as hamburger,only flip once when cooking and the burger will stay together. Adding anything to good elk, deer, pronghorn burger is like adding water to good whiskey

Exactly on all accounts. Hate that waxy texture

I have used beef and pork. For burger I prefer the beef. As mentioned pork fat won't freeze as long either.

I have used beef and pork. For burger I prefer the beef. As mentioned pork fat won't freeze as long either.

I've never beef fat leave a waxy texture. Dont see how it could.

I use 3 to 1 ratio of deer elk to pork butt when making sausage etc

Great flaver

It does... the fat leaves a coating all over the inside of the mouth...

Yes. Big difference between the fat on steak trimings and beef suet that comes from around the inner cavity along the back

I'm lying and making it up!!! Haha