That issue of using the silver skin and fat from venison stems from how you treated your animal/how well you like the gamey taste. Personally, that is why I eat venison, and having made literally 1-2 dozen TONS of sausage over the past 2 years I can guarantee that as long as you are accustomed to the taste of game and you treat your game correctly in the field, they possess some of the most flavorful(albeit scarce) fat.

The % of fat used is pure personal preference. In the recipe I posted above, I wouldn't go more than 10% based solely on the other additions of moisture, the apples and the onion/vinegar reduction. Not to mention the cheese. Fat adds "moisture" to a sausage and too much fat is just a greasy sausage, personally anything over 20% fat IMO is a greasy sausage. Experiment and play around with it and figure out what YOU like. You would be surprised at how hard it is to actually completely make it inedible.

But hey, what do I know? I am just a Le Cordon Bleu graduate and a Certified Executive Chef.......who was incharge of a 5-star kitchen at age 19.....but hey, what do I know?[8D]