Pork fat vs Beef fat
12-29-2014, 02:27 AM
#11
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: PA
Posts: 470
Beef fat is OK to add to anything you plan to eat hot...such as burger or brats. But, anything I plan to cure & smoke, such as keilbasi or snack sticks- I would use pork fat, since beef fat tends to resemble tallow when it starts warming up (think Lebanon bologna). Most stores around here DON'T carry pork backfat, I either have to beg the store to order me a case, or make the drive to the pork slaughterhouse & buy a case.
12-22-2015, 04:41 AM
#12
Spike
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: NY
Posts: 13
Fat Content for Deer Sausage
The answer to what fat type/percentage is a personal preference, or in some cases a "this is how I learned".
But of course you need to start somewhere to form your own opinion. Start with small batches - 5 lbs TOTAL (whatever you are mixing together) is pretty good: it's big enough to have a repeatable recipe, but small enough to that if it isn't that great, it won't take you a whole year to "suffer" through it.
Start 50/50 with whatever you can get at what you feel is a reasonable price. I usually do 70% venison to 30% pork for fresh sausages. You may want higher fat content, especially if you do a lot of grilling.
For summer sausage and snack sticks - I do 100% venison. The snacks sticks will be fairly dry and don't benefit from added fat. Summer sausage has some filler/binder in the mix, making it creamier before smoking - venison alone gives a nice enough texture and flavor for me.
Just remember you can't do it wrong, and you will figure out what you like. And that the less fat it has, the less forgiving it is to overcooking.
But of course you need to start somewhere to form your own opinion. Start with small batches - 5 lbs TOTAL (whatever you are mixing together) is pretty good: it's big enough to have a repeatable recipe, but small enough to that if it isn't that great, it won't take you a whole year to "suffer" through it.
Start 50/50 with whatever you can get at what you feel is a reasonable price. I usually do 70% venison to 30% pork for fresh sausages. You may want higher fat content, especially if you do a lot of grilling.
For summer sausage and snack sticks - I do 100% venison. The snacks sticks will be fairly dry and don't benefit from added fat. Summer sausage has some filler/binder in the mix, making it creamier before smoking - venison alone gives a nice enough texture and flavor for me.
Just remember you can't do it wrong, and you will figure out what you like. And that the less fat it has, the less forgiving it is to overcooking.
12-22-2015, 12:15 PM
#13
Super Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Choctaw, Oklahoma
Posts: 1,348
I use pork back fat for mine. You can pick it up at the meat markets here pretty cheap and it grinds nice. Most of the sausage I make I will add 20% fat to 80% venison. Some recipies call for a little more. Just experiment and have fun. I have yet to make any myself that I didn't eat however I did have the processor make some and it was terrible. That would be why I process all my families deer myself now. They just would not get enough of the deer fat out of it and would not get around to processing in time IMO
