Pemmican Sausage

This recipe was inspired by traditional Metis foods. We adapted this dish to work as a sausage recipe, utilizing wild game such as venison, moose, elk or even bison. It is meant to be eaten grilled, fried, or baked within 3 days of making it, or frozen on the day of making.

Difficulty

Intermediate

Yield

20 links, 1/4 pound each

Ingredients

4 ^1/4 pounds lean venison (shank, rib or neck meat)3/4 pound pork fat45 grams salt37 grams fresh rosemary37 grams fresh sage37 grams fresh thyme1/2 cup dried blueberries1/2 cup dried cranberries1/2 cup ice cold water1/2 package sausage casing

Equipment

Cutting boardChef's KnifeMeasuring cupsMeasuring spoonsSausage stufferMeat grinderKitchen scaleBowls of various sizesTasting spoonsDish towel

Gather your mise en place; get together all of the equipment needed for the recipe and gather your ingredients

Chill the grinder parts in the freezer, keeping everything as cold as possible. Place casings into cold water and allow to soak for 1 or more hours.

Cut venison and pork fat into 1 – 2 inch size cubes so it fits into the grinder. Place all the cut meat into the freezer to firm up.

Mince all herbs and toss together in a bowl, set aside for later use.

Mix the salt with the cold water and mix until the salt is dissolved.

On a medium grind plate, grind the venison. Alternate pork and venison going through the grinder.

Once all the venison and pork has been ground, add in the salt and water mixture and herbs. Mix thoroughly.

Grind mixture one more time on the same medium plate.

Add in the dried fruit and mix thoroughly.

Take a tablespoon of sausage and fry in a pan with no oil on medium low heat. Test for seasoning.

Once seasoning is adjusted, place all of the sausage meat into the stuffer and stuff sausages. Making sure to keep each link even and not to over stuff the sausage casings.