How to Make Smoked Venison Summer Sausage

This homemade smoked venison summer sausage is made with ground deer meat, pork shoulder, garlic, mustard seed, and black pepper. We grind and season the meat, stuff it into casings, and slowly smoke it until it's firm enough to slice. It's one of our favorite ways to use venison, and we make 50 pounds at a time so there's plenty to put in the freezer.

We've been making summer sausage for nearly 20 years, which is kind of hard to believe. Our first attempt involved a wooden spatula handle, a funnel, and the garage. That was our sausage stuffer. I'm not kidding.

Thankfully, we've upgraded our equipment since then. These days, Aaron can turn out a 50-pound batch without the wooden spatula, although I have to admit those early attempts made for some pretty good memories.

What Is Venison Summer Sausage?

Venison summer sausage is a cured, smoked sausage made with ground deer meat, added fat, and a blend of seasonings. Our homemade version combines venison and pork shoulder with garlic, mustard seed, black pepper, and other spices. The finished sausage has a firm texture that's easy to slice for sandwiches, snacks, or charcuterie boards.

The name "summer sausage" comes from a time when people preserved meat during the colder months so it could be enjoyed throughout the summer. Traditional summer sausage was made to keep without refrigeration, but not all modern recipes are shelf-stable. Our smoked venison summer sausage needs to be refrigerated or frozen.

Why This Venison Summer Sausage Recipe Works

One of the things I love about this smoked venison summer sausage recipe is how much flexibility you have with the meat. We use ground venison and pork shoulder, but other meats like beef, elk, or moose can work, too. Just remember that different meats have different fat contents, so you'll need to adjust your blend accordingly. The pork shoulder adds fat and flavor to our lean deer meat, giving the finished sausage a firm, sliceable texture.

Another reason we love keeping homemade deer sausage in the freezer is that the kids can grab some for snacks, hunting trips, or lunches. Just pack it in a cooler with ice packs to keep it cold! It's also one of my favorite things to add to a charcuterie board with grapes, crackers, nuts, and sharp cheddar cheese when we need something easy to bring to a get-together.

Ingredients for Homemade Venison Summer Sausage

• Venison: We use deer meat from the neck, shoulders, flank, and other trimmings that aren't reserved for roasts or steaks. Summer sausage is a great way to use these less tender cuts because the meat is ground before mixing.
• Pork: Our favorite choice is a whole pork shoulder, also called Boston butt, that we grind ourselves. Pork shoulder contains both lean meat and fat, adding richness and moisture to the lean venison. The amount of fat in a pork shoulder varies, so the finished sausage won't necessarily contain 20% fat.
• Kosher salt: Salt adds flavor and plays an important role in curing. You can use non-iodized table salt, sea salt, or pickling salt, but measure substitutions by weight rather than volume. Different salt crystal sizes can make tablespoon measurements inaccurate.
• Black peppercorns: Freshly ground black pepper has a wonderful flavor, but pre-ground pepper works just fine.
• Mustard seed: We use whole yellow or brown mustard seeds. Yellow mustard seeds have a milder flavor, while brown mustard seeds add a slightly sharper, spicier bite.
• Garlic: Fresh minced garlic is our favorite, but garlic powder can also be used if that's what you have available.
• Sugar: A little sugar balances the salt and spices and rounds out the flavor of the sausage.
• Cure #1: Also called Prague Powder #1 or Insta Cure #1, this curing salt contains 6.25% sodium nitrite. It helps inhibit certain harmful bacteria, including Clostridium botulinum, and contributes to the characteristic color and flavor of cured sausage. Measure carefully and use the exact amount specified for the weight of meat in the recipe. Do not substitute Himalayan pink salt or Cure #2.
• Ascorbic acid: Vitamin C helps support cured meat color development and protects against oxidation, which can affect the flavor and appearance of the finished sausage.
• Powdered milk binder: Nonfat dry milk helps bind moisture and fat, giving the summer sausage a firm, uniform texture that slices beautifully without crumbling.
• Water or beef broth: Cold water helps distribute the seasonings and curing ingredients evenly throughout the ground meat. We typically use cold distilled water, but beef broth works if you prefer a little extra flavor.

Optional Add-Ins

• Coriander seeds: Aaron loves coriander in summer sausage and adds it every time! Whole seeds add a slightly citrusy, peppery flavor and a little crunch. If you don't like coriander, leave it out. No big deal.
• Cheese: High-temperature cheese is designed to hold its shape during smoking, but we actually prefer regular sharp cheddar when we add cheese. Cut it into small cubes and mix it evenly into the meat before stuffing. Keep in mind that regular cheddar may soften or melt during smoking.
• Dried jalapeño peppers: Add dried jalapeño flakes for a little extra heat. They're especially good paired with cheddar cheese! If using fresh or pickled jalapeños, drain them thoroughly before adding and be aware that it will change the amount of liquid in your recipe. Reduce the water or broth accordingly.
• Red pepper flakes: It will make your sausage spicier, but you'll live. That's a direct quote from Aaron, by the way!

If you love a little heat and extra cheese in your sausage, try our jalapeño cheddar summer sausage recipe. We also make homemade jalapeño cheddar snack sticks that are perfect for keeping in the freezer.

How to make smoked venison summer sausage

How to smoke venison sausage

Recipe

What is the role of cure in sausage making?

Cure (a mixture of salt and sodium nitrite) is the unsung guardian of sausage making, it is what keeps venison summer sausage safe to eat!

1. Color Keeper: Cure, usually in the form of pink curing salt, maintains that appealing rosy hue in your sausages. It's like a natural Instagram filter for your meat.
2. Flavor Preserver: Beyond aesthetics, cure helps preserve the flavors of your sausage. It's like a time capsule, locking in the deliciousness and preventing unwanted flavor changes over time.
3. Safety First: Most importantly, cure helps keep your sausage safe to eat.

How to Store Homemade Venison Summer Sausage

Homemade venison summer sausage is perfect for making in large batches and freezing for later! We typically make 50 pounds at a time, so proper storage is important for keeping the sausage fresh and flavorful.

• Refrigerator Storage: After smoking, cool the sausage promptly and refrigerate at 40°F or below. Keep the finished sausage tightly wrapped or vacuum sealed until you're ready to enjoy it. If you are planning on storing it longer than a week, freezing is the best method.
• Freezer Storage: Vacuum sealing is our favorite way to package summer sausage because it helps prevent freezer burn and preserves the flavor. Once the sausage is completely chilled, vacuum seal individual logs or wrap them tightly in freezer-safe packaging. For the best quality, use within 2–3 months, although properly frozen sausage can remain safe longer when continuously stored at 0°F.
• How to Thaw: Transfer frozen summer sausage to the refrigerator and allow it to thaw overnight. Larger logs may need 24–48 hours to thaw completely. Once thawed, keep refrigerated and enjoy within 3–4 days.

Is Homemade Summer Sausage Shelf-Stable?

Despite its name, homemade summer sausage isn't automatically shelf-stable. Smoking and curing alone don't guarantee that it can be safely stored at room temperature. Unless a recipe has been specifically validated for shelf stability, keep your homemade venison summer sausage refrigerated or frozen.

Equipment 

We used a funnel and the butt end of a wooden mallet to stuff our summer sausage decades ago when we first started, so trust me when I say you can do this without breaking the bank.  You'll just need a little elbow grease and patience if you're doing this all manually. All of these tools are linked in my Amazon Store Front in the Butcher Shop section. We also love to get supplies from Walton's.

• meat grinder: We have the Weston size 22 meat grinder. It's durable and grinds as fast as you can fill it with meat.
• kitchen scale: I like to use my small kitchen scale for weighing the seasonings and a big scale for weighing the meat.
• meat mixer: this is a heavy duty machine that can evenly mix 50 pounds of meat without bogging down.
• sausage stuffer
• instant-read thermometer 
• Fibrous casing: These non-edible, durable casings are large and easy to work with. They allow you to stuff the mixture tightly and smoke or hang sausage or salami without fear of bursting. 

FAQ

More Ways to Use Your Venison

There's something pretty satisfying about taking a deer you've hunted and processed yourself and turning it into homemade smoked venison summer sausage. It's a lot of work, especially when you're making 50 pounds at a time, but having a freezer full of sausage makes it worth the effort!

Looking for more ways to use your ground meat? Try our homemade venison jerky or ground beef jerky recipe. Both are great options for making homemade meat snacks.

If you've still got venison in the freezer, try my easy Venison Hamburger Helper, All Purpose Venison Marinade, or Best Deer Meat Burgers. And if you're convinced that beef makes better burgers, I might just change your mind!

Enjoy!

-Meg

More Venison Recipes

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Latest posts