Making Venison Summer Sausage and Cabelas Meat Mixer Review

[@jamesgreszczuk1670]

Making your own spice mixture can be a test of different tastes, I've done this before with my father many years ago when he wasn't sick & couldn't hunt anymore, but I've done some by myself with pork sausage, some cubed up beef from stew-meat, & even my own spices into a recipe for venison hot 🔥 spicy sausage, sticks & breakfast sausage and it turned out 👍

[@chk3700]

Truth No matter what...what I mix/cook I eat right or wrong...always edible

[@whosjohngalt6164]

We've had that exact mixer for almost 10 years now and it has held up well. There are 10 of us that got together and built our own butcher shop and we do all of our own deer processing including slaughtering and butchering of our own beef and pork so every year that little butcher shop churns out a couple thousand pounds of meat so every product we use gets well tested and I will recommend this mixer. We actually mounted the base of ours to a butcher table and replaced the hand crank with an electric winch motor so mixing is done with the push of a button. Just like you we realized that it mixes better in reverse but we usually mix it in both directions alternately for several minutes to ensure the seasoning is evenly dispersed. Good video. About the only suggestion I would make is maybe use a less lean cut of pork for your grinding. With the ratio you used I would probably use almost straight pork fat such as belly to help bind together the extremely lean venison.

[@5yearplan269]

Who's John Galt thanks for sharing your experience with the mixer. It’s good info. Also thanks for the suggestion on more pork fat...... I have tried it and I just prefer it on the lean side. Thanks again.

[@whosjohngalt6164]

@@5yearplan269 Awesome man. I hope I didn't come off as a pretentious jerk trying to tell you how to do things. That's what's so fun about making your own products, you can customize them to your exact tastes and there's something deeply satisfying about that. Keep up the good work and God bless!!

[@rubbnsmoke]

I love to hear about others doing their own deer processing and butchering of beef and pork also. I find it so satisfying and I get a real sense of pride knowing where my meat comes from and that I did it myself.

[@the_inquisitive_inquisitor]

@@rubbnsmoke I butchered a deer by myself for the first time last fall and just today I made venison bratwurst totally from scratch for the first time! I made some mistakes along the way (I forgot to add salt to my seasoning mix and I let the meat get too warm) but overall they turned out great! I can't wait to thaw out my next batch of meat scraps and do an even better job next time!

[@rubbnsmoke]

@@the_inquisitive_inquisitor That's great that your made brats from your venison. I've tried making brats from a number of meats. Unfortunately, brats are meant to be made from veal. I learned this from my gf who actually grew up in her grandfather's German butcher shop/smokehouse...She literally grew up there and after several batches and attempts using everything from venison, pork, veal and beef in a number of combinations it was determined that the veal/pork blend produced brats that were identical to her grandfather's brats. And after numerous attempts at using venison for sausages I've determined that venison is best reserved for things like Italian sausage, Kielbasa, Polish sausage, Summer sausage, breakfast sausages(links and bulk). So, overall I've discovered that for me, my venison is best reserved for sausages that use beef, pork and beef/pork combinations. Regardless, I ALWAYS blend it with pork. Now if you really want to make something truly rewarding and satisfying you've GOT to try your hand at making some charcuterie meats. I've been making dry cured meats and salamis for a while now and to tell the truth, NOTHING is more rewarding to share. And with a little research you'll find that it's actually pretty easy as long as you follow the formulas for meat mass/salt ratios. Curing salts are required and must be used in careful ratios according to weights of meat. The formulas are pretty simple though. It's just 2.5 grams #2 curing salt per kilo of meat. Which works out to .0025 %. Universal for all meats, just .0025% is all that's needed. That and 2.5% salt(I use sea salt), plus any other seasonings you choose to add to your meat or sausage/salami.

[@shellyfromseattle676]

Thank you for the great video. You’re a very good man, I can tell. People like you make the world a better place.

[@kelleenmurray1689]

I made my own sausage for the first time last yr, I used pork shoulder, 50-50 mix,added spices,some jalapeño, turned out better than I thought

[@tristinsmith8267]

loved the video. Small cleaning tip. When your done grinding meat run a few pieces of bread threw your grinder into a separate bowl. Thisseams to take alot of the sticky greasy bits out of the grinder. Makes cleanup way easier.

[@MCTProductions]

Bread or I save the thick waxy fat off the top of the rump area on a deer and run that through, then just hot water melts it away just like the bread.

[@michaelbattle7477]

Nicely done, never had a summer sausage, but that’s going to change!

[@MaryWoodard1952]

Oh really,,we got it in a box of food ourselves I'm going to try it myself thanks for sharing,,,,I was raised on a fram and we had just about every wild meat you can think of but I was 6yrs old so I don't really remember having deer meat so I appreciate all your help have a bless day

[@the_inquisitive_inquisitor]

I made my first ever venison bratwurst today. I got so carried away with the whole process I forgot to add salt to my spice mix. Overall I'm really happy with the way it turned out and I learned a whole lot about how to do a better job next time!

[@rubbnsmoke]

You really should have the throat assembly in the freezer until you're actually ready to grind. And you're absolutely right, mixing by hand really sucks, it ends up being painful if you're mixing by hand. I have the Cabela's mixer and it works great. And when I use my mixer I turn the handle both ways. You really need to be more conscientious on packing your stuffer so there's no air pockets. You're absolutely right about getting your grinder parts at the very least rinsed asap after grinding. Any meat and fat seems to set up like cement. Now I've tried several different summer sausage recipes and you're absolutely correct that some just don't have that distinct summer sausage flavor. But I did find one that does. They key ingredients that give it hat distinct tang of summer sausage are powdered milk or lactose and dextrose. This combination creates a fermentation condition giving the sausage that tang.

[@the_inquisitive_inquisitor]

You have a lot of good points. I'll keep those in mind for my next attempt at sausage making. I made my very first batch of venison brats today! I made a couple mistakes along the process but I learned a whole lot about how I can do a better job next time!

[@rubbnsmoke]

@@the_inquisitive_inquisitor Yeah, You'll find there's a few general rules in sausage making that are pretty easy to follow. First, KEEP YOUR MEAT COLD. Assembling and keeping your grinder throat, auger and plates and keeping them in the freezer for at least and hour before grinding is huge. Second, your meat should be partially frozen prior to grinding you'll find that makes a world of difference in how efficiently your grinder actually cuts and grinds the meat. Next, if you're going to be getting into sausage making I HIGHLY recommend investing in a sausage stuffer. Yeah, you can use the auger of your grinder and a stuffer tube. BUT, that tends to overwork and warm your meats. I don't know what kind of grinder you have, but I HIGHLY recommend the Cabela's Pro Series DC grinder. I've been MORE than impressed with mine, it's quiet and powerful. And I highly recommend the LEM 5 lb stuffer. A 10 lb stuffer would actually be a better choice IF you're going to be making large batches of sausages. However, a 10 lb stuffer is a pretty big piece of equipment and I don't mind reloading the stuffer every 5 lbs. Just make sure the one you order has METAL gears as apposed to the plastic gears, which do wear out after only a few years of normal use.Brats made with venison will tend to be dry and mealy as apposed to brats made with pork and veal. Brats made with a veal/pork blend will be juicy and delicious. And the brats I made that copied my gf's grandfather's brats were only seasoned with garlic, onion, thyme and salt & pepper. There was some powdered milk in there too(not much, but it was there). Exact ratios I can't say off hand. I'd have to go into my logbooks to find that recipe. But I'd be happy to share. And that's one HUGE tip I have for anyone getting into any type of meat processing. Whether it's sausage making or charcuterie. KEEP DETAILED NOTES AND LOGBOOKS. Detailed notes can, and will be huge in replicating successful recipes. It would be a horrible disaster to make a batch of absolutely delicious sausage or cured meat that your family and friends rave about and NOT be able to remember the exact recipe to replicate it. Again, KEEP DETAILED NOTES/LOGBOOKS.

[@the_inquisitive_inquisitor]

@@rubbnsmoke "Dry and mealy" is exactly what I ended up with. I like the *flavor* of my brats, but the texture is definitely off. I also failed to keep my meat and equipment cold throughout the entire process, which by the time I got to my last few sausages made it really difficult to feed the meat into the auger. I'm working with a KitchenAid with the meat grinder attachment, which I also used as my stuffer. I actually live only 45 minutes away from a Cabela's, so I might just drive down there on my next day off. I was always terrible at taking notes in school, but I will follow your advice and start a logbook for my sausage making and other recipes. I actually have been cooking in restaurants for the past ten years and I love to cook at home but I tend to keep my recipes in my head which has time and time again made it almost impossible to recreate dishes exactly. Sometimes I really knock a dish out of the park and the next time I make it it just isn't as good. You have given me some really good advice and I will do my best to follow it!

[@rubbnsmoke]

@@the_inquisitive_inquisitor OH GOD YES!!! GET RID OF THAT KITCHENAID GRINDER ATTACHMENT! I had one and used it the first couple times making sausage. I gave it away. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my KitchenAid and use it frequently for many things including bread(I haven't bought bread in many years)and for making pasta. Which the pasta attachment is awesome once you get used to using it properly. BUT... You should be able to order the Cabela's Pro Series DC online and shipping should be free since it's over $100, and I just checked, they have free 2 day delivery through FedEx. You might want to keep checking on it to see when it goes on sale. It's $199.99. I got mine on sale on sale for I believe i was $99.99, but that's only because I'm a member of the Cabela's Club and they had a super special for club members. BUT, I believe I've seen it on sale for $149.99. Regardless, it had the Cabela's lifetime warranty. and the LEM sausage stuffer was free delivery too. The Cabela's 5 lb stuffer is also $149.99, all metal construction. Yet the LEM came with an entire sausage processing kit including collagen casings, seasoning mixes(haven't used any of those yet, probably won't. I'll probably give them away), a sausage making guide and a full size recipe book that's 282 pages(I went and dug it out to check and not guess because I was going to say at least 100 pages, turns out to be 282). Both pretty much identical, same price, but the LEM comes with the extras. And I have some great tips when it comes to actually using the stuffer. They come with these little C clamps for clamping them to a table, don't bother, they never seem to hold, your stuffer ends up coming loose and wobbling around making for a frustrating experience. There's 4 holes in the base meant to be used to screw it securely to a work surface...USE THEM! I personally made a 2 1/2 ft x 3 1/2 ft base from a piece of formica countertop that I screw the base to and put a towel under it to keep it from sliding around on my table. Then I use a sheet pan to form the sausage from the stuffer. It makes for easy work and cleanup and all liquids are contained in the sheet pan. The formica makes for easy cleanup there too. and when you're all done you just unscrew the base of the stuffer from your work surface and both can be easily and efficiently cleaned properly. I'm passing this information on "Free of Charge"...Learn from my experience young Padawan. Rewarded you will be...LOL

[@backyardbbq4280]

Damn! What a nice humble dude. 👍🏾

[@5yearplan269]

Wow! Thanks for the compliment and for watching!

[@aaronchaltraw6750]

Definitely want the sausage stuffer.

[@rubbnsmoke]

Do yourself a favor and get one. It makes sausage making so much easier and faster than using the stuffing tubes on a grinder. Which can be slow and messy. Speaking of grinders, I highly recommend the Cabela's Pro Series DC 1/2 hp model. I really do LOVE mine. It goes through 10 pounds of meat in about 3 minutes. The mixer is an excellent investment too. It mixes large batches of meat well and saves your hands from the freezing pain of hand mixing.

[@williamwalters581]

You would like the end product much more by using pork butts fat is flavor and pork loin is to lean! 20 lbs of venison 5 lbs of pork butt is! If it to lean it will be dry! 18 & 7 Lbs would be even better and save you money! I owned and operated a processing business for 30 years and made tons of Summer Sausage! I mixed my own seasonings! It's simple but very good, most people think that you need a lot of spices, but not true! I will dig out the recipe and post it! I'm retired (legally blind) but will making a batch for the holidays!

[@Bigtwinok]

is it necessary to go 50/50 venison/pork butt for summer sausage or brats? If 20/5 or 18/7 has enough fat, I'd rather use these two rations (less cost for pork butt per batch)

[@williamwalters581]

@@Bigtwinok No! 20% of pork Butt trim is the minimum (Not back fat) back fat is for lard! If you want a moister and soft bite go to 30%! Exsample 8 lbs venison 2 lbs pork is 20% or 7 lbs venison -3 lbs pork = 30% also rember 10% water! There are different types of fat! Don't use back fat or beef suetin your sausage! becuse you are making a better product!

[@terrycrissman7392]

@@williamwalters581 thanks! Hope to see your seasoning recipe.

[@dariaa4186]

Very straight forward without any loligagging. Thanks for the upload. Question. We have a Cabelas .5 horse power meet grinder, do you recommend buying the sausage stuffer separately or could I just use the meat grinder with attachment?

[@5yearplan269]

Daria A I like the stuffer separate it’s easier to load. When I’ve used an attachment with the grinder it is a pain to reload after mixing the seasonings into the ground meat. That being said if you are just doing a small batch every now and then go with whatever is cheaper...but personal preference is stuffer separate. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching!

[@UCanDoIt2Mike]

Nicely done! Thanks for sharing!

[@cutbaitkenny]

thanks for making the video

[@sherriek3476]

Very clean kitchen that is a key to me good clean food .wished I was there to try some

[@backyardbbq4280]

Professionally done as well 👍🏾

[@slimpickings3763]

Very very nice video.......lots of details!!! Thank you! What kind of camera are you using to film with?

[@5yearplan269]

Thanks for the compliment. I use a GoPro Hero+.

[@davidpavshak330]

How do you like the smaller Lem meat lug, meat mixer and the 5lb stuffer when it comes to doing a 25lb batch? I have a #8 Lem and read the big lugs won’t fit under it.

[@5yearplan269]

It all works out….. ok, BUT I find myself keeping it to about 10lbs just so it’s not as much work. Thanks for watching.

[@carlecolapietro3498]

How long did you cure the meat if at all? I've seen/read several varieties of this. Some say leave it in the fridge uncased for at least 1-3 days. Great video by the way. It helped me work out some of the kinks in my system for keeping organized.

[@5yearplan269]

Carle Colapietro I normally let it sit for 24 hrs in the casing before smoking. Thanks for watching and good question, I should have said something about it in the video. Thanks again.

[@ScottysBackYardBBQ]

Nice video... LEM makes great spices.. i used to use my own spices. but there very expensive.. lem is very good..

[@5yearplan269]

Thanks for watching!

[@TsiRoadkill]

I love the lem stuff also, ac leggs is really good also though.

[@stevenholton438]

Lucas UK

[@BigBoy22173]

What kinda skin are you using? I wanna try this. We always send are meat out for the butcher to make up but you made it look so easy now I would like to try it. Thanks for all the details as well !!

[@5yearplan269]

BigBoy22173 I use collagen casings for snack sticks 19mm and 2" fibrous casings for summer sausage. Thanks for watching!

[@adamcotter5266]

Very good video dude!!

[@rustykc]

Hello, I just stumbled on your channel and I really enjoyed this video. I'm just getting into smoking my own sausage. I have a LEM grinder and getting ready to order that sausage stuffer too. I will have to wait till next year to get the mixer but see how it would be so so useful and keep your hands from freezing off. How is your stuffer and mixer holding up? Are you using any different equipment now?

[@rustykc]

OH, have you ever made snack sticks with the stuffer?

[@5yearplan269]

@@rustykc Thanks for watching! I still have the same equipment and have had zero issues with them. I have made snack sticks with the stuffer. I had to purchase a smaller tube for the snack sticks but it worked pretty good. The only thing is since the tube is so small it is a real workout cranking the handle to force the meat thru so make sure you grind the meat fine enough to help you out. I also have a jerky/snackstick gun that works good but you can do the same with just the stuffer. Thanks again for watching.

[@rustykc]

@@5yearplan269 thank you!

[@sirbum69]

@@rustykc depending on the grinder you have it may have come with a sausage stuffer that you can attach to the grinder and stuff them right there. i own the #8 and use the stuffer attachment all the time. Just stuffed 40Lbs this last weekend actually

[@saxman7131]

That is the plastic tote I’m looking for. Do you sell them? I have the bags already.

[@5yearplan269]

It’s available thru LEM.

[@Andral_Premier]

Excellent, mille mercis! 👍

[@bestcommentor]

Great video! Thanks

[@5yearplan269]

bestcommentor thanks for watching!

[@bittyboo52]

great job on this video!

[@5yearplan269]

Thanks for watching, glad you liked it.

[@patrickbrady4729]

Excellent , Thanks

[@huntingupland]

I found early on that small batches of meat doesn’t blend well in a large batch mixer. Minimum should be 1/2 the volume.

[@jayfromtexas6718]

Great video brother!

[@joshhenline5476]

good video, good recommendations,great pantry doors.

[@5yearplan269]

Josh Henline thanks for watching.

[@joshuaevangelist1479]

Very good video. Have you considered running the grind through a second time?

[@5yearplan269]

Joshua Evangelist I have tried it and for me it comes out more like a bologna. I prefer the coarse cut. Thanks for watching.

[@joshuaevangelist1479]

@@5yearplan269 Good point. No worries, keep it up

[@johnbillups1129]

Used my mixer today for the first time I found out that it also works good in reverse...lol.

[@5yearplan269]

John Billups lol

[@arcturusbbqsausagemaking2435]

Great video Well done, There is a video on KZbin for a Recipe for the polish sausage Kabanos if you never had it I highly recommend it. Its delicious ...Just subscribed

[@bryanbissonnette6946]

Hey Sir how long and at what temp are u cooking it for?

[@5yearplan269]

For the seasoning mix i was using it was preheat the oven to 300 F and cook until internal is 165f. What ever seasoning mix you use will usually have that info for you.Thanks for watching!

[@rubbnsmoke]

I smoke my summer sausages at 225 until an internal temp of 165 is reached. Then directly into an ice bath for about 5 minutes. then hang them in front of a fan for about an hour before refrigeration. This keeps the casings nice and tight. If you skip this process it's very likely that your casings will look all wrinkled up. loose and pruney.

Awesome video, thanks for the upload. *(L.E.M. = stands for Larry E. Metz, the founder)

[@5yearplan269]

Thanks for watching!

[@MaryWoodard1952]

Ok thanks I though that's what it was just wasnt sure

[@MaryWoodard1952]

How do you fix it and for it to be good I don't like wild taste

[@5yearplan269]

Mary Woodard when you make it in the sausage it really doesn’t have much of the “wild” taste. At least not the same as just cut roast, loin or backstrap. Everyone I know that doesn’t like the taste of venison has liked the summer sausage. If you try making it and decide you don’t like it I’m sure you will make someone very happy if you gift it! Thanks for watching. PS kind of ironic, I am actually making 20 lbs of this in about an hour.

[@rubbnsmoke]

The "Wild" taste comes from improperly prepared, butchered or over cooked venison. Most people don't realized how important the "Field to Freezer" part of the hunt it really is. Getting that deer dressed properly, out of the woods, hung, butchered and cooled down is extremely important. If you insist on aging your venison just keep it in tubs and covered in your fridge for a week. This will help break down the connective tissue.

[@gregubben3560]

exact same equipment i use

[@5yearplan269]

Thanks for watching!

[@curtiscash131]

could the mixer blade be in backwards?

[@5yearplan269]

The Curtis Group Design Build Inc. No, it only will go together one way. Thanks for watching!

[@rubbnsmoke]

It only goes together one way.

[@canamrider7195]

So no initial coarse grind. Just fine grind once. This must be what I'm doing wrong.

[@5yearplan269]

If it is turning out more of a smooth consistency then thats whats going on. Thanks for watching!

[@troypeck4128]

My mixer worked way better in reverse also

[@kaiserbuns2606]

Use pork butt also known as pork shoulder. Has much more fat. The loin is rather lean.

[@rubbnsmoke]

Exactly what I thought when I saw him cutting up that loin.

[@kaiserbuns2606]

Mike Lysic rookies...

[@rbtla1934]

you actually have to put 20 lbs of meat in that mixer for it to work properly

[@5yearplan269]

I just made 20lbs a few weeks ago.... did the same thing.

[@dramc-ov3cp]

You are not using the mixer as intended. It needs about 10 lbs of meat in it to work properly. It's like a boat with the prop more than half out of the water, not good. A batch the size you showed should be mixed by hand.

[@5yearplan269]

I agree with you. First time using the mixer so I was trying it with a small batch and also a large 20lb batch (later in the video) not sure if you continued watching to see that part or not. But small batches will definitely be done by hand from now on. Thanks for watching and the info.

[@5yearplan269]

By the way...does dram2500c mean you have a Dodge Ram 2500 with a Cummins?

[@rubbnsmoke]

Or in a Kitchen Aid stand mixer. That's what I use for small batches.

[@MaryWoodard1952]

What is venison

[@5yearplan269]

Mary Woodard Deer meat.

[@gerardhaubert8210]

Like that you stressed being sanitary

[@L2fish]

So a 4 to 1 mix

[@5yearplan269]

That’s what I like..... it’s a bit lean but it works for me. The highest I’ve done is 3 lbs venison and 2 lbs fatty pork while making a 5 lb batch of summer sausage.... it was good but I just prefer less fat. There is no law that says what you need to do..... it’s just your personal taste. Thanks for watching.

[@myidahohomestead.7123]

L E M. Watch one of their videos. They call themselves L E M not Lem.

[@scottjkern]

It doesn’t matter we all get the point people are so rude