Venison Summer Sausage

Well this years deer season was my best year to say the least. I was able to take three deer on opening day (two does and a six point) and a week later another doe. With all the venison in the freezer I figured I should make up a batch of summer sausage. While searching for a good recipe, I stumbled upon this recipe that sounded like a great starting point. I made a test batch and it turned out fantastic. It was actually better than summer sausage I have purchased from commercial smoke shops in the area. I plan on making a larger batch this weekend. As I said this is a great base recipe. I plan on adding jalapenos and cheese to a couple pounds this time.

Venison Summer Sausage

5 pounds ground venison 

2 tablespoons sugar-based curing mixture (such as Morton® Tender Quick®) 

2 teaspoons mustard seed 

2 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt 

2 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper 

1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring 

1. Place the venison in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with the curing mixture, mustard seed, garlic salt, pepper, and liquid smoke. Mix well with your hands until the mixture is evenly blended and begins to stick together, about 2 minutes.
2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight
3. Preheat an oven to 170 degrees.
4. Divide the mixture into 5 one-pound logs
5. Roll logs in aluminum foil and poke holes in the bottom of the foil to drain any fat.
6. Place onto a broiler pan with a wire rack.
7. Bake in the preheated oven until the logs are no longer pink in the center, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 170 degrees F, 6 to 8 hours. Turn the meat once or twice during cooking. Allow to cool before slicing thinly and serving.