We didn't get venison sausage, we got a bunch of plain ground venison - long story. Any good recipe ideas? Tips on cooking or seasoning? I'm looking forward to experimenting with this stuff but would appreciate any input. Thanks!

-- Michelle (kellycalves@soon.com), December 01, 2001

Answers

I use it just like beef,, some think its a litte dry,, either cook slower or add pork.

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), December 01, 2001.

How about chili, bierocks or summer sausage? You might want to add ground pork fat or even grind some cheap bacon to add to it. It will need something for moisture. You can use it like ground beef. Good luck!

-- cowgirlone (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), December 01, 2001.

I have always used it in any recipe that I used ground beef in. If processed well it should be quite tasty, but it does have less fat.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), December 01, 2001.

My sister uses venison: her husband hunts. She makes soup, stew, casseroles, pierogies, and adds spices to it to make sausage. I haven't sone it, but I heard somewhere that if you can get a recipe for sausage you can substitute liquid smoke for the prague powder that so many recipes call for, and every thing else on the recipes are usually in peoples cupboards (nutmeg, etc).

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), December 01, 2001.

Like the others, I use it like ground beef also. If you mix it with some ground beef and pork, you can make delicious Swedish meatballs.

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), December 01, 2001.

Simmer in a skillet with green peppers and onions add taco mix.Eat as tacos or on a bun as as barbecue sandwich. Keith

-- Keith Etheridge (grandpa@chipsnet.com), December 01, 2001.

Oops, my venision burgers fell apart the other night, so I added a can of southern style gravy and a minced onion and 3 eggs (weve got too many eggs right now!) and put this over toast. It got great reviews. We grind venision with some pork or beef fat to make firmer patties or meat loaf and use for beef- in fact, we havent bought ground beef for 2 years now. A meat grinder can be bought new for about 30 bucks- its worth every penny.

-- Kevin in NC (Vantravlrs@aol.com), December 01, 2001.

I make alot of jerky out of my V-burger with a jerky shooter,The kids usually have ot gone before I can start another batch,I of course help out too.

-- Dave.??? (duckthis1@maqs.net), December 01, 2001.

We use it as any other ground meat in recipes, but it helps when browning to melt a little bacon grease in the pan, adds the missing fat and a little different flavor.

-- Rose Marie Wild (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), December 01, 2001.

Hey cowgirlone, can you post your summer sausage recipe on line or send me at my e-mail?

-- Mary (marwel@microserve.net), December 01, 2001.

Ground venison, hmm? Don't know about that. However, my parent's generation used to make big use of underground mutton during the depression here in Australia. That was the name they used for feral rabbits.

-- Don Armstrong (from Australia) (darmst@yahoo.com.au), December 01, 2001.

just like ground beef. Don't forget stuffed cabbage & grapeleaves.

-- Elizabeth Quintana (rockshelter@webtv.com), December 01, 2001.

I use ground venison all the time (deer, elk, caribou and antelope) and use it just like ground beef...but it makes lousy patties in my opinion. I think Elk has the best flavor. (most like beef anyway) I use it for tacos, in spaghetti sauce, casseroles, sloppy joes, meatloaf, meatballs and gosh...everything but patties. When I make meatloaf I add ground pork, or bulk pork sausage...helps it hold together...Hey...maybe thats what I should do to make patties too!! Some venison is stronger flavored than others...depends on the age of the deer, and how it was field dressed and all sorts of other factors. I always cook Antelope in such a way that it gets more seasoning...tacos and stuf like that...since I think it has the strongest flavor. Hamburger gravy over bisquits..yum!!!!! Thats all my son's favorite!

-- Jenny (auntjenny6@aol.com), December 02, 2001.

Mary, here's the summer sausage recipe.

3 LB venison burger (I grind my burger with pork fat)

1 C. water

1 tsp mustard seed

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1 tsp. onion flakes

2 TBS Tender Quick

2 TBS Liquid Smoke

Mix well, and chill overnight. On cookie sheet, shape into 3 long logs, Bake 300 degees for 1 1/2 hours. Before baking, I like to sprinkle the logs with black pepper. The logs should be about 2 inches in diameter, the right size to slice and serve on a ritz cracker! Hope this helps!

-- cowgirlone (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), December 02, 2001.

Yummy venison burgers with a little bite: 2-3 pounds ground venison, one or two minced onions, 4 to six ounces(one half cup) salsa(we like the hot variety), 2 0r 3 eggs depending on size, binding agent such as cup of quick oats or a sleeve of saltines crushed. May add more or less of the binding agent as dictated by the moisture in the mix. Salt and pepper to taste. Form patties and fry in a little hot grease (bacon fat is good) to keep them from sticking to the pan. Turn once so they brown on both sides. Done when burger cut in half is no longer pink in the middle.

-- Sandra Nelson (Magin@starband.net), December 02, 2001.

Use it just as you would beef burger. If you plan on using it for hamburgers you may need to add some fat or I mix it with pork sausage( spicy kind) and this makes a wonderful moist burger. If you have roasts, I have a wonderful crockpot recipe, you can use it as french dip for sandwiches, or serve with potatoes and carrots and use the broth for gravy makings. If anyone is interested I'll post the recipe.

-- Kelle in MT (kvent1729@aol.com), December 02, 2001.

Thanks cowgirlone for posting the summer sausage recipe, getting our processed deer back tomorrow morning and will give your recipe a try, thanks.

-- Mary (marwel@microserve.net), December 02, 2001.

Dear Michelle:

You have a treasure! The type of venison meat you describe I have used for years when my husband or son are lucky enough to get deer. This meet is easily used in chili, spaghetti, meat loaf, etc., as you would use regular ground hamburger. It is more lean and lacks a lot of the grease you'd get in cheaper cuts of hamburger. On the positive side, less cholesterol and better for you. It tastes delicious. So far this year, my men haven't been lucky enough to get a deer. Enjoy that meat, what an opportunity - it will cut your grocery bills considerably. It always does mine. Best of luck. She

-- Sheila Lutz (glutz43@alltell.net), December 02, 2001.

We have used venision for the past 20 years. We usually grind it 50/50 with pork or beef. We make our own sausage from the mixes available at the grocery stores. They have many different flavors, such as german, italian, a jimmy dean taste-a-like. You only need a few tablespoons for a 10 lb. batch, so one package will last many years. We mix ours at home and fry up the different batches to see how strong the flavor is. We make it into patties and cook up. One thing to remember is that it gets stronger as it sits in the freezer. You can still use it in chili, spaghetti or anything else you would use hamburger but it has a different flavor with the spices.

-- Pat in ND (khejlik@polarcomm.com), December 07, 2001.

Mix it 50/50 with 65%-70% ground beef and use it in any recipe that you would regular ground beef. Also don't be afraid to experiment. There are a lot of great recipes and ideals on the web site. You can make all kinds of sausages that are really great.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), December 22, 2001.

i am looking to use deer burger for just plain burgers....what is the best way to mix this so they will stay together..i wanna keep it very low fat..on a diet..so i dont want to mix it 50-50

-- greg nester (nester@citynet.net), January 07, 2002.