I am going to share a version of my tasty venison brats recipe. When I process my deer in the fall, I usually do not have time to work the meat all at once. So, I will package it in 10-lb vacuum sealed bags for easy use when I am prepared to work into a recipe. Today, I will focus on using the Frisco Spices 25-lb recipe for Bratwurst. I wasn’t able to get to the store to purchase any hard pack cheese, so these will just be jalapeño brats.
Ingredients:
15-16lbs ground pork butt or shoulder
10lbs ground venison
3-4 cups drained jalapenos
2 cups distilled water
Frisco Spices Bratwurst seasoning
Casings
Directions:
First thing to do is to debone the pork. Once you have it deboned then it is time to grind it. Make sure you use all fat that is attached to the butt or shoulder you are using. This is key for tasty venison brats! After the pork is ground you will want to add in your ground venison and lightly mix together.
Now that your pork and venison are combined it is time to add the seasoning pack. Blend you jalapenos with the distilled water and then pour into your meat tub. Hand mix the meat, seasoning and jalapeno mixture until tacky. Once it is mixed you will want to run it through the grinder again with the 1/8″ plate to ensure proper mixing and give a finer texture to your venison brats. Not to mention, the finer grind makes it easier to stuff your casings.
Time to Stuff the Venison Brats
I like to use natural hog casings. They come packed in salt so you will want to rinse them good. Thread onto the stuffing tube and when you get to the end tie a knot. You will want some help when it comes to stuffing! Someone needs to crank the stuffer while the other helper ensures the brat casing is filled. At whatever length you determine, give a twist or two as it is being pressed. For best results, alternate the direction of your twist between brats.
After all of my venison brats are stuffed I will cut them at each twist for packaging. Put as many in a package as your family would eat in one sitting.
Before cleaning your equipment, you know you cannot get it all out of the press or into the casings. So what do I do with the left-over meat? Make a test patty, of course! You need to sample your batch, right? The kids love helping just to get to this point.
Article by:
Rick Langstraat
Association Board Member