Elk Breakfast Sausage

TerynItUp · Mar 9, 2016

Hoping someone can help me here. I have a lot of elk that I ground with beef fat for burger. I now want to turn some of it into breakfast sausage. Did I screw myself by using beef fat instead of pork? What can I do?

Hunt Hard. Shoot Straight. Kill Clean. Apologize to No One.

Runnoft · Mar 31, 2016

I don't know how much the beef fat will effect the sausage. My guess is it will not be as good as if you used pork fat. I believe the two fats melt at different temps. If you try it let me know how it works.

I do like the AC Leggs Pork Sausage Seasoning Blend #10. It comes in a packet to season 25 pounds. I put 20.5 pounds game, 4.5 pounds pork fat, and 3 cups of cold water in a batch. I've been buying the seasoning from Southern Indiana Butcher Supply.

Good Luck

DW · Apr 2, 2016

I've never had much luck tryin to turn a red meat into a pork product. I gave up awhile back and just buy a hog from time to time. I'll burger, can, or turn elk into summer sausage but that's about as far as I'll take it anymore. JMO

mmwb · Apr 25, 2016

What ratio of beef fat to elk did you mix? Room to add some pork fat? You can try and see. Consistency and flavor will be different, but most find beef fat in hamburger is okay. I use pork fat in everything, including grilling burgers.

TerynItUp · Apr 25, 2016

If I remember correctly, I did 80/20 elk/beef. I might try a small batch and add the pork to it and see how it comes out. Although now that I think about it, I have been burning through my burger quick lately so maybe I will wait and see what the NM draw has in store for me this week before I make any decisions....
Thanks gents!

Hunt Hard. Shoot Straight. Kill Clean. Apologize to No One.

dz · May 23, 2016

I make Sausage every year with 50% elk and 50% pork. I have taken burger out of the freezer and added spices to make a pound or two of breakfast sausage. It taste good but not as good as when it has pork fat. I freeze up 12 pound packages of elk each fall. Then as we run out of sausage I make a 25 pound batch. If you go to buy pork to mix, the front shoulders have about the right amount of fat in them. The last batch I did I used loins as they were on a great sale, then I picked up some straight fat trims. Just remember that pork starts getting rancid fast. At six months it is toast. I try to make it all be gone in three months, and make a new batch.

DZ

Trix4me · May 25, 2016

I have used 3 to 1 Elk to boneless country style ribs. I really liked the result. 1+ on the "don't keep it longer than 6 months". Double wrapping with plastic wrap then freezer paper will keep longer.

TerynItUp · May 25, 2016

Thanks guys, I appreciate it.

How can you tell if the pork has gone bad? I have a little deer sausage that I mixed with pork back in November and don't want to get anyone sick. I ate some as recently as two weeks ago and it was fine? It has been exactly six months since I killed that buck.

Hunt Hard. Shoot Straight. Kill Clean. Apologize to No One.

dz · May 26, 2016

It won't go bad that will hurt anyone. It just goes rancid. Some people eat it and it is fine to them. About 20 years ago I made a big batch, enough for the year. At about six months the taste started to get stronger. By nine months the family wouldn't eat it. I had no idea what happened. So the family quit eating it and I didn't make any more for years. Once I learned about it going rancid I do smaller batches a few times a year. The family loves it. Some people put bacon or pork with their burger, but it will do the same thing. I do Beef suet at about 10% for our burger, and it will last more then a year.

DZ