Low-Fat, Moist Venison Sausage | Good Food

Low-Fat, Moist Venison Cabbage Roll Sausages
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Not so long ago I wrote an article about my first sausage-making adventure. I made venison sausages with no added pork fat. The sausages turned out dry, but were great when added to soups and stews. No matter, I still wanted to make a tender porkless venison sausage. There had to be a way. So, I set about designing a recipe that focused on using grains, brandy, and vegetables to increase moistness.

My ultimate goal, to make a Venison Cabbage Roll Sausage. Which I’ve done. This sausage ended up about 99% successful. And the amazing part? The recipe calls for no added fat at all, yet the sausages are tasty and moist, with a texture just like cabbage rolls.

Where the recipe fell flat, that 1%, was because the sausages didn’t taste cabbagey enough. In future versions I’ll either add more cabbage and less rice to the recipe or I’ll make a cabbage mash to cover the sausages with, once cooked.

The recipe:

Venison Cabbage Roll Sausages

about 7 to 9 feet of casings
3-4 lbs of venison
1-2 lbs of cooked scented rice prepared with tomato juice instead of water
1 cup cabbage leaves grated and cooked with
1/4 cup of tomato juice
2 tbsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup tomato juice
1/4 cup brandy

For this recipe, I used 3 lbs of venison to 2 lbs of rice, totaling 5 lbs. You can play with the ratios to suit your preferences.

Precook the rice with tomato juice. Let cool. Refrigerate. Cook the shredded cabbage with tomato juice until soft. Cool. Refrigerate. Both the rice and cabbage can be cooked the day before.
Grind the venison. Ideally it should be very cold but not frozen. Add the rice, cabbage, salt, garlic powder, pepper, tomato juice, and brandy. Mix until well blended.
Stuff casings with sausage mix using sausage stuffing tube. Link the sausages to the length you want them. Refrigerate. Freeze if you won’t be using within a few days.
To cook, simmer in water until cooked through, then brown in olive oil. Avoid cutting the sausages at the link while simmering in water so the rice does not soak up excess water, expanding, and breaking open the ends.

And, if you’re not into rice, here’s another excellent low-fat recipe from Home Sausage Making:

Midwestern Potato Sausage

4 feet medium hog casing [my version used about 9 feet]
3 lbs blade-cut beef chuck [my version used venison]
2 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
2 tbsp kosher or coarse salt
2 tsp caraway seed
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper (medium grind)
water

Prepare the casings.
Cut the meat into 1-inch cubes. Freeze the cubes for about 30 minutes to firm before grinding.
Grind the meat, potatoes (raw), and onion through the coarse disk of a meat grinder.
In a large bowl, combine the meat mixture, dry milk, salt, caraway seed, allspice, and pepper. Mix well, using your hands.
Add water as needed (up to 1/2 cup) to moisten the mixture enough to hold it together. Freeze for 30 minutes.
Grind the seasoned mixture through the coarse disk of the meat grinder.
Stuff the mixture into the prepared casing, prick air pockets, and twist off into 5-inch lengths. Do not separate the links.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the sausages, reduce the heat, and poach the sausages in the simmering water for 40 minutes.
Drain the sausages, pat dry, and cut the links apart with a sharp knife. Refrigerate them, covered, for up to 3 days. To serve, sauté gently in a heavy skillet until golden brown.

I used red potatoes, which were moist enough that I didn’t need to add any water to the blend. Unfortunately, I did have a problem with the casings splitting away during the poaching process. Even so the sausages held together and were mouthwateringly good.

Sausage making is so much fun. The eating is delicious. The flavour possibilities are endless. I’m thinking venison sausage Chinese style, with dried orange peel, five-spice powder, potatoes. Or breadcrumbs, hot pepper, and white wine. Or venison and wild rice, with red peppers, and jalapenos. Or venison and barley, with caraway, black pepper, and onions… MmMmMm.