Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds trimmed venison
- 2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder
- 2 bell peppers
- 2 large yellow onions
- 1 cup cold beer
- 1/2 cup cold milk
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning blend
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried mustard
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon mace
- 1/2 teaspoon savory
- 6 to 8 feet of brat-sized salted natural pork sausage casing
Directions
- Dice the string cheese, bell peppers and onions into 1/4-inch bits. Sauté the onions and peppers in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until just softened. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the onion and pepper mixture to cool.
- Mix all dry spices and seasonings together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Start the meat by cutting the venison and pork into 2-inch cubes. Grind the meat through a quarter inch plate. Mix the two meats thoroughly and run the mixture through the grinder a second time.
- Double grind the meats through the large plate on your grinder.
- Add the blended spices to the milk and beer, then add the liquid to the meat mixture. Next, add the pepper and onion blend and the diced cheese. Pour over the seasoned liquid. Use your hands to mix everything thoroughly.
- Blend peppers, onions, cheese chunks and seasoned liquid into the meat.
- Now it’s time to fill the sausages. You can use a dedicated stuffer like the Weston Realtree Stuffer, or a stuffing attachment on your grinder. Find the end to a section of rinsed casing, and tie an overhand knot into it. Slide the opposite end over the stuffer tube, and bunch the length of casing onto the tube until the tied end reaches the end of the tube. Slowly fill the casing, being careful not to overfill it and cause it to split. Once you reach the end of the casing, tie it in an overhand knot.
- Pinch the filled and tied casings where you want to form links.
- Come in from one end about 6 inches and pinch the casing. Hold the pinch between two fingers, move down another 6 inches, and pinch again. You should have a length of sausage between your two fingers. Twist the sausage to separate the links. Move down another 6 inches and pinch again to start the process over. Move down the length of the casing, twisting between each link.
Twist the links to form the individual brats.
- You can cook the sausages any of several ways including pan frying, simmering in beer, or grilling them.