Venison Chorizo Recipe
Learn how to make your own specialty sausage with venison. This Venison Chorizo Recipe is a delicious addition to your journey with venison.
What is chorizo?
Chorizo is a spicy sausage that is made with venison, beef, pork, chicken or turkey. Mexican chorizo was transformed from Spanish Chorizo when Spain invaded Mexico.
The primary difference between Spanish and Mexican Chorizo, is that Spanish Chorizo is aged and smoked, whereas Mexican Chorizo is a fresh sausage, reminiscent of fresh Italian sausage.
Today it is generally made with pork. Using deer meat will bump up the protein and lower that fat and cholesterol compared to all pork. Any big game meat can be used including; bison, antelope, bear, elk and the like.
This is our favorite deer sausage. It’s perfect for all of your favorite Mexican dishes. See below for suggestions.
Ingredients you need
- salt – use coarse kosher salt, sea salt or canning salt. Don’t use iodized table salt.
- vinegar – we use apple cider vinegar but red wine vinegar will work as well
- sweet paprika – don’t use smoked paprika
- hot ground red pepper – cayenne pepper or even chile powder will work.
- fresh cloves garlic – you can substitute garlic powder if needed
- oregano – we use Mexican oregano you can use regular oregano but the Mexican stuff is far superior
- coarse black pepper – fresh cracked is best.
- water – use ice water. Just add ice to your measuring cup. Then fill it up with the correct amount of water.
- venison – trim meat well of all fat, sinew, and silver skin
- pork – use pork shoulder or pork butt instead of plain pork fat.
How to make it
Trim deer meat well. Remove any fat, silver skin. Cut venison into long strips or chunks that will fit into your meat grinder hopper. Grind meat with your meat grinder or Kitchenaid mixer with sausage attachment with 1/4-5/16 inch cutting blade hole.
Cut pork into long strips that will fit you meat grinder hopper. We like to use a smaller 3/16 inch cutting blade hole for pork. This will allow the pork to cook at same rate as the venison so the venison won’t get overdone.
Once meat is ground, return it to the refrigerator.
- Measure ice water. Add ice to measuring cup and then fill with water to the amount you need.
- Mix all spices, vinegar and ice water into covered bowl or container. Place lid on bowl. Shake vigorously to dissolve salt and mix spices well.
- Add spice mixture to ground meats and mix gently but well with clean hands. Don’t overwork or the texture of the sausage will suffer.
- Return meat to the fridge overnight up to two days.
- Stuff the sausage into hog casings with a sausage stuffer or freeze the meat bulk. I generally don’t stuff chorizo since I usually remove it from the casings when we cook it.
How to cook chorizo
This sausage is very flavorful and can be just browned in a skillet for an incredibly easy addition to your favorite foods. To kick it up to another level, here are some suggestions.
Dice onion and mince garlic. Brown meat with the onion in a bit of olive oil over medium heat until meat is brown and onions are soft. Add garlic. Sauté for another minute. Add chopped, fresh tomatoes, cumin and a pinch of thyme. Cook the tomatoes down for about five minutes.
Serve with warmed corn tortillas. Garnish with lettuce, fresh chopped tomatoes, grated cheddar cheese, pickled red onions or candied jalapeños. Add a squirt of lime juice and top with cilantro or parsley.
How to store it
Fresh chorizo will store in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
For longer storage freeze in freezer bags or for best results vacuum seal and freeze.
Pro Tips for your success
- Freeze grinder attachments before starting so that they are cold.
- Meat must kept very cold! Always keep the meat in the fridge in between steps.
- Grind pork with a smaller diameter cutting blade hole than the venison. This will ensure even cooking.
- Use a ratio of 30% pork to 70% venison for best flavor.
- Use a pork shoulder or a pork butt instead of pork fat. It will be healthier and will provide better flavor.
- The amount of chile peppers you use will determine how mild or hot the sausage is.
- You can either make Chorizo links with a sausage stuffer attachment for your meat grinder or just keep the meat bulk, unstuffed for patties.
- Recipe batch can be easily doubled, tripled or reduced. Just make sure that you eat it within a couple months for best flavor.
How to use Venison Chorizo
- tacos
- huevos rancheros with fried eggs
- burritos
- chorizo hash with potatoes
- make chorizo venison burgers
- add to chili for an nice kick.
More venison recipes
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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Venison Chorizo
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons coarse kosher or sea salt
- 1 cup cider vinegar
- 5 tablespoons paprika
- 3 tablespoons ground cayenne pepper
- 8 large garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
- 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
- 1 cup Ice water
- 7½ pounds grond venison
- 2½ pounds pork, ground
Instructions
- Trim deer meat well. Remove any fat, silver skin. Slice into long strips or cut in chunks that will fit in your grinder hopper. Grind meat with your meat grinder or Kitchenaid mixer with sausage attachment with a medium hole grinding disc.7½ pounds grond venison
- Slice pork into thin strips. Grind pork with a finer hole grinding disc. Return meat to the refrigerator.2½ pounds pork, ground
- Mince garlic. Mix all spices, vinegar and ice water into covered bowl or container. Place lid on bowl. Shake vigorously to dissolve salt and mix spices well.5 tablespoons coarse kosher or sea salt, 1 cup cider vinegar, 5 tablespoons paprika, 3 tablespoons ground cayenne pepper, 8 large garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano, 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper, 1 cup Ice water
- Add spice mixture to ground meats and mix gently but well with clean hands. Don't overwork or the texture of the sausage will suffer.
- Return meat to the fridge overnight up to two days.
- Stuff the sausage into hog casings with a sausage stuffer or freeze the meat bulk. I generally don't stuff chorizo since I usually remove it from the casings when we cook it.
See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky’s Amazon Store!Notes
- Freeze grinder attachments before starting so that they are cold.
- Meat must kept very cold! Always keep the meat in the fridge in between steps.
- Grind pork with a smaller diameter cutting blade hole than the venison. This will ensure even cooking.
- Use a ratio of 30% pork to 70% venison for best flavor.
- Use a pork shoulder or a pork butt instead of pork fat. It will be healthier and will provide better flavor.
- The amount of chile peppers you use will determine how mild or hot the sausage is.
- You can either make Chorizo links with a sausage stuffer attachment for your meat grinder or just keep the meat bulk, unstuffed for patties.
- Recipe can be easily doubled, tripled or reduced. Just make sure that you eat it within a couple months for best flavor.
Nutrition
Inspiration for this recipe comes from “Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing” by Rytek Kutas.
Originally published January 20, 2022
Question about the chili peppers mentioned in the article affecting the *heat* of the sausage. What type do you suggestion? Fresh? Dry? The directions do not included peppers – only black and Cayenne.
Thanks for clarifying
You could use less cayenne, more cayenne, or a more mild chili powder like ancho chili powder, if the cayenne is too hot for your tastes. You want to use ground pepper, no matter which one.
You had a recipe with chorizo, smoked Gouda, cream cheese and other ingredients that I stuffed into pablono peppers and baked but I can’t seem to locate it. Would you be able to find it for me?
Thank you
I’m afraid that wasn’t us Tracey but it sure does sound delish!