Best Venison Breakfast Sausage Recipe

This homemade venison breakfast sausage is seasoned with sage, thyme, and a few simple spices for a traditional breakfast sausage flavor. Ground pork adds the fat that lean venison needs to keep the sausage juicy and flavorful.

This recipe is easy to customize and can be made into patties or stuffed into casings for sausage links. Make a big batch and freeze some for quick breakfasts, sausage gravy, casseroles, and more.

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Venison has less fat and calories than pork. This sausage is great in casseroles, stuffing or dressing mixes, breakfast sandwiches, or any place you would use pork sausage.

Making your own sausage can save you a lot of money on game processing, and it is also fun and easy.

It seems many of us forget that when we go to the grocery store and buy meat, we are buying an animal someone else harvested and processed. This ends up costing us much more than doing it ourselves.

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Making sausage with venison is a great way to stretch a buck (pun intended 🙂 ).

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The original recipe concept came from Great Sausage and Meat Curing, by Rytek Kutas. As you can see on the cover, Chef Craig Claiborne calls it the “most definitive manual on sausage making in the English language.”

That is pretty high praise. This recipe is an authentic, traditional sausage recipe that lends itself beautifully to venison.

Do I have to add fat?

The simple answer is yes. Venison fat is not really suited for cooking. It is also not very flavorful. Because venison is so low in fat, it needs extra fat to add flavor and keep the meat from drying out and falling apart.

For our venison burgers we like to use beef steak trimmings. They give the burgers the best flavor and texture. For the sausage, however, we like to use ground pork. It has a milder flavor, so the venison and spices shine.

Buy a pork shoulder or pork butt and grind your own. Use both the meat and fat when you grind the pork. Look for a marbled cut so it has more fat. Ask your favorite butcher. It will save you lots of money.

You want to use about 30% pork / 70% venison for the sausage. This will give you the best flavor and texture. You can go as low as 20% pork, but you may be disappointed with the outcome.

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Do you need to put the sausage in casings?

Sometimes you just want a nice cased sausage for breakfast with your pancakes and eggs. But other times, it doesn’t matter. Many times, we don’t even bother casing the sausage. It’s just an added step, and if a recipe calls for removing the meat from the casing, why bother? Either way you go, the sausage will be delicious.

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What Casings to Choose?

The casing you choose depends on the size of the sausage you want to stuff. Traditionally, breakfast sausages are small and are actually lamb casings. If you want larger breakfast sausage or you are making Italian, Polish, or chorizo, then use hog casings.

In the photograph above, we used hog casings because lamb casings weren’t available. Either way will work fine. Hog casings are much easier to work with and tend to tear less than lamb casings. Sausage in hog casings tends to freeze better and for longer.

Where to Find Casings for Sausage

Most grocery butcher departments carry casings. Just ask. Lamb casings may or may not be available. Casings are also inexpensive and available at most local butchers.

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What You Need

• Ground Venison: Any wild game will work. Elk, antelope, deer
• Ground Pork: Buy a boneless pork shoulder or pork butt and grind it at the same time you grind the venison.
• Kosher Salt: Don’t use iodized salt. Sea salt or canning salt will work, too.
• White Pepper: White pepper doesn’t have the bite of black pepper, but substituting black pepper is fine.
• Ground Sage: Use ground spices. The flavors penetrate the meat all over. You could also use fresh sage, finely minced, but it doesn’t mix in as well.
• Ground Thyme: Use ground spices.
• Ice Water: Use ice water. The sausage must stay very cold while you work with it.

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Optional Ingredients

• Freshly Ground Nutmeg: Freshly ground nutmeg has a brighter, earthier flavor.
• Ground Ginger: Ginger has a sharp peppery bite but sweetens out when it’s cooked.
• Real Maple Syrup: Try adding pure maple syrup.
• Brown Sugar: Add some brown sugar if you like a sweeter sausage.
• Ground Hot Pepper: Add red pepper flakes or ground cayenne if you like a spicy sausage.

Seasoning for Deer Sausage

The seasoning for venison breakfast sausage is a mild but flavorful blend of sage, thyme, and salt. That is it. There is no huge secret! There are no fillers, additives, preservatives, or corn syrup, just meat and seasoning.

Once you have the basic sausage recipe down, feel free to make other types, such as Italian, beer-and-cheese, chorizo, and Polish sausage. There are so many flavor combinations. We even make smoked Venison Summer Sausage.

We love asiago with roasted peppers and spinach. It’s fantastic. Red wine, parsley, and cheese sausage is another keeper.

How to Make Deer Breakfast Sausage

How to Case Sausage

You can stuff sausage into lamb casings for small, breakfast-sausage-style links, or into hog casings for a more Canadian breakfast-sausage vibe.

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Twist the end of the casing. Load the ground meat into the hopper.

Turn on the grinder. Slowly push the sausage down with the pusher tool. Carefully guide the casing to fill the space inside.

Do not overfill because the casing may break. If it does, turn off the grinder. Pinch and twist the end where it broke. Cut the casing with clean scissors.

Twist the other end and continue stuffing the casings. The goal is to fill the casing evenly without leaving many large air holes.

It is much easier to have two people, especially when starting out: one to load and feed the hopper and the other to guide the casing.

If you get many large air holes after the casing process, poke them with a sharp knife, sterile pin, or needle. If you don’t, they may pop when cooking.

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Use within two days or freeze for longer storage.

Can Deer Sausage be Frozen?

Yes, but my only caution is not to make too much! Sausage tends to freeze-burn more quickly than other meats.

Frozen breakfast sausage is best if used within 1 month, and Italian, Chorizo, and Polish sausages are best if used within 3-4 months. Vacuum packing will slightly lengthen freezer life, but not indefinitely. A good vacuum sealer is the best way to store it, however.

If you don’t have a vacuum packer, wrap portions in plastic wrap or freezer paper, then place them in a freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible. Double wrapping will help prevent freezer burn.

I make several small batches whenever I like during the year. When we process the deer, I label the freezer bag with “for ground.” Then, I take out a few pounds, grind them, and make them into sausage. However, I know others who make 25 pounds of sausage when processing their deer and eat it year-round. Maybe I’m just picky.

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Pro Tips for Success

• Chill the meat grinder attachments well before grinding meat.
• Partially frozen (or very cold, at least) meat is best to grind.
• Always return meat to the refrigerator immediately, between steps.
• Always use very clean hands or food-grade gloves when working with the meat.
• If using utensils to mix, make sure they are extra clean.
• Freeze immediately after wrapping for storage.
• Keeping sausage cold is the key to food safety.
• When letting it rest overnight, place the container on the bottom shelf in the back, where it’s coldest.
• For best flavor, use frozen sausage within one month.

How to Cook It

To cook deer breakfast sausage patties, heat a lightly oiled skillet over medium heat. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes per side, depending on thickness. For sausage links, cook over medium-low heat, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes.

The key to many venison preparations is not to overcook the meat. Since you add pork fat, cook the sausage to at least 160°F. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature accurately.

Overcooking can dry out sausage, depending on the fat content of your mixture.

How to Use It

Try this sausage with these fried potatoes and onions. It’s a great combination for a delicious breakfast, brunch, or dinner.

• Serve with breakfast foods like pancakes, French toast, waffles, eggs, etc.
• Make sausage gravy and serve it with homemade biscuits for a delicious Southern-inspired breakfast.
• Use it for breakfast sandwiches or casseroles.
• It makes delicious stuffing or dressing for chicken or pork.

Some other popular Venison recipes

• Venison Chorizo
• Italian sausage
• Brisket
• Slow Cooker Venison Carnitas
• How to make Corned Venison
• Venison Stew
• Venison Burger

Want to learn more about How to Cook Venison? Don’t miss our awesome Ultimate Guide! Complete with 65 FREE Recipes from some of the top venison recipe developers in the world!

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Tools That Make This Recipe Work

These are the tools I use.

• Rytek Kutas Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing: The Bible of Sausage Making – Gives you reliable curing ratios, seasoning guidance, and sausage-making techniques that help keep texture and flavor consistent from batch to batch.
• Meat Grinder – Creates the right texture and fat distribution for homemade sausage. Pre-ground meat won’t give you the same control, and overworked meat can turn dense and pasty fast.
• Large metal bowl – Helps keep the meat mixture cold while mixing. Warm meat smears fat rather than distributing it evenly, which affects texture and juiciness.
• Food Grade Gloves – Make mixing and stuffing cleaner while helping you handle cold meat longer without warming it up too quickly.
• Foodsaver– Helps prevent freezer burn and keeps sausage fresher, much longer in storage. Standard bags trap air and shorten freezer life.
• Freezer Paper – Protects sausage during freezing and helps avoid moisture loss. Without it, the texture and flavor can fade faster.

This homemade venison sausage tastes so delicious. You may never buy store-bought again.

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Originally Published 11/27/2015 Updated 06/02/2026