Thanks, I havn't gotten my son interested enough to go deer hunting but the boy will eat! You know the reason I started with sausage was snack sticks. They are so much faster and easier than jerky. They make things like this
jerky slicer/tenderizer but I don't have one and my electric grinder won't accept attachments that would speed up jerky-makin'.
He seems to like helping me. I haven't done a breakfast sausage clip yet and you are right on the over-do. I like spicy things myself but the older I get the less tolerant my system becomes p- particularly to heat. I see a tendency for people who develop game recipes to error on the spicy side in an attempt to cover up field related problems. I feel, garlic and smoke concentrates are the probably most prone to be over-done.
What I have done in the past on untried recipe was to test it on small amounts of store-bought meat at half-spice (or at least 1/2 of a suspected "high" spice). Mix it then test it. Adjust it if need be. As long as I take notes and can remember how to add... I can thereafter duplicate it. Now you can over-mix sometimes and the sausage can loose its texture a bit, but remember, this only applies to the test batch. Once you get the ballance you like - you are done.
Breakfast sausage is at the heart ground meat salt and pepper. Southerners may add in poultry seasoning or sage and a touch of crushed red pepper. North-easterners may add Maple syrup. It is possible Mexicans and Indians may add a tad cumin. Italians may add a bit of fennel, and so on but most start with salt & black pepper.
For a 2# batch you may see salt and black pepper specified from 1/2 tsp to 1 TBS. It really is to taste. I always take a test sample when I make up any sausage of any kind. If I screwed up - that is the time to know about it. Even if I got too much salt ot red pepper I can always add more meat.
basic sausage @ Cooks.com This one may be a little heavy on the sage but that too is to taste. Sometimes, less is more.
What I'm hoping (in all of this) is that more people will get into doing their own and discover just how much fun it is to get it exactly like they like it. Flavors are so subjective - you know even in store bought one brand of "HOT" may not be as hot as someone else's "MEDIUM". maybe you have high blood pressure and the doc says to cut your salt. If you make it, you can.
I just pulled up
Northern Tool's Food Procesing Equipment page. That stuffer I bought is about as inexpensive as they get. I have used my antique #10 grinder and a new (at the time) curved stuffer (3# or something) but neither works super good.
If you can't find a processor there to make it the way you like it maybe have him just make burger and add spice yourself. You could use Saran wrap to roll your breakfast sausage up. Put it in the freezer for 30 minutes to make it stiffer, un-roll and slice. For a binder (if all deer burger an no fat (pork or beef)) you can add 2 tsp/lb of soy flour (sometimes it is labled soya flour). It will stick together but won't shrink much.
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once again I wrote "War and Peace"... I hope I didn't drift too far off for you.
FYI I stuck a few recipes (all subject to tweeking every now and again) at
my recipe page
