Description
Discover how to make delicious Venison Prosciutto or Salami at home with this easy recipe. Learn the steps to cure and age venison for a gourmet treat.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo venison meat
- 63 grams sea salt or kosher salt
- 6 grams curing salt no. 2 (sodium nitrate)
- 30 grams dextrose (or regular sugar)
- 20 grams minced garlic
- 20 grams minced fresh sage
- 6 grams freshly ground black pepper
- 5 grams minced juniper berries (optional )
- 10 grams starter culture T-SPX (see above)
- 1 cup (240 ml) cold distilled water
- Hog casings
Instructions
- Slice the venison into manageable chunks for your grinder, then blend them with the sea salt, curing salt, and dextrose. Refrigerate this mixture overnight to allow it to firm up, although this isn’t strictly required.
- Immerse approximately 10 feet of hog casings in lukewarm water. Combine the starter culture with the cold distilled water.
- When you’re ready, incorporate the garlic, sage, black pepper, and juniper berries into the meat mixture. Pass it through a medium grinder plate (6.5 mm). If the meat is largely free of tough tissues, this should suffice; otherwise, run it through the grinder once more.
- Ensure the meat’s temperature is below 40°F, ideally nearing freezing. Blend the starter culture solution with the meat and knead thoroughly by hand for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, until it coalesces and white streaks appear on the container’s sides.
- Transfer the mixture into the sausage stuffer, attaching a casing and leaving 4 inches of excess for tying. Fill a foot-long sausage, then pinch and slide the casing off the nozzle, leaving an 8-inch tail. Snip this in half to complete one link and begin another. Continue until all links are formed, likely about eight in total.
- Gently press each sausage to eliminate air pockets, tie one end, and trim the surplus. Press slightly more, puncture any remaining air bubbles with a needle, then tie the other end, keeping the extra length for hanging. Repeat for all the links.
- Secure the links onto “S” hooks and suspend them from the top rack in your oven, placing a tray underneath to catch drippings. Leave them for at least 24 hours, adhering to your starter culture’s specific instructions. Lightly mist the sausages twice daily during this period.
- Once the sausages attain a rich red hue and a pleasant cured aroma, transfer them to your drying area, maintaining conditions around 50°F and 75% humidity. Let them dry for a minimum of 3 weeks, though 6 weeks is preferable. After a month, test one link for firmness. They can be stored in the refrigerator indefinitely.
Notes
- Slice the venison into manageable chunks before blending with sea salt, curing salt, and dextrose for even flavor distribution.
- Incorporate garlic, sage, black pepper, and juniper berries evenly throughout the meat mixture to enhance the sausages’ overall flavor profile.
- Ensure the meat is below 40°F before blending with the starter culture solution to prevent premature fermentation and achieve desired texture and flavor in the sausages.
