I frequently get asked for a tried-and-true venison breakfast sausage recipe; the kind of recipe that works with other wild game and can beused in gravy, next to pancakes, or on an egg sandwich. This is the most versatile venison breakfast sausage that I make. What’s great about this foundational recipe is that it can be easily tweaked.

Don’t have fresh herbs? Instead of fresh sage and fresh thyme, use 1½ tablespoons of dried sage and ½ tablespoon of dried thyme. Don’t have venison? This also works with hog, bear, goose, or turkey.

Want it sweeter? Drop the brown sugar from the spice blend and add 3 tablespoons of maple syrup to the ice cold liquid when making the bind (after grinding the meat). Want it spicier? Add another ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes.

You can turn these into breakfast patties, stuff into casings for links, or make savory breakfast crépinettes by wrapping patties incaul fatand cooking over medium heat until the fat melts. The fat will take a little time to render, but don’t let it go for too long and burn.

In the video above, Kevin Gillespie demonstrates how to prepare this recipe with his own unique perspective.

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1. Chop the pork fatback and meat into 2-inch pieces. Use any tough cut, such as the bottom round, neck meat, or shoulder.
2. Mix the salt, herbs, garlic, black pepper, red pepper, sugar, and cloves. Sprinkle the spices across the meat and mix thoroughly.
3. Spread the seasoned meat across a metal sheet tray or in a metal bowl. Stick it in the freezer for 30 minutes to chill. The texture should be a little crunchy, but not frozen solid.
4. Using the coarse die on your meat grinder, grind the meat into a chilled bowl (I set a smaller bowl inside of a bigger bowl containing ice). If at any point the mixture begins to smear or come out of the grinder mushy, it’s too warm. Transfer the meat back to the freezer for another 30 minutes.
5. After the first pass, switch out the coarse grinding plate for the plate with a fine die and grind again. Or, if your meat is sliced into smaller cubes, you can grind it just once through the small die.
6. At this point, you have loose sausage that can becooked as isor frozen for later use. If you want to form patties that stick together, or stuff them into casings, you'll want to stir in the ice cold liquid, drizzling it in a little at a time, until it starts to form together into a mass. You might not need all of the liquid. You can do this by hand or use an electric mixer with a paddle attachment on the lowest speed for a few minutes. Eat the fresh sausage within a week, or freeze patties in between sheets of parchment paper.