✪ Key Takeaway: Apple venison sausage combines lean game meat with sweet apples for a naturally moist, flavorful breakfast or dinner sausage perfect for hunters and health-conscious meat lovers.
Introduction
Imagine biting into a juicy sausage that tastes like autumn morning with hints of sweet apple and savory venison dancing on your tongue.
Most venison sausages turn out dry and gamey, but this recipe changes everything by adding fresh apples that create natural moisture and subtle sweetness without loading up on extra fat.
Hi, I am Abdur, your nutrition coach, and today I am showing you exactly how to make apple venison sausage that stays moist, tastes incredible, and gives you a high-protein breakfast or dinner option your whole family will love.
What’s the Origin of This Recipe?
Apple and game meat combinations have roots in European hunting traditions where cooks paired wild meats with seasonal fruits to balance strong flavors.
German and French hunters discovered centuries ago that apples not only tenderized lean game but also added natural sweetness that complemented the earthy taste of venison.
When European settlers came to North America, they brought these sausage-making traditions and adapted them using local ingredients like wild deer and native apple varieties.
Today, apple venison sausage remains popular in hunting communities across the United States and Canada, especially in regions where both deer hunting and apple orchards thrive.
Modern versions of this recipe often include pork fat for moisture, but the core combination of venison and apples stays true to its traditional roots.
✪ Fact: Venison contains about 50 percent less fat than beef, making it one of the leanest red meats available for sausage making.
Is This Recipe Healthy?
Apple venison sausage offers a protein-rich option that is significantly leaner than traditional pork or beef sausages.
Venison provides about 26 grams of high-quality protein per 100 grams while containing only 3 grams of fat compared to pork sausage which can have 25 grams of fat.
The addition of apples brings natural fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidants without adding processed sugars or artificial sweeteners.
This recipe works well for people following high-protein diets, paleo eating patterns, or anyone trying to reduce their intake of processed meats.
You can make this sausage even healthier by controlling the amount of added pork fat or using alternatives like olive oil to maintain moisture without excessive saturated fat.
✪ Total Time: 90 minutes | ✪ Total servings: 12
Tools
- Meat grinder with coarse grinding plate
- Large mixing bowl
- Sausage stuffer or attachment
- Natural hog casings
- Kitchen scale
- Sharp knife and cutting board
- Large skillet or grill
✪ Pro Tip: Keep your meat and grinder parts cold in the freezer for 30 minutes before grinding to prevent fat from smearing and ensure clean texture.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground venison
- 1 pound ground pork fat or pork shoulder
- 2 medium apples, peeled and finely diced
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Half teaspoon garlic powder
- Half teaspoon onion powder
- Quarter teaspoon nutmeg
- Quarter cup cold water
- Natural hog casings, soaked in water
✪ Note: Using a ratio of 2 parts venison to 1 part pork fat creates sausages that are moist without being greasy.
Instructions
- Cut venison and pork fat into 1-inch cubes and place them in the freezer for 30 minutes until firm but not frozen.
- Grind the chilled venison and pork fat together through a coarse grinding plate into a large mixing bowl.
- Add diced apples, salt, pepper, sage, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, and nutmeg to the ground meat.
- Pour cold water over the mixture and mix everything thoroughly with your hands for 2 to 3 minutes until well combined and slightly sticky.
- Rinse soaked hog casings under cold water and thread one end onto your sausage stuffer nozzle.
- Fill the stuffer with the meat mixture and slowly push it into the casings, forming links by twisting every 4 to 5 inches.
- Prick any air bubbles with a sterilized needle and refrigerate the sausages uncovered for 2 hours to allow casings to dry slightly.
- Cook sausages in a skillet over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes, turning frequently until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Let cooked sausages rest for 5 minutes before serving to allow juices to redistribute.
✪ Pro Tip: Do not overstuff casings or they will burst during cooking, leave a little room for the meat to expand as it heats.
Nutrition Facts (approximate)
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Protein: 22g
- Carbohydrates: 4g
- Fat: 13g
✪ Fact: One serving of apple venison sausage provides nearly half your daily protein needs while keeping calories moderate compared to traditional breakfast sausages.
What Are Common Mistakes to Avoid?
The biggest mistake people make is using warm meat when grinding, which causes fat to smear and creates a mushy texture instead of a clean grind.
Another common error is adding too much pork fat, thinking more fat means more moisture, but this actually makes sausages greasy and masks the venison flavor.
Many home cooks also overmix the meat mixture, which develops too much protein structure and results in tough, rubbery sausages instead of tender ones.
Cooking sausages over high heat is another pitfall that causes casings to burst and meat to dry out before the inside cooks properly.
You will know something is going wrong if your casings keep splitting during stuffing, which means you are either overstuffing them or your casings were not properly soaked and softened.
✪ Pro Tip: Test cook a small patty of your seasoned meat mixture before stuffing to check if the flavor and seasoning levels are right.
What If You’re Missing an Ingredient?
If you do not have pork fat, you can substitute with pork shoulder which contains natural marbling that keeps sausages moist.
Missing fresh apples is not a deal breaker because you can use unsweetened applesauce, though you will lose some texture and need to reduce the amount to about half cup.
No hog casings means you can form the mixture into patties instead, which actually cook faster and work great for breakfast sandwiches.
If you are out of sage, you can use poultry seasoning as a substitute since it contains sage along with other complementary herbs.
However, skipping the pork fat entirely and using only venison will give you dry, crumbly sausages that lack the moisture and richness that makes this recipe work.
✪ Note: You can replace nutmeg with cinnamon for a slightly different but equally delicious flavor profile that emphasizes the apple sweetness.
Can You Store Leftovers?
Cooked apple venison sausages store beautifully in the refrigerator for up to 4 days when placed in an airtight container.
Raw sausages keep for 2 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer when wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and placed in freezer bags.
I recommend using glass containers with tight-fitting lids for cooked sausages because they do not absorb odors and keep the meat fresher longer.
The texture holds up remarkably well over time, though the apple pieces may soften slightly after a day or two in storage.
When reheating, use low to medium heat in a covered skillet with a splash of water to prevent the sausages from drying out.
✪ Pro Tip: Freeze raw sausages on a baking sheet first until solid, then transfer to freezer bags so they do not stick together.
Can You Scale This Recipe?
This recipe scales up beautifully for large batches, which makes sense since most hunters process entire deer at once.
You can easily double or triple the ingredients while maintaining the same 2 to 1 ratio of venison to pork fat for consistent results.
Scaling down works just as well, though grinding very small amounts of meat can be challenging because most grinders need a minimum volume to work efficiently.
When making larger batches, mix the seasonings thoroughly in a small bowl first before adding them to ensure even distribution throughout all the meat.
The only adjustment needed for bigger batches is allowing more time for mixing and stuffing, but the cooking time and temperature remain exactly the same.
✪ Fact: Professional sausage makers often prepare 50 to 100 pounds at once because the time investment for setup is the same regardless of batch size.
Can You Customize This Recipe?
You can swap venison for ground turkey or chicken if you want an even leaner option, though you will need to increase the pork fat slightly for moisture.
Try different apple varieties like Granny Smith for tartness or Honeycrisp for extra sweetness to change the flavor profile completely.
Adding maple syrup or brown sugar gives you a breakfast sausage style, while increasing black pepper and garlic creates a more savory dinner version.
You can throw in dried cranberries or chopped pecans for texture and a holiday-inspired twist that works great for special occasions.
For a spicy version, add red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, which pairs surprisingly well with the sweet apple flavor.
✪ Note: Fresh herbs like chopped rosemary or parsley added just before stuffing give a bright, fresh flavor that dried herbs cannot match.
The Bottom Line
Making your own apple venison sausage gives you complete control over ingredients, quality, and flavor while providing a protein-rich food that beats anything you will find at the store.
The best sausage is the one you make yourself because you know exactly what goes into every bite and can adjust it perfectly to your taste.
Now I want to hear from you in the comments below about what apple variety you used, how your sausages turned out, or what creative variations you tried with this recipe.
References
At NutritionCrown, we use quality and credible sources to ensure our content is accurate and trustworthy. Below are the sources referenced in writing this article:
- Symmetry Cosmetics: Venison Apple Breakfast Sausage
- Binky’s Culinary Carnival: Venison or Pork Sausages
- Harvest Your Own: Apple and Onion Venison Sausage
- Honest Food: Venison Sausage Recipe
- University of Minnesota Extension: Venison Making Summer and Smoked Sausage
