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Finding the Forgotten Feast

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Homemade Sausage Recipes

Homemade sausages are part of a salami-maker’s repertoire; you can’t make salami if you can’t first make fresh sausages. Below are an eclectic list of homemade sausage recipes made with both wild game and domestic meats, mostly lamb and pork in that case.

Four varieties of fresh, homemade sausages on a plate
Photo by Hank Shaw

Why make your own sausages? Control.

You can add or subtract anything you’d like, adjust how coarse or fine the sausage is, make them skinny or fat, long or short, spicy or sweet. A well-made sausage is a symphony in a link, needing nothing more than a simple accompaniment to play harmony.

Note that while I am categorizing these sausage recipes by what meat is in them, understand that you can mix and match. There is no reason you cannot use pork or duck or whatever in what’s listed as a venison sausage recipe.

Basics

If you’ve never made sausage before, I wrote a basic tutorial on how to make sausages at home on my friend Elise’s site Simply Recipes. Start there.

There are a lot of companies that sell meat grinders, sausage stuffers, casings, etc., but I mostly use The Sausage Maker out of Buffalo, New York. Good people, family business. 

Venison, Beef, Lamb or Goat Sausage Recipes

Keep in mind that when I say “venison,” I am lumping in deer, elk, moose, antelope, caribou, etc…

A plate of smoked venison sausage

Smoked Venison Sausages

One of my go-to venison recipes, this is a perfect recipe for a sausage made in late fall or early winter. You can use any variety of sage, and dried porcini work just as well as fresh.

Read More about Smoked Venison Sausages

bangers and mash

Homemade British Bangers Sausage

My take on a traditional British banger sausage, made like a Gloucester style sausage. I use venison here, but pork is traditional.

Read More about Homemade British Bangers Sausage

stuffing merguez sausage

Venison Merguez Sausages

This is the classic North African sausage, normally done with all lamb – casings, too. Here I go with all venison, plus sheep casings. This is a spicy sausage great for grilling.

Read More about Venison Merguez Sausages

A bowl of venison sausages

Sage and Juniper Venison Sausage

I designed this recipe after deer hunting on Catalina Island, where there is lots of wild sage and juniper growing all over the place. This makes a pretty classic “hunter’s style” venison link.

Read More about Sage and Juniper Venison Sausage

andouille sausage recipe

Andouille Sausage Links, Cajun Style

A Cajun classic, you can use any meat. This one is spicy and smoked. A must for any Creole or Cajun gumbo, jambalaya or etouffee.

Read More about Andouille Sausage Links, Cajun Style

A platter of garlic sausages made from venison and pork

Garlic Sausages with Basil

Make this venison sausage in the summertime. Lots of fresh basil and garlic make it a great recipe for summer grilling.

Read More about Garlic Sausages with Basil

Venison sausage with garlic

Venison Sausage with Bay and Garlic

Bay leaves are the main flavor here. I love them, and if you get good ones, they smell floral and sweet. This sausage is good any time of year.

Read More about Venison Sausage with Bay and Garlic

loukaniko sausage recipe

Greek Loukaniko Sausage

The quintessential Greek sausage, it has many variations. Mine is an amalgam of several classic styles.

Read More about Loukaniko: Traditional Greek Sausage

Wild Boar or Pork Sausage Recipes

If you have bear meat, these recipes would fit well here.

Italian sausage recipe

Sweet Italian Sausage

This is the classic, the basic sweet Italian sausage we all know and love. I normally make this with wild pig, but really any meat will do.

Read More about Sweet Italian Sausage

spicy Italian sausage recipe

Spicy Italian Sausage

This would be the other classic, hot Italian sausage. You kinda need both sweet and hot in a good Italian stew, right?

Read More about Spicy Italian Sausage

Finished kielbasa recipe. served with eggs

Polska Kielbasa

Traditional, smoked Polish kielbasa, made with lots of garlic and a little marjoram.

Read More about Homemade Polish Kielbasa

smoked portuguese linguica recipe

Portuguese Linguica Sausages

The essential Portuguese sausage, it is to Portuguese cooking what Andouille is to Cajun cooking. It’s a spicy link with lots of paprika and garlic. My version is smoked.

Read More about Portuguese Linguica Sausages

Cajun boudin recipe

Louisiana Boudin Sausage

Louisiana style boudin sausage, which is more like a meat stuffing with rice in a casing than a regular sausage. Damn good eaten on crackers with Creole mustard!

Read More about Louisiana Boudin Sausage

A ring of boerewors sausage.

South African Boerewors

A traditional South African link made with a mix of pork and beef (or wild game) and flavored aggressively with coriander and other spices. I first learned of this sausage under, well, extreme circumstances.

Read More about Boerewors and Kindness in the Dark

wild boar sausages

Herbed Wild Boar Sausages

A regular ole’ sausage link gussied up with lots of fresh herbs — enough to make the links look kinda green.

Read More about Herbed Wild Boar Sausages

Morcilla, Sanguinaccio, Boudin Noir

Blood Sausage. Yep, the real deal. My recipe is inspired by Portuguese morcilla, but it is a combination pork meat-pork blood sausage; many blood sausages only have blood, no meat.

Read More about Morcilla, Sanguinaccio, Boudin Noir

hmong sausage recipe

Hmong Sausage with Wild Boar

There is a strong sausage-making tradition in Southeast Asia, and unlike the smooth Vietnames sausages, the Hmong sausages are coarse and rustic. I prefer them. These are flavored with ginger, chiles and cilantro.

Read More about Hmong Sausage with Wild Boar

Mazzafegati — Italian Liver Sausages

An Italian sausage from Umbria that mixes liver and pork meat. This is my favorite thing to do with wild boar liver, which can be strong-tasting otherwise. In this sausage, flavored with oranges, the liver is barely noticeable.

Read More about Mazzafegati — Italian Liver Sausages

mexican chorizo recipe

Mexican Chorizo

A spicier, softer version of Spanish chorizo, this is my version of the Mexican standard.

Read More about Wild Boar Mexican Chorizo

Mexican longaniza sausage

Longaniza Sausages

Classic Mexican longaniza, a cousin to chorizo. This recipe is from the state of Tabasco.

Read More about Longaniza Sausages

Cooked crepinettes on a plate with bread and a salad.

French Pork Crepinette

Crepinettes are a French thing: Loose sausage meat wrapped in caul fat, and then fried or grilled.

Read More about French Pork Crepinette

Duck, Goose, Turkey and Other Poultry

I mostly make duck and goose sausages, but you’ll find a few turkey sausage recipes here, as well as those using chicken and pheasant.

sheboygan bratwurst

Homemade Sheboygan Brats

Yep, this is the “white brat” you eat in Wisconsin while watching sports or drinking beer. I made this with wild turkey, but any white meat will work.

Read More about Homemade Sheboygan Brats

snow goose bockwurst

German Bockwurst

A traditional German-American sausage meant to be poached in bock beer and eaten with potatoes, kraut, and more beer. You can use pretty much any meat if you don’t have goose.

Read More about German Bockwurst

A bowl of venison sausages

Duck L’Orange Sausages

Imagine all the flavors of classic duck l’orange – sweet, savory, spicy, orangey – in a sausage link, and that’s what you have here.

Read More about Duck L’Orange Sausages

duck sausages, hunter's style

Duck Sausages, Hunter’s Style

My go-to sausage for wild ducks, these links are flavored with sage, juniper and a little Chinese Five-Spice powder.

Read More about Duck Sausages, Hunter’s Style

Polish duck sausages on a tray

Polish Duck Sausages

A great Eastern European style sausage that begs to be simmered in beer and sauerkraut.

Read More about Polish Duck Sausages

Toulouse sausage links.

Toulouse Sausage

A simple French recipe I do with duck, it’s flavored with garlic, nutmeg and black pepper. Use this recipe when you are planning to make cassoulet.

Read More about Toulouse Sausage

Smoked Canada Goose Sausage

An oldie but a goody. I designed this sausage back in 2007, and it’s served me well ever since. This is a German-style smoked link.

Read More about Smoked Canada Goose Sausage

Duck mortadella recipe

Duck Mortadella Sausage

Mortadella is what baloney thinks about when it dreams at night. This is not an easy recipe, but if you’ve been making sausages for a while, give this a go. You will not be disappointed.

Read More about Duck Mortadella Sausage

duck hot dogs

Duck Hot Dogs

Yep, duck hot dogs. They’re awesome. Trust me.

Read More about Duck Hot Dogs

A platter of pheasant sausages.

Pheasant Sausages

A simple sausage for chicken or pheasant, flavored with oregano and garlic.

Read More about Pheasant Sausages

Provencal Style Chicken Sausages, also good with pheasant or turkey (my recipe hosted on Food & Wine magazine’s site)

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Avatar for Casey StutzmanCasey Stutzman says

    September 22, 2019 at 6:13 am

    I keep seeing links for duck giblet sausage that lead me to this page yet I can’t find it. If I’m blind and I am overlooking it I apologize in advance 🙂

    Reply
  2. Avatar for kevin Ketchersidkevin Ketchersid says

    September 22, 2019 at 2:38 am

    Made the Boudin yesterday. It was fantastic.

    Reply
  3. Avatar for Lee kemmerLee kemmer says

    August 19, 2019 at 11:15 am

    Do you have a good Wild Boar Stick Reciepy

    Reply
  4. Avatar for AprilApril says

    July 14, 2019 at 9:29 am

    I was wondering if you had suggestions on casings. I’ve never made any type of sausage before, but I’d like to give it a whirl.

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      July 14, 2019 at 9:34 am

      April: Always hog casings. I never use collagen casings. They are easy to find either online or at a butcher shop.

      Reply
  5. Avatar for Thomas KreslerThomas Kresler says

    February 1, 2019 at 9:37 am

    Do you have a recipe for smoke butt. It is Polish/Eastern European in origin. Oscar Mayer used to make a product called Sweet Morsel. I usually find smoke butt in Polish delis but there are none here in Tucson.

    Reply
  6. Avatar for Jim RiggsJim Riggs says

    December 6, 2018 at 7:41 pm

    Great with good info and awesome recipies. will try all I can. is going to hard to find a man pig, but will try, LOL Thanks again.

    Reply
  7. Avatar for JenniferJennifer says

    November 7, 2018 at 7:52 pm

    Is lamb good to make into ground hot Italian sausage or ground breakfast sausage?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      November 8, 2018 at 7:12 am

      Jennifer: You bet. I like it a lot, although I still like pork better. 😉

      Reply
  8. Avatar for Kru SatyrKru Satyr says

    October 24, 2018 at 7:47 am

    I looked among your wild game recipes but found nothing for ManBearPig, a three hundred fifty pound, squinty eyed Climate Priest with over developed mammaries hung by his ankles from a tripod over smoldering cigars, on a calved iceberg tossed about on sea waves, warming and fermenting as the berg meltingly travels south.

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      November 4, 2018 at 9:01 am

      Kru: This is true, as ManBearPigs are tough to find these days.

      Reply
  9. Avatar for Logan M MondicsLogan M Mondics says

    September 30, 2018 at 6:34 pm

    Just wanted to say thank you for such an informative website! I really appreciate being able to find all my answers in one place. We just raised and butchered a pig this summer and hunting season starts tomorrow. We’re happy to be able to make some sausage soon! We process our own deer. Thanks for your time!

    Reply
  10. Avatar for George MessinaGeorge Messina says

    August 14, 2018 at 5:21 pm

    Hank- Thanks so much for everything you do to educate everyone on the different options for their wild game, instead of just snack sticks and grind. My question concerns sausage making. It seems a waste to buy natural casings when you have them right there when you gut a deer, elk, pronghorn, etc. Do you have any experience or knowledge using the guts of your harvests for their own casings? Is the juice worth the squeeze? Thanks again for the knowledge and all the info you share!

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      August 24, 2018 at 9:54 am

      George: Uff. Making your own casings is literally a shitty job. I leave it to others. You need to flush the intestines repeatedly and most manufacturers turn them inside out to ensure they’re totally clean.

      Reply
  11. Avatar for Paul EslingerPaul Eslinger says

    June 4, 2018 at 1:23 pm

    I have just harvested a nice spring bear – my first bear. I have been eating his chops as i process him, and he is delicious!. I am very experienced with making sausage, but not with bear. Can I use the bear’s own fat in sausage, or should I trim the bear lean (as with deer/elk) and add pork fat? I am very interested in using the bear fat, but it appears to be significantly softer than pork fat and I am assuming that it will melt and run in a sausage.

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      June 10, 2018 at 7:17 am

      Paul: Depends. In general, bear fat makes excellent sausage fat. But if it’s nasty smelling, you’d need to trim it out.

      Reply
  12. Avatar for RussellRussell says

    March 13, 2018 at 9:58 am

    I”m looking for a basic recipe for loose breakfast sausage patties, and I found nothing on your page. What a disappointment.

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      March 19, 2018 at 10:34 am

      Russell: Sorry! I hate breakfast sausage. You’ll have to look elsewhere. 😉

      Reply
  13. Avatar for Kit nKit n says

    March 6, 2018 at 8:08 am

    I’m just starting, where should I look for the sausage casings? I thought butcher shop?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      March 6, 2018 at 9:19 am

      Kit: Yes, a butcher shop nearby, but I buy mine from The Sausage Maker: https://www.sausagemaker.com/sausage-casings-s/1922.htm

      Reply
  14. Avatar for ClaireClaire says

    January 9, 2018 at 10:50 am

    I’m looking for a Swedish Potato Sausage

    Reply
  15. Avatar for Michael BranchMichael Branch says

    November 29, 2017 at 11:07 am

    I can’t find a recipe for French andouillette that isn’t in French. This is not the Cajun andouille sausage. Can you help?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      November 29, 2017 at 11:55 am

      Michael: Maybe check Jane Grigson’s books? I am not a fan of that sausage, so I don’t make it.

      Reply
  16. Avatar for EdEd says

    July 7, 2017 at 7:11 am

    Jan,
    Here is a recipe for your Swedish Potato Sausage (Potatiskorv), perhaps it holds the secret?

    https://www.meatsandsausages.com/sausage-recipes/potato-sausage-swedish

    Reply
  17. Avatar for JanJan says

    April 24, 2017 at 11:50 pm

    Hey Hank,
    I’ve been trying to make Swedish Potatis Korv that tastes like what I buy from our local sausage house (HIGH $$) Can’t seem to get it right — most recipes call for equal parts pork, beef, and potato — plus onion, allspice, salt and pepper. However, the recipes don’t say whether to cook the potatoes and mash before adding – or not…??? Have you made Potatis Korv? I think it’s the best sausage I’ve ever had. Would love to be able to make it myself. Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks!

    Reply
  18. Avatar for BethBeth says

    February 9, 2017 at 4:30 pm

    Hank,
    I’m thinking about using rabbit (cottontails) mixed with pork and pork fat to make sausages and wondering what your thoughts are. Have you ever used rabbit before and do you think there is a particular recipe of yours that would work well? Thanks for your help.

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      February 9, 2017 at 4:43 pm

      Beth: Yep, it works well. Maybe use my recipes for pheasant sausages?

      Reply
  19. Avatar for MikeMike says

    December 17, 2016 at 6:41 pm

    Can you break down to measured size, when you call for coarse, etc size grinder plates?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      December 18, 2016 at 10:50 am

      Mike: Sure. Something like 6 mm and something like 4.5 mm.

      Reply
  20. Avatar for bob steenbob steen says

    October 23, 2016 at 3:13 pm

    new to your site, i once had a venison wiener and the color and taste were as good as a Nathans coney island hot dog, have tried to duplicate but no luck can you help?

    Reply
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Hank Shaw holding a rod and reel in the American River

Hi, my name is Hank Shaw. I am a James Beard Award-winning author and chef and I focus my energies on wild foods: Foraging, fishing, hunting. I write cookbooks as well as this website, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild game, fish, or edible wild plants and mushrooms, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

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