Which fat? What percent?

VikingsGuy · Nov 25, 2018

So, next weekend we are grinding this year's wild game (plain groundmeat and sausage) - we have antelope, whitetail and cow elk in the freezer. In the past we had a butcher do it, but doing on our own this year. Looking for a little advice from HTnation.

What source for added fat do you prefer? pork? beef? bear?

Do you try to get straight fat or just blend with a fatty cut?

Does your preference vary by wild game meat? e.g., pork for whitetail but beef for elk?

Does your preference vary for plain grind vs. sausage?

What target fat percentage do you target in finished plain grind?

el unit · Nov 25, 2018

For my sausage, I use the 15 lb. Pork Boston Butt/Shoulder Roast from Costco. I forget, but it's maybe around 30-40% fat. I usually do 50/50 pork/elk or pork/deer. If it seems a bit dry, I may go 60% pork/40% game. I'd like to try bear fat sometime, but have not yet.
Never tried beef fat either. We once used straight pork fat and that tasted excellent too.
I do not add anything to my game meat when straight grinding unless I'm making sausage.
Good luck and have fun making specialty meats!

kenton · Nov 25, 2018

I go to a local butcher and get fatty pork trimmings for very, very cheap if I give them a few weeks heads up. They probably run around 60% fat so when I mix 50/50 with whitetail, I end up with about 30% fat content.

npaden · Nov 25, 2018

I add beef for burger and pork for sausage.

I’ve done it a lot of different ways but now I’m pretty much settled on just buying the cheapest hamburger you can buy at the store (27% fat) and mix that at 2 pounds of the cheap hamburger to 10 pounds of lean ground wild game meat. It is easy to mix and comes out about 93% lean ground meat.

Same with pork for the sausage. I mix just about anything that has a decent fat in it and is cheap. Around here pork loin is usually about $2 a pound. I mix it about 30/70 with the game meat. I may need to go a little higher on the fat for sausage though because it can get dry really quick if overcooked.

Hunting Wife · Nov 25, 2018

You won’t get the same answer from any two people I bet!

We used to add fat to burger, but eventually quit. Rarely have we had trouble with burgers falling apart, and olive oil helps cure that just fine. We do add some fatty pork cuts to the stuff we grind for sausages and snack sticks. Usually buy the cheapest fatty cuts we can find, and mix it about 40/60. It will take a little experimentation on your part to figure out what your family likes.

huntin24/7 · Nov 25, 2018

Straight beef fat for burger-15% beef fat. Fatty pork trim for sausage- generally about 40% pork, if I'm making salami or snack sticks-50% wild game, 40% pork trim, and 10% beef fat.

Sytes · Nov 25, 2018

npaden said:
I add beef for burger and pork for sausage.

I’ve done it a lot of different ways but now I’m pretty much settled on just buying the cheapest hamburger you can buy at the store (27% fat) and mix that at 2 pounds of the cheap hamburger to 10 pounds of lean ground wild game meat. It is easy to mix and comes out about 93% lean ground meat.

Same with pork for the sausage. I mix just about anything that has a decent fat in it and is cheap. Around here pork loin is usually about $2 a pound. I mix it about 30/70 with the game meat. I may need to go a little higher on the fat for sausage though because it can get dry really quick if overcooked.

Friend processes almost identical to Npaden's post. This is what I plan to follow as I've always enjoyed the meat he processes of the game we've knocked.

JohnCushman · Nov 25, 2018

I use pork trimming with fat on it, not just pure fat, that I save in 2 pound packs when I butcher hogs. I add 2 pounds of trim to 8 pounds of game meat for each 10 pound batch of burger. Sausage I go 50/50 game meat to trimming. I find the extra fat in the mix absorbs the sausage seasonings better and you get a better product.

Khunter · Nov 25, 2018

no fat added to. urger, just no need as noted by Hunting wife.

actually, anymore, i make my own bulk sausage, as I need it from that same burger meat. toss in olive oil or bacon grease as i mix in spices amd works great. So I guess i dipont feel i absolutely “need” fat ground in to bulk sausage either.

Dave N · Nov 25, 2018

Grind my burger straight, no added anything. We don't make burger patties from my deer so it doesn't matter. It goes into chili, spaghetti sauce, tacos, etc. Sausage, it depends on what I'm making for percentages. My salami has been about 70/30 deer/pork but I'm going to kick up the pork for the next batch. Never added beef to any of my stuff, all pork. Yep, you'll get a lot of different responses. Everyone has their own recipe for what they make.

schmalts · Nov 25, 2018

I really like the taste of the beef fat for eating a hamburger over pork fat. So for my burger it is beef. I do a little with bacon too, because my kid likes that.

VikingsGuy · Nov 25, 2018

Hunting Wife said:
You won’t get the same answer from any two people I bet!

That's one of the best parts of HT -- let the opinions fly, I am taking notes.

mtmiller · Nov 25, 2018

I used to add suet to my grind. Found an easier way by just buying cheap, fatty beef burger and adding it. I have no idea what my mix is and it is probably inconsistent anyway.

BrentD · Nov 25, 2018

My vote is for lamb - about 12-15%

Deleted member 38069 · Nov 25, 2018

I agree with most of these posts. I do beef fat for hamburgers and tacos. I usually go 80/20. Caution: it doesn't last long as its eaten quickly!

Eric.MN · Nov 25, 2018

I add one pound of beef fat for every ten pounds of venison for our ground meat. For the sausage we buy bulk pork butts to mix with our venison. Somewhere around 50/50, really depends on how much venison people bring.

Brittany Chukarman · Nov 25, 2018

Try a batch with 5% suet. It's just enough to do what the fat is supposed to do without really changing the flavor.

BackofBeyond · Nov 25, 2018

I always stick with pork fat. It's a magical elixer proven to cure all ailments from foot fatigue to male pattern baldness. Not really, but it is far and away the best fat for cooking. I mean really, a pig eats salad and turns it into bacon... that's about as magical as it gets.

Like many have said before, I just mix in fatty pork trimmings with the ultimate goal of a fat content of 20% for sausage and 10 - 12% for burger.

MN Public Hunter · Nov 25, 2018

el unit said:
For my sausage, I use the 15 lb. Pork Boston Butt/Shoulder Roast from Costco. I forget, but it's maybe around 30-40% fat. I usually do 50/50 pork/elk or pork/deer. If it seems a bit dry, I may go 60% pork/40% game. I'd like to try bear fat sometime, but have not yet.
Never tried beef fat either. We once used straight pork fat and that tasted excellent too.
I do not add anything to my game meat when straight grinding unless I'm making sausage.
Good luck and have fun making specialty meats!

This is exactly the same % my father in law and I used to use for sausage. Pork butt to deer 50/50. Grind both up, mix both together and then pack into casings about kielbasa length with 2 in a package.

scubohuntr · Nov 26, 2018

20% bacon ends and pieces. Works for me without overpowering the venison flavor.

Which fat? What percent?

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