I, like most here, do my own processing and really enjoy it. There is a lot of pride in the process of hunting, harvesting, processing, cooking and eating. Very rewarding. I also love to experiment and try new things when cookin and a couple weeks ago I did just that. My brother and I prepared for a weekend of grinding, seasoning, stuffing, smoking, eating and drinking and man did we have a good time. Here are the fruits of our labor. Most are seasoning kits that you can buy at the store, like L.E.M. and High Mountain but some are home recipes that we have refined through the years.
Tools of the trade:
Grinder - I bought the grinder attachment for my wife's kitchen aide mixer. It is a little small but works. I like that it only cost me an extra 50 bucks to turn the mixer into a grinder.
Jerky/Sausage Gun - L.E.M. Jerky Cannon. Has different nozzles that allow you to stuff different size sausages and also pump out jerky snack strips and stix.
Here are a few things that we cooked up:
Mesquite Smoked Deer Jerky Strips
Spicy Deer Snack Sticks
Deer Salami
Deer Bologna
Maple Deer Breakfast Sausage Links
Hickory Smoked Deer Bratwurst
Mesquite Smoked Deer Jerky Strips and Spicy Deer Snack Sticks
Deer Salami
Deer Bologna
Maple Deer Breakfast Sausage Links
Hickory Smoked Deer Bratwurst
Finally Dinner! Now that's a serious BRAT!!! Smothered in sauerkraut, bananna peppers and yellow mustard. :eek 
Good stuff! im gettin ready to be doin the same thing soon :toast
Man. You do some real cookin'.
Any tips for the grinder? I have a kitchen aid and was wondering about that.
Any tips for the grinder? I have a kitchen aid and was wondering about that.
As far as the grinder is concerned, make sure you keep the machine cool....I normally take some ice packs and lay them on the top of the machine. It's not required but I like to keep wear n tear to a minimum. That kitchen aide is not cheap.
Also, keep the meat as cold as you can. I grind about 2 lbs at a time and then put the meat in the freezer for a while to keep it as cold as possible. I also have a double catch bowl. One to catch the meat and that bowl sits in a larger bowl that has ice water in it. I also put the entire grinder attachment in the freezer before I grind. Cold is the key!
