Big Bunch Caribou Sausage

Big batch caribou sausage is the recipe hunters reach for after a successful season, when fifteen pounds of game meat needs a destination beyond the freezer. The lean caribou gets ground with five pounds of fresh pork (essential for fat content, since wild caribou is too lean to make sausage on its own) and a generous spice blend of black pepper, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, coriander, paprika, and garlic powder.

The spice mix is what makes this sausage distinctive. Warm baking spices like nutmeg and allspice play surprisingly well against the rich, slightly gamey flavor of caribou, and a generous hand of paprika gives the finished links a deep, smoky color.

Stuff into casings for traditional links, smoke for deep flavor, or shape into patties for the freezer. The recipe yields 80 servings, enough to share with the whole hunting camp.

Pro Tips

• Don’t skimp on the pork. Caribou is too lean (around 1–2% fat) to make sausage that doesn’t dry out. The 75/25 caribou-to-pork ratio in this recipe gets you to roughly the right fat content for tender sausages.
• Keep everything cold during grinding. Warm meat smears in the grinder instead of cutting cleanly, ruining the texture. Stash the meat and grinder parts in the freezer for 30 minutes first.
• Prick the casings with a fork after the first 10 minutes of boiling. This releases trapped air that would otherwise cause the casings to burst.
• Skip the liquid smoke if you’re smoking the sausages. Real smoke does the job better than the bottled version.

Variations

• Sub venison, elk, or moose for the caribou. Same fat ratios apply.
• Add a tablespoon of fennel seeds for an Italian-leaning sausage profile.
• Use the patties as a wild-game replacement in breakfast sausage sandwiches or as a meatloaf base.