Easy Duck Sausage

By Jonathan Wilkins

The idea of making sausage at home can be intimidating, but it shouldn’t be. For basic recipes like this one, all you really need is a grinder and a large bowl. The grinder can be an old hand-crank relic or a high-end electric model. If you want to stuff the sausage meat into casings, you’ll need either a tabletop sausage stuffer or one that attaches to a grinder. And if you don’t have a stuffer, you can always form the sausage meat into patties.

I originally developed this recipe for use with venison, but it’s equally suited to the lean, deep-red meat of waterfowl. It draws a lot of inspiration from traditional Hungarian paprika sausage, and the result is a vibrant bright red or orange sausage with lots of garlicky, salty snap. The caraway seeds also add some sweet and earthy balance. If you have people in your life who stick their noses up at wild game or the idea of hunting, these hot links might change their minds.

Duck Hot Links

There isn’t anything particularly difficult about this recipe. You’re basically making meatloaf and stuffing it into a tube. If some of the ingredients are new to you (like Insta Cure #1 or natural hog casings), a quick Amazon search or a visit to a big-box outdoor retailer will get you set up. Yields: 12 to 14 links

INGREDIENTS

• 3 1/2 pounds skinless duck breasts
• 1 1/2 pounds very fatty pork butt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground caraway
• 2 tablespoons whole caraway seeds
• 2 tablespoons granulated garlic
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons prepared mustard
• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1 level teaspoon Insta Cure #1
• Natural hog casings for stuffing
• Ice water or very cold IPA

PREPARATION

1. Using a medium-sized plate, grind the duck breast and pork once, then mix them together and run through the grinder again. This will ensure a good blend and give the meat a uniform texture.

2. Place the ground meat in a large, nonreactive bowl and allow it to chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

3. While you wait, rinse the hog casings thoroughly in cold water and then leave them to soak in clean, cold water. This will remove most of the salt that was used in the preservation process. While they soak, mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

4. Once the meat has had a chance to chill, distribute the dry ingredients over the meat and start mixing with your hands. Add splashes of ice water or IPA to help distribute the spices and create a unified consistency. After mixing for a few minutes, allow the meat to relax in the refrigerator while you prepare the stuffer. At this point the meat should have a bright orange color throughout and you should be able to see an even distribution of caraway seeds. You will know you have achieved a good mix when you pull the mix apart and see what looks like small hairs.

5. Run the meat through the stuffer and encase your sausage. You can choose to form links or, if you prefer, one long, continuous sausage. When forming links, I gauge length by using the tip of my thumb to the end of my pointer finger stretched out.

6. Pile the sausages on a rack or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate overnight. If you’re in a rush, a few hours will suffice. During this step, the sausages will develop a tacky surface that will readily accept smoke. If you don’t want to smoke your sausages or just don’t want to wait, you can take the sausages straight to the grill or the pan. I’d encourage you to wait and smoke them first, though. It will be worth it.

7. Smoke your sausages on indirect heat at around 225 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. They’ll have plenty of smoky flavor by then. A grill, some charcoal, and a handful of your favorite smoking wood will do the trick.

8. The last step is to throw the sausages on a grill to cook through, crisp the casing, and develop that bright red color. Serve sliced or on a bun with mustard.

About the Author

Jonathan Wilkins is a Southeast-based generalist with a focus on making things and telling stories. He is also the founder of Black Duck Revival, the brain trust for the multiple personalities of his hunting pursuits that began when he converted a small Delta church into a lodge. He writes, cooks wild things, and resides with his wife, Marianne, and their three children in Little Rock, Arkansas.