Full freezer got you in a pickle? Pickled sausage makes a great gift and it’s easy to make – this pickled smoked venison sausage recipe is a must-try.

So it has been a productive deer hunting season and the freezers are packed with venison. (Okay, if it hasn’t, stop your whining and excuse-making – there is always boar and turkey season.) But you may soon find yourself tiring of the same old venison recipes and looking for some new and creative ways to use venison from your freezer. Look no further than this delicious, simple venison sausage recipe.

Some of us have a sweet tooth, while others crave the sour – tangy, tart and pickled. If you are a fan of anything and everything pickled, this pickled smoked venison sausage recipe is a must-try!

Looking for new and creative ways to spice up your venison? Pickled venison is tangy, tasty twist on traditional sausage.

A Few Tips

This recipe works great with almost any type of smoked or cured sausage. I’ve tried it with wild boar smoked sausage, store-bought Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbasa and Little Smokies, and a Southern favorite, red sausages. Like venison snack sticks and jerky, pickled sausage makes a great snack at hunting camp, in a fishing boat or just about anytime and anywhere.

Pickled sausage makes a great gift and it’s easy to make. A friend of mine owns and operates a deer and hog processing facility in the South Carolina Lowcountry. He recently gifted me a few pounds of his smoked venison and pork sausage, and I took some of it back to him pickled with this recipe, even giving one of his skinners a jar. The employee’s girlfriend ate all of his while he was at work, my friend’s family ate his, and now they are both angry and wanting more.

The next time I make this, I plan to use smoked jalapeno and cheese sausage. Maybe the guys will get some of that batch before the ladies get to it.

This recipe is also great for making your own pickled onions, carrots and other vegetables. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Pickled Venison Sausage

2 pounds smoked deer sausage links
3 cups distilled white vinegar
1 cup water
2 teaspoons pickling spice
2 teaspoons pickling salt
30-40 whole black peppercorns
2 teaspoons dill seeds
2 teaspoons celery seeds
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Red pepper flakes to taste
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
Your favorite pickled pepper to taste, sliced (optional)

Pickled sausage makes a great gift and it’s easy to make!

How to Make It

Thaw and steam the sausage links in a covered saucepan with an inch or so of water in the bottom of the pan. Once just cool enough to handle, slice lengthwise into quarters, then rinse off all grease under warm water.

Place the sausages into clean quart glass canning jars. You will probably need 2-3 jars. They do not have to be sterilized because this is a “quick pickle” recipe that must be kept refrigerated.

Combine vinegar and water in a saucepan. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring often.

Pour the pickled vinegar mixture over the sausages in the jars. Seal and refrigerate for 2-3 days (the longer the better). Keeps for up to three weeks in the fridge.

Like the hunting and fishing classics Derrydale published in the 1930s, this cookbook has only improved with time. This is a no-nonsense, practical guide to cooking virtually every kind of wild game with everything from simple recipes to gourmet level preparation.