antelope brats: to smoke or not to smoke

[birdhunter]

Hey everyone,

My wife and I are processing her antelope and she wanted to turn most of it into brats. We have a kit from hi-mountain seasonings. The directions say that if you are to boil or cook on high heat, do not use any cure. My question to you is, should we smoke these brats after we stuff them in casings or should we just freeze them. We do have a smoker but im not sure what the best way to go is. We have never made brats before. I don't know how they will taste if we smoke them as per the directions and then cook them again when we are ready to eat them. Please, give me your input, we plan on starting tonight. Thanks in advance.

 

[Hilltop]

I prefer them smoked personally. I do recommend adding pork or beef fat otherwise they will be pretty dry.

 

[Work2hunt]

I don't smoke any of my brats (vension, antelope or otherwise) when using the Hi-Mountain recipe mix. But, as mentioned add some pork. I prefer mixing at a 70/30 wild game to pork mix. My preference is pork shoulder butt. Something about the type of pork meat/fat mix coming from that cut of meat has taken my sausage making to the next level.

 

[Slugz]

I like cold smoking them 3-5 hours for the taste. Fruit wood of apple or peach works really well. Gives them a Thanksgiving morning sausage type of taste. Some we don't smoke at all. Hard to get good chunks of fruit wood here in Colorado

 

[Ikeepitcold]

Agree don't witheveyone else. I use even a bit more pork to mine. If you don't it's will be super dry and you will be disappointed. I just freeze mine but I'm hopeful Santa will bring me one for Christmas this year .

 

[wy-tex]

Careful with the smoking if they are not cured. Temps need to either be high enough to kill the bacteria or cold smoke so it doesn't form. When we smoke brats we cure them just to be sure.When we smoke our sausage it ends up fully cooked which makes for easy eating, just heat em up. Pecan wood for all our meat smoking, a little different flavor from hickory. Our friends love our homemade brats smoked or not. If you freeze them without smoking just add some wood chips on the grill when you cook them. I would recommend adding some pork also or they will be very dry and easy to overcook.View attachment 17539 If you have a local butcher that makes sausage buy your seasoning from them. I buy from a meat market in Texas and from the Wyoming Buffalo Co in Jackson. It is pretty cheap to buy the seasoning from a butcher that mixes it themselves. Legg is also good for sausage.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I also use bacon ends and pieces in some of my brats, really good flavor. I smoke mine at 220 for and hour or so, then freeze then. I usually put them on the bbq grill after thawing.

 

[Tim McCoy]

Careful with the smoking if they are not cured. Temps need to either be high enough to kill the bacteria or cold smoke so it doesn't form.

Very good advice. Add cure if at all in doubt.

 

[buckbull]

I'd recommend doing them both ways. Sometimes you don't have time to throw them on the grill, its nice to just microwave a smoked (fully cooked) brat if your in a hurry or at work with just a microwave at your disposal. Good advice on the pork butt mixture although I normally do a 50/50 mix of venison/pork. Also, I always add cure to the sausages I smoke, everything from pepperoni to polish sausage.

 

[birdhunter]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I have cure if I slow cook them. We are thinking of just freezing them. The next batch we will smoke them. Try both and see what we like best. We also usually use bacon ends and pieces for our pork fat. We like that the best.

 

[maine canoe guide]

Slugz thats funny. I had a friend who wanted some Apple wood to smoke something. He was from the city and I told him I had some he got all excited asking how much and what did it cost all that. I drove him down to my parents old Yankee farm and brought him out in back of the barn to the overgrown orchard. He couldn't believe all the trees and dead branches he saw. He could have smoked a herd of Bison. Come to Maine ...Granite, Blueberries, Old Orchards and Clean water all you want free.

 

[Hilltop]

Slugz thats funny. I had a friend who wanted some Apple wood to smoke something. He was from the city and I told him I had some he got all excited asking how much and what did it cost all that. I drove him down to my parents old Yankee farm and brought him out in back of the barn to the overgrown orchard. He couldn't believe all the trees and dead branches he saw. He could have smoked a herd of Bison. Come to Maine ...Granite, Blueberries, Old Orchards and Clean water all you want free.

Sounds like a business opportunity!