Venison summer sausage: an annual tradition

Yesterday, I made a detour on my route home from work to stop in at Stasny’s Food Market on Western Avenue in St. Paul.

I always love going there, and usually it’s for one of two reasons: 1. To drop off deer for processing; and, 2. To pick up venison that has been processed.

Yesterday, it was the latter. I picked up one of the does I shot with my bow. Along with the meat, I got what everyone in my family loves: venison summer sausage.

I immediately cut open a stick when I got home, and wasted no time sharing it with members of my family. We all started scarfing it down, and almost went through a whole stick. I asked my wife how she rated it on a scale of 1 to 10. Without hesitation, she exclaimed, “10!”

We all agreed. There just was no flaw in this delicious appetizer. In fact, my wife said she would have been fine to have it as the main course for dinner. Too bad she didn’t say this before I fired up the charcoal grill to make pork chops. I gladly would have feasted on cheese, crackers and venison summer sausage.

Oh well. We can do that some other night. We’ve got plenty of sausage left, which I will share with others. One of my traditions is to stop by homes of landowners whose land we hunt and give them a stick of summer sausage right before Christmas. They seem to appreciate it. One of them says he looks forward to it every year. Well, he will get some this year, and I’m very glad to swing by and hand it to him in person.

There’s lot of good eating ahead. I plan to make venison meatloaf for my co-w0rkers later this week at a potluck. Of course, I plan to be near the head of the food line!