Homemade sausages are part of a salami-maker’s repertoire; you can’t make salami if you can’t first make fresh sausages. Below are an eclectic list of homemade sausage recipes made with both wild game and domestic meats, mostly lamb and pork in that case.

Why make your own? Control.

You can add or subtract anything you’d like, adjust how coarse or fine the sausage is, make them skinny or fat, long or short, spicy or sweet. A well-made sausage is a symphony in a link, needing nothing more than a simple accompaniment to play harmony.

Note that while I am categorizing these sausage recipes by what meat is in them, understand that you can mix and match. There is no reason you cannot use pork or duck or whatever in what’s listed as a venison sausage recipe.

Basics

If you’ve never made sausage before, I wrote a basic tutorial on how to make sausages at home on my friend Elise’s site Simply Recipes. Start there.

Venison, Beef, Lamb or Goat Sausage Recipes

Keep in mind that when I say “venison,” I am lumping in deer, elk, moose, antelope, caribou, etc…

Venison Sausages with Sage One of my go-to venison recipes, this is a perfect recipe for a sausage made in late fall or early winter. You can use any variety of sage, and dried porcini work just as well as fresh. Read More

Homemade British Bangers Sausage My take on a traditional British banger sausage, made like a Gloucester style sausage. I use venison here, but pork is traditional. Read More

Venison Merguez Sausages This is the classic North African sausage, normally done with all lamb – casings, too. Here I go with all venison, plus sheep casings. This is a spicy sausage great for grilling. Read More

Sage and Juniper Venison Sausage I designed this recipe after deer hunting on Catalina Island, where there is lots of wild sage and juniper growing all over the place. This makes a pretty classic “hunter’s style” venison link. Read More

Thessaly Greek Sausage This is a recipe from Greece, normally done with lamb. It’s flavored with cumin, chile, oregano, red wine and allspice. Read More

Andouille Sausage Links, Cajun Style A Cajun classic, you can use any meat. This one is spicy and smoked. A must for any Creole or Cajun gumbo, jambalaya or etouffee. Read More

Venison Sausages with Basil and Garlic Make this venison sausage in the summertime. Lots of fresh basil and garlic make it a great recipe for summer grilling. Read More

Venison Sausage with Bay and Garlic Bay leaves are the main flavor here. I love them, and if you get good ones, they smell floral and sweet. This sausage is good any time of year. Read More

Greek Loukaniko Sausage The quintessential Greek sausage, it has many variations. Mine is an amalgam of several classic styles. Read More

Wild Boar or Pork Sausage Recipes

If you have bear meat, these recipes would fit well here.

Sweet Italian Sausage This is the classic, the basic sweet Italian sausage we all know and love. I normally make this with wild pig, but really any meat will do. Read More

Hot Italian Sausage This would be the other classic, hot Italian sausage. You kinda need both sweet and hot in a good Italian stew, right? Read More

Polska Kielbasa Traditional, smoked Polish kielbasa, made with lots of garlic and a little marjoram. Read More

Portuguese Linguica Sausages The essential Portuguese sausage, it is to Portuguese cooking what Andouille is to Cajun cooking. It’s a spicy link with lots of paprika and garlic. My version is smoked. Read More

Louisiana Boudin Sausage Louisiana style boudin sausage, which is more like a meat stuffing with rice in a casing than a regular sausage. Damn good eaten on crackers with Creole mustard! Read More

South African Boerewors A traditional South African link made with a mix of pork and beef (or wild game) and flavored aggressively with coriander and other spices. I first learned of this sausage under, well, extreme circumstances. Read More

Herbed Wild Boar Sausages A regular ole’ sausage link gussied up with lots of fresh herbs — enough to make the links look kinda green. Read More

Morcilla, Sanguinaccio, Boudin Noir Blood Sausage. Yep, the real deal. My recipe is inspired by Portuguese morcilla, but it is a combination pork meat-pork blood sausage; many blood sausages only have blood, no meat. Read More

Hmong Sausage with Wild Boar There is a strong sausage-making tradition in Southeast Asia, and unlike the smooth Vietnames sausages, the Hmong sausages are coarse and rustic. I prefer them. These are flavored with ginger, chiles and cilantro. Read More

Mazzafegati — Italian Liver Sausages An Italian sausage from Umbria that mixes liver and pork meat. This is my favorite thing to do with wild boar liver, which can be strong-tasting otherwise. In this sausage, flavored with oranges, the liver is barely noticeable. Read More

Mexican Chorizo A spicier, softer version of Spanish chorizo, this is my version of the Mexican standard. Read More

Longaniza Sausages Classic Mexican longaniza, a cousin to chorizo. This recipe is from the state of Tabasco. Read More

French Pork Crepinette Crepinettes are a French thing: Loose sausage meat wrapped in caul fat, and then fried or grilled. Read More

Duck, Goose, Turkey and Other Poultry

I mostly make duck and goose sausages, but you’ll find a few turkey sausage recipes here, as well as those using chicken and pheasant.

Homemade Sheboygan Brats Yep, this is the “white brat” you eat in Wisconsin while watching sports or drinking beer. I made this with wild turkey, but any white meat will work. Read More

German Bockwurst A traditional German-American sausage meant to be poached in bock beer and eaten with potatoes, kraut, and more beer. You can use pretty much any meat if you don’t have goose. Read More

Duck L’Orange Sausages Imagine all the flavors of classic duck l’orange – sweet, savory, spicy, orangey – in a sausage link, and that’s what you have here. Read More

Duck Sausages, Hunter’s Style My go-to sausage for wild ducks, these links are flavored with sage, juniper and a little Chinese Five-Spice powder. Read More

Polish Duck Sausages A great Eastern European style sausage that begs to be simmered in beer and sauerkraut. Read More

Toulouse Sausage A simple French recipe I do with duck, it’s flavored with garlic, nutmeg and black pepper. Use this recipe when you are planning to make cassoulet. Read More

Smoked Canada Goose Sausage An oldie but a goody. I designed this sausage back in 2007, and it’s served me well ever since. This is a German-style smoked link. Read More

Duck Mortadella Sausage Mortadella is what baloney thinks about when it dreams at night. This is not an easy recipe, but if you’ve been making sausages for a while, give this a go. You will not be disappointed. Read More

Pheasant Sausages A simple sausage for chicken or pheasant, flavored with oregano and garlic. Read More

Provencal Style Chicken Sausages, also good with pheasant or turkey (my recipe hosted on Food & Wine magazine’s site)