Venison-Beer Sausage with Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage and Pickled Mustard Seed

From: Chef Chris Shepherd, Catalan Food and Wine, Houston, TX. Yield: 30 sausages.

Cervena Venison Beer Sausage:
3 lb. Cervena Venison, Denver leg cut
2 lb. pork butt
12 oz. St. Arnolds Amber Beer
(a local Houston beer)
5 tsp. kosher salt
4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsp. yellow mustard seed
2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 Tbsp. Louisiana hot sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
as needed, medium hog casings

Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage (yields 2 cups):
2 cups red cabbage, finely
shredded
1 cup champagne vinegar
½ cup granulated sugar

Pickled Mustard Seed:
2 Tbsp. yellow mustard seed
½ cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. kosher salt

For sausage: Cut meat into chunks and place in a bowl. Add the beer. Cover and marinate overnight. Grind the mixture twice through a ¼” plate on a meat grinder. Add the salt, pepper, mustard seed, red pepper, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce to the marinated venison. Thoroughly blend all the ingredients together. Stuff into hog casings and tie off into 6” links. Poach in simmering water until sausages are firm, about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 155°F.

For sweet and sour red cabbage: In a sauce pot over medium-high heat combine sugar and vinegar. Simmer until reduced by half. Add the cabbage and remove from heat immediately. Place the cabbage mixture in a stainless steel bowl over an ice bath to cool rapidly. Cool the cabbage before it loses its crispness. Drain off the liquid and reserve cabbage.

For pickled mustard seed: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the vinegar, sugar and salt to a simmer to dissolve the sugar and the salt. Add the mustard and simmer for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and let sit at room temperature for five minutes.

To serve: Sear the sausage in a saute pan with a little oil just to warm through. Place in a hoagie roll and top with the mustard seed and cabbage. Serve with an ice cold shot of St. Arnold Amber Ale.