Smoked Venison Bonfire Bangers

Smoked Venison Bonfire Bangers

Sandra Tate

So with Halloween and Bonfire Night imminent I'm thinking that my local venison sausages deserve to be smoked for the occasion to give a nice twist to what can be very basic outdoor fare.

Ingredients

Preparation

Served with decadently creamy garlic mash and sweet, caramelised onions, or with leathery jacket potatoes, these smokey flavoured fat venison sausages will be appreciated by all. And seasonal toboot!

I have recently relocated to Frome and a butcher has conveniently opened here selling excellent local beef and such, but it was the generously fat venison sausages that caught my eye. I bought 24 so as to smoke and freeze some for later! You could of course hot smoke but I cold smoked them for an hour in the Bradley Smoker - using the cold smoke adapter - and using my favourite, oak bisquettes.

Spread apart over wire racks to get all round smoking.

Heavy smokers may choose to leave longer but I don't like to overwhelm the meat, I just want to enhance it.

On Bonfire night you can then grill, fry, or - as I do - roast on a tray in a 200°C oven, brushed with olive oil (venison is notorious for its leanness so a little oil or butter helps) and turning a couple of times until browned and cooked through. 

And for the serving suggestions...

The sausages will take 20-30 minutes to cook.

In the same oven as the bangers, wrap a head of garlic, halved horizontally to expose cloves, in a foil pouch with olive oil and remove after about 30 minutes when the garlic is soft and tender).

Meanwhile peel and halve large white onions and cook slowly in a sauté pan with butter and oil until golden.

Boil potatoes to tender and mash together with the garlic, squeezed from the skins together with finely chopped parsley, lashings of butter and salt and pepper to taste. And if all that seems like too much bother,

Preheat the oven to 200°C and do a one-pan roast of smoked venison sausages with chunks of seasoned sweet potato.

After 30 minutes and at least one turn of the contents during cooking time, add a couple of large handfuls of young spinach and turn in.

Return to the oven for 3 minutes then serve it up! 

Oak
Wood

Oak Bisquettes for Bradley Smokers

The most versatile wood of them all is Oak. Pairs especially well with poultry, beef, pork, lamb, and game.

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