When we pursue wild game, it’s often for acquiring food, but we also use hunting to manage wildlife populations. Many people think that mountain lions are hunted for pleasure, and while I enjoy a truly arduous hunt, I hunt cougars to manage the number of predators in the woods. A bonus to a successful hunt is that of organic food–Yes, you can eat mountain lion. Below, you’ll find a link to a delicious recipe and a shop button to buy appliances, spices, and other items, and you can visit the “PODCAST” tab to learn more about hunting mountain lions.
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As with any recipe, give it a try the way it’s listed, and next time adjust the spices to make it your own.
Mountain Lion Sausage
Cougar sausage is an organic, healthy addition to your meals. Always give the recipes a try, and then adjust the seasonings to make them your own.
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Spice grinder, food processor or molcajete
- Stand mixer with paddle or dough hook attachment optional
- Meat grinder with sausage tube attachment optional
Ingredients
- 2 lb ground cougar meat (turkey, hog, bobcat, etc. may be substituted)
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp fennel seed
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- *Tip for Success — Keep the meat and equipment cold during this process.
- Blend all of the spices in a grinder, food processor or molcajete.
- Using a stand mixer with a paddle or dough attachment, mix the spices together with the ground meat. (You may use your hands, but work quickly to keep the meat cool.)
- Once the spices are thoroughly integrated with the meat, put them in a bag or bowl, cover and chill overnight (or at least eight hours) before using.
For larger batches and tubing
- If you'd like to make a larger batch of sausage, you may want to enlist a grinder with a sausage tube attachment.
- You'll need to get all-natural casings. To ensure the best results and no tearing of the tubes, soak the casings in warm water before you use them.
- Follow your grinder's instructions for use and set it up with the tubing attachment on a large clean work surface. Bring your seasoned meat and casings to the area near the grinder.
- Begin by turning on the grinder, sliding a casing tube onto the tube attachment, and adding meat to the grinding tray. Be prepared to catch/hold the tube as it fills with ground meat. Use the stuffer to push the meat down to the grinding mechanism gently.
- As the meat begins to fill the casing tube, you'll need to hold the meat-filled end while applying pressure to the tuber side so that the casing does not come off too quickly or slowly. You'll get a feel for this as you go.
- Once you have six to eight inches (or the amount you desire) of sausage in the tube, squeeze the meat away from the tuber, then grab both ends of the casing and flip the sausage three or four times to twist the ends. *Note whether you flipped the sausage towards or away from you. When the next six or eight inches is filled, you must flip it in the opposite direction.
- Repeat the casing filling and flipping technique until all the meat is tubed. As you begin to get several sausages of length, it is helpful to start coiling the beginning sausages into a circular pattern on your work surface so they don't later become tangled.
- When you've filled all the casings and used all the meat, you can begin cutting the sausages at the twists between them.
- Store your sausages in a sealed container or zipper storage bag in the refrigerator for one to two days or in the freezer for one to two months.
