Our sweet-and-savory maple venison sausage is the breakfast of champions.

• 5 lb. venison • 2 lb. bacon • 4 Tbsp. salt • 3 Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper • 3 Tbsp. dried sage • 1 Tbsp. chile flakes • 2 cups maple syrup

1. Cut the venison and bacon into 2-inch cubes. Place the meat into a bowl, add the salt, pepper, sage, and chile flakes, and mix. Let the meat marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
2. Before you grind the meat, place all of the metal components of your meat grinder and a large bowl in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
3. Grind the meat through a medium die into the chilled bowl. Add the maple syrup, and mix thoroughly with your hands.
4. Emulsify the sausage: Add about 2 cups of ice water, a bit at a time, to the meat, and mix vigorously with your hands for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the meat takes on a tacky texture and begins to stick to the sides of the bowl. Cook a small patty of the sausage and adjust the seasoning as needed. Let the meat rest, covered, for an hour in the refrigerator.
5. Portion the sausage into 3- to 4-ounce patties, and freeze or eat fresh within the next 5 days.
What’s the best way to serve this?
After a duck hunt, I’m craving a breakfast sandwich and a coffee, spiked with Maker’s Mark. Cook the sausage in a skillet, and serve it on a biscuit with American cheese and a fried egg