Jalapeño and Cheese Axis Deer Brats

For the sausage

1. Grind the deer meat and pork fat together through a coarse grinding plate into a large tub.

2. Add the brat seasoning mix, high-temp cheese, and dehydrated jalapeños from the kit into a meat mixer with the ground meat mixture.

3. Pour in a small amount of cold water to help bind the ingredients, and mix thoroughly until the meat becomes tacky and well-combined.

4. Thread the collagen casing onto the stuffer nozzle and feed the sausage mixture into the casing in one continuous coil.

5. Twist or pinch the continuous sausage strand into individual bratwurst links.

For the beer bath and cooking

6. Preheat the smoker to 225°F (107°C).

7. Arrange the bratwurst links in a deep foil pan, add the sliced onions, and pour the beer over top until the sausages are partially submerged.

8. Place the foil pan on the preheated smoker to simmer slowly and absorb smoke flavor.

   Then 60 min of waiting

9. Preheat a flat-top grill or griddle to medium-high heat.

10. Remove the bratwursts and onions from the beer bath using tongs, transferring the onions to the griddle side to sauté.

11. Place the brats directly onto the flat-top griddle and sear, turning occasionally, until the collagen casing becomes crispy and golden brown, about 5–10 minutes.

12. Serve each brat on a slice of white bread, topped with sautéed onions and yellow mustard.