Free Cheat Sheet
Wild Game Processing Cheat Sheet
The numbers that matter, on one page. USDA-safe. Weigh everything — never eyeball cure.
Cure #1 (per weight)
| Rate | 0.25% · 156 ppm |
| 1 lb | 1.1 g |
| 5 lb | 5.7 g (~1 tsp) |
| 10 lb | 11.3 g |
| 25 lb | 28.35 g (1 oz) |
| 1 kg | 2.5 g |
| 2 kg | 5 g |
| 5 kg | 12.5 g |
| 10 kg | 25 g |
Cure #1 vs #2
- Cure #1 → smoked/cooked, eaten soon: summer sausage, snack sticks, hot dogs, bacon, jerky, ham
- Cure #2 → long dry-cured/fermented: salami, dry-cured whole muscle
- No cure → fresh brats & ground sausage cooked same day
- Same 0.25% rate. Never swap them.
Fat Ratio (lean game : pork)
| Bratwurst | 50 / 50 |
| Snack sticks | 60 / 40 |
| Summer sausage | 60 / 40 |
| Ground / most sausage | 60 / 40 |
| Venison bacon | 60 / 40 |
Internal Temps (pull at)
| Summer sausage | 155°F / 68°C |
| Snack sticks | 152°F / 67°C |
| Ring bologna, hot dogs | 152°F / 67°C |
| Venison bacon | 152°F / 67°C |
| EQ bacon | 150°F / 66°C |
| Fresh brats | 160°F / 71°C |
Smoke & Safety Rules
- Set temp ≠ actual temp — pellet/electric smokers swing; run a second probe for the chamber and trust it, not the dial.
- Keep meat under 40°F (4°C) while grinding & mixing; keep fat near freezing so it grinds clean.
- Don't exceed ~170–180°F (77–82°C) smoker temp on sausage — that's fat-out.
- Weigh cure on a gram scale. Never add extra. Keep it away from kids & pets.
- Go by internal temperature, not the clock.
Want all of this done for you? DeepWoodz Smokehouse scales every recipe to your exact batch, locks the cure safe, and runs your smoke timer — a growing library of proven recipes, plus a community of makers.
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