We use the cotto salami mix also and found the best meat mix is 50% venison, 25% pork shoulder, 25% ground beef (85/15) when making venison sausage. We do not use ECA or suregel. We hang overnight at 40-50 degrees to cure and allow some of the excess moisture to escape. You’ll want your final finish temp to be at least 145 degrees and to end with an ice bath. Smoker times are all variable, the size of your sausage stick makes the biggest difference. We typically go to the smoker in three stages. First is about 120 to remove the chill and do additional drying. Then raise temp to about 150 and apply smoke. Finally raise temp to 175 to finish. Adding a high-temp cheese is a nice touch. Cheddar or pepper jack are our favorites.
