Game Sausage Italiano Sandwiches

Absolutely no idea what the hell to call this post. My buddy Doug had a pile of extra meats and asked if I wanted any. He brought over like 5 bags of venison cuts and a refrigerated bag of sausage. What kind of sausage? Boar, Bear, Deer, Pig and Cow. Hell of a blend, and you never turn down free vittles.

To the freezer the deer went for future posts, and into the thought-process the game sausage went. What should I do with it. I knew I wanted to try it in the raw, but could I do something a little extra with it?

Yes.

Also, I saw that it is currently National Griddle Week – thanks Blackstone. Hope this does you justice!

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Recipe

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The Prep Table

This is a sandwich I’ve never made before. The sausage/meatball sub is never one I normally get. I really don’t know why I opted for it this time, but I did. Gotta venture outside the comfort zone. These turned out pretty good – although if you’re a meatball/sausage pizza-sub kind of person, I’m sure you’ll find these an absolute delight.

This was a post-work venture, so that means it’s gotta happen in a short period of time. That sausage was looking good and couldn’t wait to give it a try (I still got some in the freezer, and it’ll be a delight when I get another crack at it). Let’s give the onions and peppers a quick slice.

If you’ve been around here for a little bit, you know I love the spice in my food. I treat jalapenos like I do a green pepper at this point in my life. Because I find a sweetness with green pepper like I never used to, I have to supplement with jalapeno to get the full savory “green pepper” vibe. Yes, I’m known to take raw jalapeno and just eat it as is. Absolutely love the flavor.

So I decided to cut the sausage a couple of ways. I did some long slices to get a good char when I’m cooking ’em, but also wanted the bite-sized slices to see which way worked best. If you’re reading this and thinking about which way to go – do both. For your sandwich, the halved link works perfectly, but when you don’t want it sandwich-style, them bite-sized pieces are a delicious addition so you can really taste the craftsmanship that went into making it.

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The Process

I’ll admit, I bought this tray solely for display for ForensicBBQ. It works though, especially when you want to prep in the warm kitchen, then convey to the bitter cold winter outside (Spring is close!). If I didn’t mention yet, yes, we’re going Blackstone with this one. We’re gonna get a good cook on the pepper/onion, some good char on the meat, and top it with a cheese later (Spoiler: MrsForensicBBQ didn’t know I wanted the cheese at the cook. She had it ready in the kitchen, but I wanted it at the griddle. Please send discontent e-mails to: forensicbbq@protonmail.com and I’ll forward them accordingly).

You can see I portioned out the sandwiches waiting for the cheese… the cheese that never came. I get home about an hour or so before MrsForensicBBQ (She likes to run and exercise and gym. I like to eat). So when she got home, I commanded her to prepare the cheese and I got the result I deserved. It was ready, but rightfully expected extra effort on my part that I did not provide.

Mentioned it earlier, but if you’re going to make the sandwich – do the split link. It provided the flavor with a little extra char that was pleasant on the palate. The whole link was good, but the char on the halves was better. The pieces were also good, but didn’t match the style of the sandwich like the halves do. That’s why you come here, I’ll do the experiments for y’all – you can reap the benefits.

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The Result

Brought these in from the Blackstone, and MrsForensicBBQ had the cheese waiting (See upper right corner). No doubt, it would’ve been better had the cheese been melted over the peppers, but truthfully, it’s a minor detail (flavor is there, the photogenic aspect is not). All that was left was to actually add the cheese and the marinara sauce and take a bite.

It was a good sandwich, don’t get me wrong. If this is your jam, you’re going to love it. I’ve never been a meatball/sausage sub kind of person. I fondly remember going to Subway after high school and my buddy would get the meatball sub every time. For me ,it never was my go-to choice when there was an alternative. I’ll say the same today, I won’t do these again, but it wasn’t a bad sandwich.

Decided to add this photo at the end. Waiting for the Blackstone to heat the oil, the vibrant flame heating up the surface, snow and shovel in the background. This winter kinda sucked. Winters usually do, but without getting too political – it was a dreary start to 2022. The household ForensicBBQ has never been stronger, and the smaller things are in the world (World > Country > State > County > City > Neighborhood > Home) the better things are.

We’ll see you next week!

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The Recipe