Making the Sausage

1. Slice the venison into long, thin strips that will pass easily through a grinder's feed tube. Do the same with your lean pork. Use one part pork to three or four parts venison, to suit your taste.

2. Weigh the meats, then measure out the correct quantity -- as specified on the manufacturer's packaging -- of a meat-curing mixture. Dissolve it in distilled or spring water, allowing 1 cup of water for every 5 pounds of meat.

3. Grind the meats together so they're well mixed. Mix the dissolved meat-curing mixture thoroughly into the meat, along with seasonings and a liquid or dry smoke flavoring.

4. Set up the sausage stuffer and open your package of casings. The standard casing for deer sticks is a 19-millimeter -- or 3/4-inch -- collagen casing, which comes in a 50-foot length that will hold 8 1/2 pounds of sausage. Choose the smallest-diameter feed tube on the sausage stuffer, and thread as much of the casing onto the tube as you can manage. The longest tubes will hold an entire 50-foot casing.

5. Tie the end of the casing into a knot, then start your stuffer, if it's motorized. For manual models, begin pushing down the lever or turning the crank. Use a thumb and forefinger to hold the casing loosely in place as it begins to fill, ensuring that the sausage mixture completely fills the case before you begin to let it slide away from you. If your stuffer is manual, enlist a helper to work the crank or plunger.

6. Continue until the meat mixture is depleted, starting new casings as necessary. Place one oven rack in the highest available position in your oven, and the other at the lowest possible position. Measure the distance between them, then twist the sausage into long links that will fit into this space. Cut every pair of links, and tie the ends with cotton butcher's twine.

7. Place the sausages on a large plate or in a foodsafe plastic container, and let them rest uncovered overnight in your refrigerator. The fridge's arid cold will dry and slightly tighten the casings.

Cooking the Sausage

1. Place a large sheet pan or a sheet of heavy foil on the oven's lower rack, to catch any drips.

2. Slide the upper rack partway from your oven, and hang the paired sausage links over its bars. Slide it back into place, then turn your oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit. Prop the door open an inch or two with a wooden spoon, so air can circulate and moisture can escape.

3. Open the door after an hour of cooking time, and insert the probe of a meat or barbecue thermometer lengthwise into the end of one of the sausages so it runs down the center of the deer stick.

4. Close the oven door, removing your wooden spoon, and cook the deer sticks in the gentle heat until they reach an internal temperature of 160 F on the thermometer.

5. Remove the deer sticks from the oven and let them cool completely. Eat them immediately, or cut and package them for refrigeration or freezing.