Droëwors is a traditional South African dried sausage produced from minced meat, spices, and salt. Owing to its convenience, preservative-free nature, and the growing consumer interest in minimally processed foods, it has gained popularity beyond its country of origin. The present study evaluates how different proportions of added beef fat (10%, 15% and 20%) influence the quality of droëwors manufactured from eland meat. Product evaluation included determination of chemical composition, fatty acid profile, and sensory attributes assessed by a trained sensory panel, as well as consumer acceptance test involving a total of 260 respondents. The product with the lowest proportion of added fat had higher levels of protein and ash compared with formulations with higher fat inclusion. A comprehensive fatty acid analysis further demonstrated that droëwors with a lower proportion of added fat retained a more favourable nutritional profile, characterised by a higher PUFA content and a more desirable ΣPUFA/ΣSFA ratio. The trained sensory panel identified clear differences among the formulations, particularly in texture, with higher-fat variants rated as softer, juicier, and easier to chew. Differences were also observed in descriptors related to fat-associated aroma and flavour attributes. However, untrained consumers perceived only minimal sensory differences between the samples, despite expressing a prior preference for meat products with a low-fat content, especially among female respondents. Given that consumers are unable to reliably distinguish between variants differing in fat content, yet explicitly prefer lean meat products, producing droëwors with 10% added fat appears to be the most suitable option for meeting the expectations of contemporary consumers.