Anybody make breakfast sausage??

A

Andrew Holley

Well-known member
For something different I tried making my own breakfast sausage this evening. I had some last weekend from grass fed pork, was the best I have ever had. So decided to try making my own.
Got a very basic grind, with two plates (grinding disks?), used the one with the larger holes, probably about 1/4" or so. Started with a 5 lb bone in pork shoulder. Ground in once, found a recipe from Alton Brown for three lbs and used that. As I was mixing in the spices, I thought it was too much spice to pork, but after frying some, the family thought it could have used some more seasonings.
Anybody got a recipe they really like and won't mind sharing? Guess this batch will last about a month, then going to try it again.
 
Way to go on the grass fed pork! Tried some last spring after swearing off pork two decades ago. Been a weekly staple in my diet ended up buying a whole pig a few weeks ago. Have not made my own sausage yet but the butcher made was like non other. Actually find the grass fed pork to be better than beef and best part is it is very healthy including the fat.
 
In my younger years the wife and I had a lot of venison as the tags were very easy to get here. The guys I hunted with helped me to perfect my butchering skills. Ended up with a BIG grinder, sausage stuffer and a lot of butchering tools. We cut up many deer and ground up a lot of hamburger and sausage. Ground up a whole deer my nephew shot for sausage. He was in college and was popular around breakfast.
As for sausage mixes, google butcher or smoking supplies. There was three companies that has mixes, brines etc. I used a local mix for years and then found Leggs mixes. Used one package to s spackle bucket of meat. I use 5/1 mix of beef fat, as venison fat is bad. Tried pork fat, but burned easy. I cut out All fat and All sinew, I'm very fussy that way, but it comes out well.
If you can't find it, I'll look up my records, as I record recipies and smoking formulas.
 
Andrew, when doing any type of sausage to fully incorporate the spice you need to let the mixture sit in the fridge for at least a day. It lets the mixture "steep"

I have made venison breakfast sausage, 50/50 with fatty park shoulder. (More lean than most but it is usually cooked in bacon grease, so there Is
Your fat)

Grass fed is the way to go, I have been doing a lot of research on this, as long as you rotate the pigs around in your pasture, they actually help your land. (I drive a lot and am always thinking about this stuff, I am looking forward to starting my own homestead after I get married this year)

Other research I look up is moist soil management, after you get the impoundment contsructed and it provides its crops, disturbance (disking,cultivating,etc) keeps woody growth down. I bet you could let the pigs rip it up as a natural disturbance and they would get some more food.
Just thinking how to do it more naturally

I was also reading that corn fed beef, has a change in acidity in their rumen. Their body wasn't made to eat corn, and I can't remember exactly what it changes in the meat, but it does effect the nutritional value.
 
Andrew, "Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing"... Page 172... For 10
Pounds... 5 Tbsp salt, 1 Tbsp ground white pepper, 2 Tbsp rubbed sage. 1 Tsp Ginger, 1 Tbsp nutmeg, 1 Tbsp thyme, 1 Tbsp ground hot red pepper, 1 pt ice water. We normally use a slightly different variety for a spicy venison mix.... 3 pounds venison and 3 pounds pork... 2 Tbsp salt, 3 Tsp sage, 1/2 Tsp hot red pepper, 2 Tsp black pepper, 1 1/2 Tsp fennel, 1 Tsp paprika, 1 cup ice water. We don't put ours in casings, we either freeze it in bulk by the pound, or make patties if we plan to use it soon. There are many great recipes and I'm sure you'll find the best for you. My only disappointments have been with the pre packaged spice kits available from some of the large retail stores. Good luck and enjoy!!
 
Spicy breakfast sausage:

1 to 1 1/4lb lean course ground pork
3/4 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp Cayenne
1/4 Tsp Rubbed Sage
1/4 Tsp Course Black Ground Pepper
1/4 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper
1/4 Tsp Fennel- I crush the seeds
1/4 Tsp dried Thyme

Optional-1/4 Tsp Coriander


Chris- build a pig pen on skid skis and simply pull it around the pasture. If you can find a copy, "Mother Walter and the Pig Tragedy" is a good read. Very applicable on many levels to what you intend to do. Yes, grass fed is the way to go. It raises pH levels in the rumen, significantly lowering shiga toxin releasing E.coli strain densities.
 
From - The Art of Wild Game Cooking by Eileen Clarke and Sil Strung


"Easy Breakfast Sausage"

4 pounds ground venison

3/4 pond ground side pork (I use very good smoked bacon)

3 1/2 teaspoons ground sage (If you want less, go by your own taste, but sage makes it what it is)

2 1/2 teaspoons pepper

1 teaspoon salt


This is without a doubt the best tasting breakfast sausage I've eaten. The flavors are pure and not muddled. If I want heat, I'll add what hot sauce I crave that morning.
 
I make a whack of breakfast sausage from pretty much the same recipe as Vince's, everybody likes it.

All I have to add is that making thin fast fry patties takes less time than stuffing, and that I have used the same recipe with moose, caribou, wild sheep, black bear and grizzly bear. All good.

Don't be skimpy on fat in any sausage mix is my advice. If you overdo it on the mix, the extra just stays in the pan anyway.

Mike
 
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