Homemade Breakfast Sausage
Prep Time: 1 h | Cook Time:Â 5 – 7 minutes |Â Total Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes | Makes: 3 1/2 pounds (approx. 9 servings)
We have a local butcher shop and they are amazing! However, I wanted to give my hand a try at homemade breakfast sausage, to give myself a bit of a challenge to learn something new. I did not want to just buy pre-ground pork and cheat a little. I wanted the challenge. Of course, I had to find a grinder attachment for my mixer.
Researching and watching videos were crammed into my already-full queue of recipe testing, etc. YouTube videos by Joshua Weissman on homemade sausage was my numero uno source of info. Some books came in handy, too.
I played around with spices and seasonings and settled on the quintessential breakfast sausage staples… those that you are currently thinking of as you know that smell from the kitchen as sausage is sizzling on the burner. Are you hungry yet?
Freshness matters when it comes to spices and seasonings, which by the way, here’s a fun article by Tasting Table that differentiates between the two. If your pantry spices and seasonings are out of date, newly opened jars will take this recipe to all new heights. Trust me, it does matter how long opened jars have been sitting around.
Fat matters. Be sure to use at least 25% of fat in your sausage. You need plenty of fat or your sausage will be too dry. I usually include most of the thick layer of fat that is on the pork butt/shoulder when I grind the meat. Fat back is an excellent source of additional fat, but it is very difficult to find my area. Pork belly is another good option for the addition of pork fat. Most online sources suggest 25% up to 50% of fat to meat ratio. My recipe below calls for 3 ½ pounds of pork butt. That’s 56 ounces of meat with almost 17 ounces (30%) being fat. It does not have to be exact, as you can see. But, if you use the sausage to make my Homemade Sausage Gravy and Biscuits (recipe coming soon!), you’ll need plenty of fat to render for the gravy, or you’ll need to add butter, but that recipe addresses this issue.
The recipe can be halved if less is desired.
Enjoy!
Homemade Breakfast Sausage
Equipment
- Meat grinder attachment
- Spice grinder,
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons dried fennel seed
- 3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
- 2 teaspoons ground sage
- 1 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 3/4 teaspoons onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
- 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, hot or mild, see Notes
- 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cayenne, optional for heat
- 3 1/2 pounds (1.6kg) boneless pork butt or shoulder
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Be sure the pork is very cold or partially frozen if time allows.
- Place the peppercorn, fennel seed, and rosemary in a spice grinder. Grind until almost finely ground. Add the remaining spices and grind until finely ground. Smell how awesome, then set aside.
- Using a very sharp knife, cut the meat into chunks that will fit into your meat grinder’s shoot.
- Push the meat through the grinder using a medium plate/die.
- Add the spices to the meat mixture and combine well with your hands. Disposable gloves are good for this. Some people will put the meat and spices in a stand mixer bowl and mix with the paddle attachment. Meat is protein, and overworking can create toughness. Just use elbow grease if you can and mix the spices evenly throughout the ground meat.
- Make a small patty and fry (not microwave) until cooked through. Taste for seasoning and adjust any salt and/or spices as desired.
- If time allows, place the meat into the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours (or overnight) to allow the spices to meld together.
- When ready to cook, shape the sausage into 3 ounces (85g) patties and fry over medium heat until cooked through, flipping to brown on both sides.
- Freeze or refrigerate any uncooked sausage. I freeze in 1 pound bags.
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