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in New England Recipes· Recipes

Homemade Breakfast Sausage Recipe

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Make your own homemade breakfast sausage patties using good quality pork combined with fresh herbs and savory seasonings. Pairs perfectly with farm fresh eggs.

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Homemade Breakfast Sausage Patties: These breakfast sausage patties are made with ground pork and flavored with fresh herbs and seasonings.

I love breakfast sausage, but I can’t even consider the store bought sausage because of the additives, which include high-fructose corn syrup, MSG, and sodium nitrate. Plus the pork that goes into making commercial sausage is usually a mix of left overs from the rest of the animals.

Have you ever bitten into a sausage and hit something hard?

Finding a piece of cartilage in your sausage is not appetizing. When you make your own breakfast sausage, you can select the cuts of meat to use and make sure there are no unwanted parts before grinding so there are no surprises.

I prefer to grind all our meat. That way, I know exactly what is in it. I use a meat grinder attachment for my Kitchen Aid, but a tabletop grinder would work just as well for small batches. You can even have your butcher grind the meat for you to speed things up.

Kitchen Aid meat grinder closeup

Tips for Choosing Pork for Making Sausage

You do need to use some fat in sausage, or it will be dry and taste bland. A good meat to fat ratio is around 80/20 or 75/25. Keep in mind that some fat will render out when frying the breakfast sausage patties.

A common cut of pork that is used for sausage is pork butt, which is actually from the upper shoulder of the pig. It is also called, Boston butt, Boston shoulder roast, country roast, and shoulder blade roast. Pork butt is well marbled and has a ratio of meat to fat that is ideal for breakfast sausage.

Boneless picnic is also a good selection as long as you alternate the fat with the meat when grinding so it blends evenly. I have also used boneless country-style pork steaks, which come from the area near the shoulder and are available in smaller portions from your butcher. Some cuts are easier to work with than others. Look for a blend of dark and white meats, with some fat layers.

Slices of pork showing meat and fat.

How to Make Homemade Breakfast Sausage

I tried many different breakfast sausage recipes over the years until I found one that we liked and tweaked it over and over until we found the spice combination that we absolutely love. Use this as a base and adjust to your taste.

The key to grinding meat is to keep everything COLD before grinding so that the fat grinds into pellet-like pieces and blends evenly with the meat instead of melting into the meat. Keep your pork refrigerated until you are ready to prepare it for grinding.

Homemade breakfast sausage flavored with sage, thyme, rosemary, and other savory seasonings.

1. Mix the seasoning: Add the seasoning ingredients to a small bowl. Mix to combine and set aside.

2. Prepare your pork for grinding: Trim out any bones, tendons, and cartilage and cut into 1-2-inch cubes and add to a large bowl.

3. Sprinkle the seasoning mix on the pork and toss to coat. Refrigerate the seasoned pork for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours before grinding.

4. Grind your sausage: Use the fine blade on your meat grinder, and grind the seasoned pork into sausage.

5. Cook a small test patty to taste. Adjust the seasonings if needed.

To cook fresh: Form into 1-inch or 2-inch patties and sauté in a skillet over medium heat for 5-7 minutes per side until cooked through.

To freeze sausage patties for later: Pat into 1-inch or 2-inch patties and set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer. Once the sausage patties are frozen, cut the parchment paper, and transfer the breakfast sausage patties to a freezer bag.

To cook frozen sausage patties: You do not need to thaw the sausage patties before cooking. Simply place the frozen patties in a skillet and turn the heat on to medium. Sauté the breakfast sausage in a skillet over medium heat for 7-8 minutes per side until cooked through.

Homemade Breakfast Sausage Patties: These breakfast sausage patties are made with ground pork and flavored with fresh herbs and seasonings.
Print Pin
5 from 5 votes

Homemade Breakfast Sausage Recipe

Make your own homemade breakfast sausage patties using good quality pork combined with fresh herbs and savory seasonings.
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Keyword breakfast sausage
Prep Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 16 2-inch patties
Calories 85kcal
Author Grow a Good Life

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds pork butt
  • 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon fresh sage leaves finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves finely chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

  • Combine all the seasonings in a small bowl. Blend well and set aside.
  • Dice pork into 2-inch pieces and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle the spice mix on the pork. Toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
  • Using the fine blade on your meat grinder, grind the pork and spices into sausage.
  • Cook up a small test patty to check your seasonings. Heat a skillet over medium heat and cook 5-7 minutes per side until cooked through. Allow to cool and taste. Adjust the seasonings if needed.
  • To cook fresh: Form into 1-inch or 2-inch patties and sauté in a skillet over medium heat for 5-7 minutes per side until cooked through.

Nutrition

Calories: 85kcal
This recipe was originally published May 30, 2016. It has been updated with additional information, photos, and video.

Sausage and fresh eggs are a perfect breakfast combination. If you are raising a flock of chickens for eggs, the last thing you want to do is pair them with sausage that is processed and filled with chemicals. Try making your own homemade breakfast sausage patties using good quality ingredients and fresh herbs and spices.

The great thing about breakfast sausage is it is so easy to customize to your liking. Start off with small batches, keep good notes, and adjust the ingredients until you are satisfied. Soon you will have your own special recipe for breakfast sausage.

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Good planning is key to a successful vegetable garden

Whether you are new to growing your own food or have been growing a vegetable garden for years, you will benefit from some planning each year. You will find everything you need to organize and plan your vegetable garden in my PDF eBook, Grow a Good Life Guide to Planning Your Vegetable Garden.

Grow a Good Life Guide to Planning Your Vegetable Garden

Homemade Breakfast Sausage Patties: These breakfast sausage patties are made with ground pork and flavored with fresh herbs and seasonings.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Drew says

    August 20, 2019 at 8:10 pm

    5 stars
    Holy cow.
    That’s the best sausage I’ve ever had.
    Only thing I did different was replaced sugar with heaping tablespoon of black strap cuz I couldn’t find my maple syrup. Not wow was that good.

    Reply
    • ©Rachel Arsenault says

      August 27, 2019 at 11:25 am

      Thank you, Drew! I am so glad you enjoyed the sausage recipe. Blackstrap molasses is a great substitution for the brown sugar and adds a nice flavor.

      Reply
    • Robert Guy says

      December 8, 2020 at 10:38 am

      I like it, BLACK STRAP, you got ot be southern to know!

      Reply
  2. BETH Stewart says

    August 17, 2019 at 8:57 am

    Excellent recipe. Tried it with ground pork from Shop Rite and it was so delicious I’m goin to share with everyone. I would like to know the salt content though.

    Reply
    • ©Rachel Arsenault says

      August 17, 2019 at 9:22 am

      Beth, It’s about 147mg sodium per patty if following the recipe. Feel free to leave the salt out. There are plenty of other spices to give you flavor.

      Reply
  3. Harry says

    August 13, 2018 at 12:23 pm

    5 stars
    Great sounding receipt. Does the same receipt for patties work for linked sausage?
    Thanks for sharing the tips.

    Reply
    • ©Rachel Arsenault says

      August 13, 2018 at 4:53 pm

      Yes, you can use the same recipe and put the sausage into casings.

      Reply
  4. Harry Corwell says

    April 4, 2017 at 10:00 am

    5 stars
    Sounds like a great recipe. I make my own as well. I use whole pork loins and cube them up. It gives the sausage just enough fat for flavor and not sticking when you prepare, and it also leaves very little splatter when cooking. Another bonus is it is almost always on sale pretty cheap locally and no bone to trim around.

    Reply
    • Lala says

      January 4, 2021 at 12:39 am

      5 stars
      Thank you sound great. Will try this on Saturday.

      Reply
  5. Rob says

    August 15, 2016 at 3:11 pm

    5 stars
    Looks great! We are definitely going to try this recipe here. It will be even better when we have our own pigs.

    Reply
    • ©Rachel Arsenault says

      August 16, 2016 at 7:19 am

      Ah man, I bet it would be great with pork you raised yourself.

      Reply

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