Homemade Breakfast Sausage Recipe

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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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