Breakfast Sausage from Scratch

Oh how I do love a good breakfast. 

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 pound de-boned pork shoulder or pre-ground pork
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
• 1 ½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground paprika
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 finely grated garlic cloves
• 1 ½ teaspoons packed light brown sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Pork – I used a pork shoulder that I ground down. You can also add some pork belly to the mix as well if you’re freshly grinding everything. If you do not want to grind it yourself, you can purchase pre-ground pork.
• Herbs – Fresh sage and thyme are a great combination. In addition, you can also use fresh rosemary.
• Spices – I used a combination of crushed red pepper flakes, paprika, and nutmeg.
• Sugar – A little bit of light brown sugar will help balance the flavors.
• Garlic – I love the flavors of garlic in this breakfast sausage recipe.
• Seasoning – coarse salt and ground black pepper is all you’ll need.

How to Make Breakfast Sausage from Scratch

Trim the meat of a pork shoulder away from the bone and cut it into 1-inch chunks and place them into the freezer or refrigerator to chill for 15-20 minutes.

Run the cold cubed pork through the food grinder using the medium size dye in another pan.

Add in the sage, thyme, red pepper flakes, paprika, freshly ground nutmeg, finely grated garlic, brown sugar, salt, and pepper, and mix it in until it is thoroughly combined.

Fry a small piece of the breakfast sausage and taste it to adjust any seasonings.

Form the sausage into small patties that are about 2 ½” to 3” in diameter.

Add the oil to a non-stick skillet or cast-iron skillet over medium heat and fry the sausage patties for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until browned and cooked throughout.

Immediately serve the sausage patties.