Homemade Breakfast Sausage

Skip the store-bought links- these homemade breakfast sausage patties are juicy, well-seasoned with sage, thyme, rosemary, nutmeg and a hint of brown sugar, and they cook up in minutes. Mix the spice blend, rest the pork overnight for flavor bloom, then pan-fry and freeze extras for fast weekday breakfasts.

Recipe Essentials

You can easily find all of these simple ingredients at your local grocery store if you don’t already have them on hand. A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.

• Bulk Ground pork – I have my own grinder, so I like to grind my own meat. However, you can use already ground pork. Just make sure it’s not already seasoned (we’re adding the seasoning ourselves.)

How to Make Breakfast Sausage (Step-by-Step)

Making your own sausage patties might be easier than you think! Just follow these simple steps.

1. Combine seasonings. In a small bowl, stir together the coarse kosher salt, ground black pepper, dried rubbed sage, dried thyme leaves, dark brown sugar, ground nutmeg, dried rosemary leaves and cayenne pepper.
2. Add seasoning to pork. In a large mixing bowl, break apart the bulk ground pork and sprinkle with the seasoning mixture. Gently toss it all together.
3. Form patties. Using clean hands, form raw meat into patties that are 2-inches wide and about 1/2 inch thick.
4. Chill. Place all the patties in an airtight container separated by the cut wax paper. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours, but optimally 24 hours. If you are freezing some, freeze the same way and then transfer into an airtight plastic bag once solid.
5. Cook. Because the patties have a significant amount of fat, they do not need to use additional oil to cook. Place the patties in a large skillet and fry over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F

Test Kitchen Notes

I’ve made these breakfast sausage patties several times so that I can bring you these tips and tricks.

• Flavor bloom: The overnight rest dramatically improves seasoning distribution and flavor- don’t skip.
• Even thickness = even cook. Press gently the patties gently and avoid smashed-thin edges for an even cook.
• No added oil: Rendered fat from the pork makes for a better sear and cleaner flavor without needing extra oil.
• Test patty: Since you can’t taste raw meat, fry a teaspoon of mix, taste it and adjust salt or seasonings if needed before shaping all the patties.

Variations

There are plenty of ways for you to make your own breakfast sausage unique. Here are a few suggestions.

• Spice it up – If you want to add even more heat and make a spicy sausage, try adding some red pepper flakes into the mix.
• Maple syrup – Instead of the brown sugar, use maple syrup as the sweetener to really get those breakfast flavors flowing.
• Sausage links – If you have a sausage stuffer, you can make this sausage into links instead of breakfast patties.
• Meat – Instead of making pork sausage, you can use ground chicken or a pound of ground turkey instead.
• Fresh herbs – I used dried herbs, but you could use fresh thyme, safe and rosemary if you’d like. You only need about 1/3 the amount of fresh herbs.

Perfect Pairings

Use your homemade sausages any way you’d use store-bought breakfast sausage! You could crumble them up and use them on a breakfast pizza. Put them between english muffins with some egg and cheese to make breakfast sandwiches.

Of course you could just serve them alongside your other breakfast favorites like scrambled eggs, fresh fruit and crispy bacon. You could also crumble it up to make sausage gravy.

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Homemade Breakfast Sausage is easier than you think using my proprietary blend of sausage seasoning and then forming them into sausage patties or sausage balls.

Prep Time: 45 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Chilling Time: 2 hours hrs

Total Time: 2 hours hrs 55 minutes mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Servings: 28 patties

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Equipment

• Plastic Airtight Containers
• Large Cast Iron Skillet
• Parchment Paper
• Box Grater

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried rubbed sage
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 pounds bulk ground pork

Instructions

• In a small bowl, stir together the 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons dried rubbed sage, 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves, 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
• In a large mixing bowl, break apart the 2 pounds bulk ground pork and sprinkle with the seasoning mixture. Gently toss it all together.
• Using clean hands, form rgw meat into patties that are 2-inches wide and about 1/2 inch thick.
• Place all the patties in an airtight container separated by the cut wax paper. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours, but optimally 24 hours. If you are freezing some, freeze the same way and then transfer into an airtight plastic bag once solid.
• Because the patties have a significant amount of fat, they do not need to use additional oil to cook. Place the patties in a large skillet and fry over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
• If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.

Notes

Freezing: 

These patties can be frozen raw or cooked. From raw, place frozen right into a frying pan over low heat, add a small amount of water to prevent burning, but promote thawing. Cover and turn frequently until fully cooked. 

Follow the same instructions for cooked patties, this process will take half the time. 

Grinding your own meat: 

1. If you are grinding your own meat, cut the pork butt into 1-2 inch cubes and place them in a bowl small enough to fit in the freezer. Place the pork butt and meat grinder in the freezer for 1-2 two hours prior to beginning. This process is necessary to allow the sausage to grind smoothly.
2. In a small bowl mix together the salt, ground black pepper, rubbed sage, thyme, rosemary, brown sugar, nutmeg and cayenne pepper.
3. Remove the pork butt from the freezer and toss with spices to coat. Place the pork butt back into freezer for 20 minutes.
4. While you wait for the meat to re-chill, assemble the meat grinder and bowl to catch pieces. Use the coarse grind attachment. Cut pieces of wax or parchment paper to stack between the patties when formed.
5. Remove the meat from the freezer and grind. If you are using a KitchenAid, a speed of 4 is optimal.
6. After grinding all of the meat and spices, form the patties with well washed hands. Make the patties 2 inches wide and about 1/2 inch thick.

Nutrition

Calories: 104 kcal, Carbohydrates: 1 g, Protein: 14 g, Fat: 4 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 45 mg, Sodium: 437 mg, Potassium: 259 mg, Sugar: 1 g, Vitamin A: 35 IU, Calcium: 12 mg, Iron: 0.9 mg

Author: Chef Jessica Formicola

Calories: 104

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: breakfast sausage, homemade sausage

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