Homemade Breakfast Sausage

Serves 12

Recipe Level: Easy

I came up with this recipe after reading the ingredient list on most pre-packaged sausages. I suffer from migraines and one of the worst triggers for me is MSG. After all the bad press MSG has gotten, I am amazed at how many products still contain it. I think it is because many people don't know what to look for. MSG is short for monosodium glutamate and the FDA does require for it to be listed on the label but no company is going to put Contains MSG in big bright letters on the front of the label. So if you want to avoid it, know what to look for. Here is the ingredient list of a very popular sausage brand.

INGREDIENTS: PORK, WATER, SODIUM LACTATE, SALT, SPICES, SUGAR, SODIUM PHOSPHATES, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, SODIUM DIACETATE, CARAMEL COLOR.

Notice that in addition too salt, there are four other ingredients containing sodium. Pretty crazy huh? My recipe contains about a 1/4 of the amount of sodium in traditional store-bought sausage.

If you have a grinder, I recommend grinding your own spices, if not you can buy ground spices. I actually used a combination of whole spices I grinded and pre-ground spices just depending on what I had on hand. It can be difficult and expensive to find some whole spices, so if you have ground spices in your cupboard or spice rack, just use those.

Ground Pork (or Turkey) - 1 lb.
Kosher Salt - 1 tsp.
Brown Sugar - 1.5 tbsp.
Savoury or marjoram - 1 tsp.
Sage - 1 tsp.
Crushed Red Pepper 1/2 tsp.
Black Pepper 1/2 tsp.
Fennel Seeds 1/2 tsp.
Cloves 1/4 tsp.
Rosemary 1/2 tsp.

1. Grind any whole spices. (I ground up the dried rosemary, fennel seeds, and cloves in my spice grinder) You could also use a mortar and pestle if you don't have a spice grinder. You can also just buy a coffee grinder but make sure you have one solely dedicated to grinding spices or you will end up with some funny tasking coffee. You can check out some great options for grinders here.

2. Put your ground meat in a large bowl. (you can use pork, turkey or a combination of both, if you have a meat grinder, you can grind your own, or just buy natural ground meat at the store) Add all the spices, salt and sugar. This includes your pre-ground spices and anything you've ground yourself. You'll note that my recipe calls for savoury which may be hard to find. It is common in Newfoundland where Josh's family is from and I used some his mother brought back. I have also seen it in specialty spice shops here in the US. If you can't find it or don't have the time, you can use marjoram which I have seen in a lot of other recipes.

3. Mix the spices into the meat with clean hands. You want the spices evenly distributed through the mixture and the best way to do that really is with your hands. You also don't want to overmix, so once it looks like it is coming together, stop mixing.

4. Make one very small ball and press out into a patty no bigger than one inch. This is your tester so you want it to cook up quick. Add this to a hot skillet and it should cook up in a couple of minutes. This is your chance to check the seasoning before portioning out all your patties. You can add more salt, sugar or spices depending on your preferences. I recommend doing a tester portion anytime you are making patties for burgers, crab cakes, or anything that contains raw ingredients. Tasting your food is an important part of the cooking process and I think this step often gets missed.

5. Once you are satisfied with the taste of your tester, portion out your patties. I make about 12 patties out of a pound of meat, so each portion is a little over an ounce. You can make them larger or smaller depending on your needs, but keep in mind the nutritional information will change then. Press your thumb down in the middle of the patty to create a little well, this will help them cook evenly.

6. Cook in a skillet on medium heat. (you want it pretty hot to get a nice brown on the meat) If you are using ground pork, you should not need any oil, if you are cooking with turkey you may want to spray a bit of olive oil in the pan since it is much leaner. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

7. Once I remove them from the pan, I put them on a plate covered with a papertowel to remove excess grease. Serve with eggs, pancakes, or whatever sounds good to you, and enjoy!

Nutrition Information per serving from Myfitnesspal.com
Pork Breakfast Sausage - 106 calories, 8g. fat, 2. carbs, 6g. protein
Turkey Breakfast Sausage - 62 calories, 3g. fat, 2g. carbs, 7g. protein
Half & Half Breakfast Sausage - 83 calories, 6g. fat, 2g. carbs, 7g. protein