Homemade Sausage
Enjoy sausage with all the flavor of classic Italian sausage but without nitrates, nitrites, and other ingredients you prefer to avoid. The following recipe can be used whenever one pound of bulk sausage (or sausage removed from the casings) is called for – thinks soups, casseroles, spaghetti sauce, meatloaf and, stir fries. It makes the easiest and most mouthwatering sausage burgers too. The recipe is easy to scale up or halve as needed and freezes well.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork, turkey, or chicken (for best results when using poultry, I recommend thigh meat)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (I use Morton's)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon each garlic powder, ground sage, dried thyme, dried oregano, and smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (may substitute ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper*)
- a pinch (1/16 teaspoon) ground cloves
- Optional: ½ tablespoon (10g) pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Place the pork (or turkey or chicken) in a large bowl and spread it out over the surface of the bowl. (This makes it easier to incorporate the spices without over-mixing.)
- In a small bowl, combine all the seasonings (except the optional maple syrup) and evenly sprinkle the mixture over the pork, turkey, or chicken. Drizzle the maple syrup overtop, if using. Using your hands, mix the seasonings evenly into the meat without overworking it.
- At this point, the mixture is ready to use as you would raw Italian sausage. You can brown it for use in soups, casseroles, and pasta sauces. Or form it into meatballs, breakfast sausage patties, or burgers. For breakfast sausages, I form 8 patties per pound. For our favorite egg sandwiches, I make 6 slightly larger patties per pound .
- Make-ahead tip: Once the spices are mixed in, you may cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days, until ready to cook as you wish. Patties and meatballs may also be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Additionally, the sausage, both uncooked and cooked, may be frozen for about 3 months.
- If browning or making sausage patties, when ready to cook, lightly oil or spray a frying pan or cast iron skillet with olive oil, and heat over medium heat. (Alternatively, burgers may be cooked on the grill.) Depending on precise heat level and thickness of patties, they will be golden brown and just cooked through in about 5 minutes per side.
Notes
Prefer spicy sausage? The stated amount of red pepper contributes flavor with very little perception of heat. For mild heat, double the amount. For a medium level of spiciness, use 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or ½ teaspoon cayenne. For even more heat, feel free to adjust upward as desired.
Helpful hints:
- To eliminate sticking when making patties, meatballs, and burgers, I first rub a little oil on my hands. Lightly wetting your hands with water will also prevent sticking.
- More advance prep: If you find yourself making the sausage often, you may wish to mix up individual batches of the spice blend and store in a small, airtight container or jar.
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