Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Good Morning Sausage! Pork, Fennel, and Orange Breakfast Sausage Patties

I know I say this a lot, but I can’t believe I haven’t done this recipe yet! There are few things as easy and amazing as homemade breakfast sausage, and this is my favorite formula.

The key here is to get some properly ground fresh pork from a real live butcher. The ground pork in the meat case at the supermarket is not going to be coarse enough, not to mention the fact that the meat they used was probably chosen based on it’s inability to be sold in any other form.

Tell the butcher you want a couple pounds of freshly ground pork shoulder, and be sure to use the term “sausage grind.” This means a very coarse grind, and an adequate fat content. Anything less than 30-40% fat is just not going to make a great sausage patty.

Above and beyond the meat, almost anything goes when making sausage patties. I think the fennel, nutmeg, and orange zest (an idea I borrowed from my uncle, and sausage master, Bill) really gives this a breakfast-y flavor, but if you’re not into those ingredients, use what you like.

Lastly, the overnight refrigeration really makes a big difference. All those big flavors need time to meld together, and besides, by making this in the evening for the next morning’s meal, you’ve pretty much assured yourself of some quality sausage-related dreams. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
1 pound ground pork
1 tsp kosher salt (1/2 to 3/4 tsp of table salt), or to taste
1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs blend (mine has thyme, rosemary, sage, and oregano)
2-3 tsps fennel seeds, lightly crushed
2 tsp freshly grated orange zest
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
pinch of fresh nutmeg

40 comments:

DrEEEEEE said...

The perfect video recipe:

High fat content (and that's the way it has to be!), pig-shaped cutting board, and runny egg yolk food porn.

Thank you! :D

Monica said...

Once upon a time I would make venison sausage patties but now leave it to the butcher as his taste so good they can be used for fabulous meals.

Locomotive_breath said...

I love your profound tips of wisdom chef.

"...high fat content. That's the way it has got to be"

"Just eat a little bit. Make it the right way".

And he best,

"you are the boss of your sausage"

Amen.

Rita said...

i love your chopping board. where did you get it?

homemade sausage... finally! i thought it was too complicated to make. i'll be sure to make that.

aTexanInBavaria said...

Looks good! I must try that Friday morning (make tomorrow) :) Breakfast sausage is one thing we can not get in Germany.

Anonymous said...

Why havn't you shown us this before!?!?! I love this! What else are you keeping from us?

Doug said...

Thanks, Chef!

1 lb of sausage is more than my wife and I would eat at one sitting. How would you recommend storing this for later use? Should the cooked patties be stored? Uncooked sausage mixture (with the herbs and spices)? Or, just store the plain ground pork?

Chef John said...

just make and freeze patties! enjoy!

Anonymous said...

Now this is one I absolutely have to try. I'll explain why I have to try it.

There's a little diner about 15 miles south of me that thinks just pressing out ground pork is 'sausage'. I want to bring them samples of this and tell them that's how you make sausage patties. They need to learn.

And yes, I was nearly drooling the entire time I was watching this video.

grumbleghoul said...

a little parchment paper between the patties will help them not to stick together so much when you freeze them. Haven't been to the site for a few days and was expecting "sauce-age" but this looks even more awesome than steak sauce!

thanks chef!!

Unknown said...

More breakfast! :)

Thanks as always chef!

Robert said...

Looking good

LDM said...

Can we get the Italian Sausage Recipe? I've been planning to make a batch of my Great Grandma's version, but wouldn't mind yours for comparison (besides, it wouldn't be fun if you didn't combine 2-3 recipes to make something unique).

terry from va. said...

Chef John, how about a little video on the care and maintenance of the ol' cast iron .
I have been experimenting with seasoning my skillet for 2 years, and I am never quite satisfied. Somtimes it looks good in places, some places look sticky, some places look rusty.

Many thanks.

Anonymous said...

cast iron cookware redo..put in oven, set oven to oven clean setting...after completion, then season the iron cookware by wiping the cookware surface using a vegetable oil and a paper towel, place iron cookware upside down upon a cookie sheet in the oven at 250 degrees for 2 hours...

Chef John..wtf?...no cayenne pepper? o.0

Chef John said...

Did you see the red chili flakes go in? It had plenty of heat. ;)

Chris K. said...

"You are the boss of your own sausage" is now officially part of my new daily affirmation. Each morning, I am going to repeat it to myself in the mirror while I'm shaving.

I desperately want to throw a sausage-themed dinner party, if for no other reason than making and sending out invitations to all my friends for a sausage party.

Also: seconding LDM's request for Uncle Bill's Italian sausage recipe. You can't just casually mention something like that on your award-winning, super-popular food blog without any follow-up. It's just cruel.

Grams Pam said...

This was delicious! However, story of my life ... have never been good at strictly following a recipe.

Some of my Grandkids are quite picky, and prefer "maple flavored" sausage from the store. (gack!) But they heard you say, "You are the boss of your sausage."

So, I made two batches, one for myself and the adventurous Grandkids

My beautiful herb garden will be blanketed by snow in this area, so I've really ramped up using fresh herbs ... kind of hard when I use something from the herb garden every day.

Here are my substitutions:

Regular sausage: Fresh herbs, instead of fresh (oldest Grandson working on chiffonade knife skills!)

Maple sausage: held red pepper flakes, halved the orange zest and added 1.5oz Grade B (strong) maple syrup.

Everyone loved their sausages (though one kiddo added extra syrup at the table, when I wasn't looking) and said they'd like to do a BIG batch in the commercial grade mixed at my sister's pizza shop (they make their own sausage, too) and put it in the freezer for all winter.

(ps: my oldest Grandson is a fan, going on 2yrs; and he's only just about to turn 7, guess which 'camp' he falls into? LoL!)

Chef John said...

Sounds great! You have quite the foodie family there! :-)

Chef John said...

I will try and get the recipe from Uncle Bill asap!

Anonymous said...

HAH! This video was so funny and adorable -zerenity

Anonymous said...

I was hoping you'd dip it in the egg yolk. And you did! Cheers!

Becky said...

John! Yay! This was the only thing I've ever asked you for, thank you! :D

However! I hate fennel. Can I just leave it out, or should I up the other herbs to make up for it?

Chef John said...

Just leave it out. Enjoy!

Anonymous said...

Hi Chef John,
Can I make this sausage recipe using chicken or turkey? And how about beef?
Thanks, Matt

JoAnn said...

This is the best breakfast sausage. Very similar to a Georgia sausage I make and use in my bolognese. As always, a stellar video presentation.

Grams Pam said...

Hey Anonymous (re: making this other types of meat) ... didn't you hear Chef John say, "YOU ARE THE BOSS OF YOUR SAUSAGE" ?? LoL! Just kidding around with you.

ps: Personally, I don't think I'd make breakfast sausage with beef, but that's just me. If you try it ... report back, ok!?

Chef John said...

Yes, you can use any meat you want, but just won't taste the same.

Jeni said...

+1 for the Italian sausage recipe! This one looks great, too. Here in the UK there's no shortage of sausage, but being from New England I do miss the sausage I used to get in the US. Mainly breakfast sausage and Italian sausage. I've got a meat grinder waiting to be used!

DG said...

Some of us unfortunatly are alergic to pork and we cant eat it so my question is how to make a great beef sausage ? Any suggestions maybe?

Sal said...

Chef,

What would we need to do if we wanted to get a smokey flavor? Paprika? Chipotle?

Chef John said...

or liquid smoke!

Bill said...

Do you have a "recipe" for your Italian herb blend?

Chef John said...

No, but it's just McCormicks

Roberto said...

Come on Chef!

Main ingredient = Pork
Salt Specification = Kosher

Didn't you miss an opportunity for a silly joke of some kind or are you just too nice?

By the way, I grind my own pork here in Italy where I can buy "lardo" (nearly pure fat) to raise the fat content of our rather lean pork. I also use a lot more rubbed sage because "I'm the boss of my own sausage". Thanks for the great line.

LibStre said...

Thank you for another great recipe. My family and I enjoyed it as part of this morning's breakfast. I couldn't believe how easy it was to prepare, and its great to know that we can enjoy sausage without the sulfites and preservatives.

b0btuse said...

In the video, you grate the orange directly into the mix. How much of an orange yields 2 tsp of zest? Half an orange, a whole orange?

Thanx...Bob

Anonymous said...

Chef John,
I am an American who now lives in the Middle East without access to pork. Can you suggest a ground meat mixture that will come close to the texture and flavor of pork sausage. I miss my breakfast comfort food. I have easy access to beef, lamb, and chicken.
Thanks for all the work you put into making great videos.

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Romantic Good Morning Messages

TC said...

Anxious to try your breakfast sausage recipe....my Italian herb blend has marjoram and basil as well as the herbs you mentioned...would that do or do you have a recipe for an Italian herb blend that would work?