Picture this: Weekend morning. Coffee Brewing. English Muffins ready for toasting (at my house, in Great Grandma’s cast iron skillet- ever since the toaster broke a couple years ago, it has not been replaced).
What’s missing? My favorite breakfast meat: homemade sausage!
Catalyst Cooks’ Breakfast Sausage from Scratch
(can be cooked immediately, refrigerated overnight to cook the next day, or frozen on a cookie tray to be placed in a ziploc baggie to freeze for one month)
Serves 4 people (~1/4 lb. sausage patty per person)
1 lb boneless Pork Butt or Shoulder Roast
(alternative: 1 lb ground pork meat)
2 slices thick-cut raw bacon, with more fat than meat
(if using ground meat, then finely chop the bacon and add it to the ground meat)
1 tsp Kosher Salt (or to taste) – smoked salt also works well in this recipe
½ tsp Freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
1.5 Tablespoon of other herbs/seasonings to your taste, such as:
• Toasted fennel seeds
• Fresh minced garlic
• Crushed red pepper
• Fresh minced jalapeno
• Finely chopped apple
• Dried or fresh: oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary, tarragon
• Experiment with your favorite flavors and combinations!
Directions
Prepare your workstation.
1. Prepare your meat grinder. I pop my metal attachments in the fridge as cold implements work best for grinding the meat. I choose to use a medium grind (plate with the round holes, not the triangles which result in a coarse grind or the plate with the small holes which makes a fine grind).
2. Prepare your bowls. I put ice cubes and a bit of water in a larger bowl, and nest a smaller bowl into the ice bowl. The bowls should fit under the grinder attachment, and this is where you will catch your ground meat. Metal or Glass bowls work best.
3. Prepare the meat. I reserve a plastic cutting board that I use for raw meat only. Cut the pork butt or shoulder into ~1 inch cubes, leaving the fat but removing tough tissue and silver skin if present. Cut the bacon into 1” lengths (it’s easiest to cut and grind bacon when it’s partially thawed from frozen.)
4. Evenly sprinkle the cut meat with your desired seasonings- when in doubt, under-season at this stage.
5. Alternately feed pork and bacon into the grinder.
Once the meat is ground, if you want to test your seasonings, make a small bite-sized patty and cook as directed below. Taste and adjust seasonings as you desire.
6. Shape the meat into four equal-sized patties, with even thickness and width. I like my patties to be ½ inch thick (flatter than hamburger patties) and about 2 ½ inches wide, so they cook evenly.
7. Prepare your flat griddle or pan by heating to medium-high heat. Once hot, Spray with cooking spray (or coat with a bit of butter for a richer taste).
8. Place your patties into the pan. If it begins to sizzle, the heat is perfect! Brown the sausage on each side, about 2 minutes for each side.
Enjoy with your coffee and some English Muffin…
