Homemade Breakfast (or Other) Sausage

Breakfast sausages, like burgers, are far superior when you start with a whole piece of meat and season it as you like The variations are just a couple of possibilities. And any can be made the old-fashioned way with fatback (see below).

21/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, with its fat

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon minced fresh sage leaves or about

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

• Cut the pork and fat into 1-inch cubes. Put about 2 cups of the mixture into a food processor and mince in 1-second pulses until finely chopped. Take your time and be careful not to pulverize the meat. As you finish each batch, transfer it to a bowl.
• Season with the spices; add a little water if the mixture seems very dry. If you have time, break off a small piece, shape it into a patty, and cook it in a small skillet over medium heat until brown on both sides and cooked through. Taste it and adjust the seasonings.
• This amount will make 8 large sausages, so you might want to freeze half if you’re serving only 4 people (shape the sausage before freezing it). Shape into patties.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat for 2 or 3 minutes, then add the patties. Let them cook, undisturbed, for about 5 minutes, then move them so they brown evenly. When one side is brown, turn to brown the other. Serve when nicely browned and cooked through, about 15 minutes total.
  Garlic-Fennel Sausage.
  • In Step 2, substitute 1 teaspoon or more minced garlic and 2 teaspoons fennel seeds for the nutmeg and sage; add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne if you like.
    Johnny Earles’s Spicy Sausage.
    • In Step 2, substitute 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon ground dried thyme, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne for the sage (keep the nutmeg).
      Old-Fashioned Fatback Sausage.
      • Replace 1/2 to 3/4 pound of the shoulder (depending on how lean it is) with fresh pork fatback (not salt pork).
    • MAKES: 8 large sausages
    • TIME: 30 minutes