Breakfast sausage to begin the day
Even though the days are growing longer and the month of March begins in just a few days (does Daylight Saving Time start soon? That sunshine poking through the bedroom curtains at 6:30 AM would be much more welcome at the tail-end of the day rather than the beginning), it’s been blustery and cold here in New York City. We’ve been smothered in snow and whipped by the wind, and if I’m going to make it through these final days of winter I need to fortify myself in the morning. And that means eating a hearty breakfast of eggs and sausage.
Texans like their breakfast sausage to come in the form of patties, not links (though we seldom say “patty” as it’s just assumed when you have sausage in the morning that’s what it’ll be). And while nothing beats homemade breakfast sausage, in today’s fast-paced world most people buy their breakfast sausage at the store. And if you’re in Texas, you’re buying Owens.
That familiar tube of early-morning carnivorous joy is a staple in most Texans’ households. And since you can’t find it very easily outside the state, it soon becomes one of the things a homesick Texan misses the most.
Sure, Owens doesn’t have a lock on the breakfast-sausage market, but it’s the unique combination of spices and perfect pork-to-fat ratio that fries up probably the most delicious sausage this side of homemade. Trust me, I’ve tried the other brands and their flavor just does not compete.
My grandfather had told me that when he was a boy, his job on hog butchering day was to make the sausage. “Was it as good as Owens?” I asked. “It was better!” he said. I realized that if I wanted a proper breakfast sausage, I’d have to make it myself so I asked him how he did it. Surprisingly, making breakfast sausage doesn’t require much—just good fresh ingredients and a skillet.
While making your own sausage may sound like a daunting task, breakfast sausage is a cinch: you don’t have to work with casing and there’s no aging involved. Instead, it’s just a simple mixture of ground pork and spices, ready to be formed into patties and cooked immediately.
Breakfast sausage may just be one of the most versatile meats to have on hand. Of course, you can fry it up and serve it with eggs. Or you can place some in a biscuit for a tasty breakfast sandwich. You can crumble it into cream gravy, throw it into breakfast tacos or I’ve even been known to use it on top of my pizza.
So while this recipe isn’t Owens’ exact recipe, I dare say it’s just as good if not better because it’s homemade. And once you get the hang of making it, you may never eat store-bought breakfast sausage again.
Breakfast sausage
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground pork
- 1 tablespoon sage
- 2 teaspoons marjoram
- 2 teaspoons thyme
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- With your hands or a spoon, mix together all the ingredients.
- Heat up a skillet on medium heat and cook a small spoonful of the sausage a couple of minutes on each side. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Once you’re satisfied with the flavor balance, to cook form into patties and fry 6 minutes on each side. The uncooked sausage will keep in the refrigerator for a week. It can also be frozen uncooked for 3 months.
Hee! I’ll never forget the first time my poor husband ordered breakfast sausage here in Texas. When the patties came out alongside his eggs, he was mystified and asked what “these tiny hamburgers” were doing on his plate. 🙂
I came across your website while looking for a good pecan pie recipe and from a fellow homesick Texan living in Moscow, Russia- it has been a treat. This post filled me with great memories of waking up to the sound of cast iron skillets and the smell of sausage being cooked. Thank you for you post, it’s left me reminiscent of the homeland. I look forward to trying the recipe- because there certainly isn’t anything remotely akin to Owen’s pork sausage in all of Russia.
Olivia–It’s not exclusive to Texas, but hard to find outside of the south. And yes! It’s perfect for homemade pizza!
Brave Sir Robin–Isn’t she great? And since it’s so hard to find here in NYC, I definitely must try my own homemade chorizo.
Mike–You can try this instead of eggs, though it goes terrific with eggs as well.
Bee–Howdy! Sounds like you’re doing a fine job of making do in England, and I’m pleased as punch to have helped solve your sausage problem. And yes, these are marvelous stuffed inside of a hot, homemade biscuit. Enjoy!
Ann–Ha! I wish. Perhaps I need to recruit some staffers to help me spread the message of biscuit and sausage love (along with breakfast taco love as well). And I’ll be sure that their first stop is your desk.
Anastasia–Thanks and I hope he enjoys it!
Ted–Nope, I don’t have a family venison recipe but I will find out what it is.
Cynthia–Well, dear, you’re certainly one of the sweetest people in the blogsphere, and I hope to someday visit both Barbados and Guyana and try your delicious dishes first hand.
White on Rice Couple–I’m not familiar with the Farmer John brand, but I love your mom’s creation–what’s more American than a 50/50 mix of American and Asian?
Lisa–Yes! Anyone can do it!
Homesick Houstonian–From what I hear, you can make chorizo, I just haven’t done it yet. This is different but just as good.
Julie–I haven’t priced sausage lately, but good ground pork didn’t set me back too much.
Dee Light–I agree, link sausage is just wrong.
SheEats–Ha! Thanks for the laugh! They do look like little hamburgers, I reckon, for the uninitiated.
Angela–Welcome! And I hope the recipe works for you. I’ve never been to Russia, but I reckon that country sausage is probably pretty impossible to find. Enjoy!
My goodness. That’s some delicious looking-sounding grub.
Hank
Homesick Texan…ooh that looks delicious! Great blog BTW!