'Country Cousin' breakfast sausage

[TeeZee]

Over the weekend The Great Might Have Been blew in with our granddaughter and 25 lbs. of ground venison (and 5 lbs. pork butt), with the intention of smoking meat sticks and jerky. Forty-eight hours (and a substantial nap) later, he went off to work leaving behind the fruits of his labor and 2.35 lbs. of premium coarse ground pork for yours truly. (He also provided some pretty nice salmon and steak dinners--all around a very decent fellow.)

I'd been wanting to try Dave in AZ's Jimmy Dean clone, and then it occurred to me that Pops Fassetts' seasoning mix, which has become 'pops'ular at our house, might share a country cousin between them.

So here's the recipe sage-forward, with an emergency substitution of poultry seasoning for ground thyme:

454g (1 lb.) ground pork butt (2.35 lbs.)
6.6g salt (15.5g)
2.5g coarse ground black pepper (6g)
3g ground sage (7g)
0.49g ground thyme (1g)
0.53g ground nutmeg (1g)
0.82g red pepper flakes (2g)
0.21g ground ginger (0.5g)
7.8g or less brown sugar (1.9%) (18g)
0.41g MSG (0.1%)
1 t. dextrose
19g maple syrup (opt.)
41g ice water (10%) (96g)

Amounts are per lb., with my actual measurements for a factor of 2.35 in parentheses. Omitted were MSG, dextrose, and maple syrup.

The formula is Pops' salt and coarse black pepper in the 7-2-1 ratio with the remainder entirely Dave's; please see their respective posts for more information.

A bit of this sausage fried up with pancakes was a real hit and I'm sorry there are no photos. (Yes, it was THAT good.)

Farewell for now from NW Minnesota, where the tomatoes are ripening even as the days turn cooler.

 

[chef k-dude]

I'm sure it was tasty. I'm going to be getting back in to some sausage making here pretty soon myself. I do a lot of recipe ingredients by weight. I dont take it to the gram with spices like you did here but I have found it to be much easier to add stuff like, mayo, mustard, ketchup etc.

 

[TeeZee]

I'm sure it was tasty. I'm going to be getting back in to some sausage making here pretty soon myself. I do a lot of recipe ingredients by weight. I dont take it to the gram with spices like you did here but I have found it to be much easier to add stuff like, mayo, mustard, ketchup etc.

It was such a small amount of meat I really didn't have a choice. Hope you try this--I'm tired of paying grocery store prices for foods that are better homemade, and this recipe is just one example. Really have to take my hat off to Dave in AZ--he did all the work.

Thanks for looking, Chef.

 

[Dave in AZ]

It was such a small amount of meat I really didn't have a choice. Hope you try this--I'm tired of paying grocery store prices for foods that are better homemade, and this recipe is just one example. Really have to take my hat off to Dave in AZ--he did all the work.

Thanks for looking, Chef.

Thx for the shout out ;)
Sounds good! I took a 1 lb bag camping for breakfast this weekend, it was a hit with my son's friends... but they were more impressed with the 1 lb smashed flat in a quart bag packaging, than anything else lol. They loved when I plopped it all in pan, then cut it tic tac toe with spatula ;)

 

[TeeZee]

Thx for the shout out ;)
Sounds good! I took a 1 lb bag camping for breakfast this weekend, it was a hit with my son's friends... but they were more impressed with the 1 lb smashed flat in a quart bag packaging, than anything else lol. They loved when I plopped it all in pan, then cut it tic tac toe with spatula ;)

Dave, you've got a flair for presentation!

Jimmy Dean's sage roll is $6/lb. here. I have nothing against the company, but why would you pay that when pork butt was $1.79/lb. last week? (This week it's $3.50/lb.!)

Waiting for hunting season so I can do a few more sauerkraut/venison experiments...

 

[Fueling Around]

I use Dave’s ( D Dave in AZ ) JD clone as the benchmark to grade all other recipes
If you really want to amp up the sage note try using fresh minced instead of the dry stuff. Eric ( SmokinEdge ) posted that and I used it in my last batch of JD. Wife declared it my best batch yet

 

[Fueling Around]

…
Farewell for now from NW Minnesota, where the tomatoes are ripening even as the days turn cooler.

The weather has been August than September by my reckoning
I was trying to cold smoke slab bacon and had to suspend operations until this coming weekend. Skeeters are fierce too

 

[TeeZee]

The weather has been August than September by my reckoning
I was trying to cold smoke slab bacon and had to suspend operations until this coming weekend. Skeeters are fierce too

Skeeters are ugly now. Cooler weather is coming though--today's high is 89, but next Monday's projected high is just 66. Good smoking temps!

We're a solid twenty miles north of Crookston, near Angus. This puts us two weeks behind you in the spring and two ahead in the fall.

 

[TeeZee]

I use Dave’s ( D Dave in AZ ) JD clone as the benchmark to grade all other recipes
If you really want to amp up the sage note try using fresh minced instead of the dry stuff. Eric ( SmokinEdge ) posted that and I used it in my last batch of JD. Wife declared it my best batch yet

Thanks for the tips, Fueling. What's your conversion rate for the sage? Three to one by weight or volume?

Yes, I think Dave's formula is well-balanced. You've given me a great idea; some time ago I received a venison sausage recipe that isn't working for us--I'll do a comparison. Again thanks!

I grow sage for medical purposes--it's great in a raw apple cider vinegar/raw honey oxymel (1:4 ratio). Just stuff the jar as full as you like with fresh sage then steep for about six months; the preparation lasts for years and soothes a sore throat better than anything you can buy. Also takes all the suffering out of a head cold--take 1 t. per dose, morning and night, for no longer than ten days. (This is powerful stuff BTW; don't overdose.)

Hope this helps.

 

[TeeZee]

Skeeters are ugly now. Cooler weather is coming though--today's high is 89, but next Monday's projected high is just 66. Good smoking temps!

We're a solid twenty miles north of Crookston, near Angus. This puts us two weeks behind you in the spring and two ahead in the fall.

You getting any of this, Fueling? Hate to keep it all to myself. (What our yard looks like now that the wind storm has come through, with stuff EVERYWHERE.)

 

[Fueling Around]

I use a 3 to 1 by weight ratio for fresh to dried. I cut out the stem, dice the leaves and toss them in my spice grinder with the other ingredients.
We missed the mayhem.
A little sprinkle and no wind down here in the 10 o'clock hour

 

[TeeZee]

I use a 3 to 1 by weight ratio for fresh to dried. I cut out the stem, dice the leaves and toss them in my spice grinder with the other ingredients.
We missed the mayhem.
A little sprinkle and no wind down here in the 10 o'clock hour

Thanks, Fueling, will give this a shot. Wind blew so hard yesterday it was raining sideways--the kind of storm that produces a tornado, violent but happily short-lived.

And thanks to everyone for stopping by my post.

 

[paulgeorge]

Over the weekend The Great Might Have Been blew in with our granddaughter and 25 lbs. of ground venison (and 5 lbs. pork butt), with the intention of smoking meat sticks and jerky. Forty-eight hours (and a substantial nap) later, he went off to work leaving behind the fruits of his labor and 2.35 lbs. of premium coarse ground pork for yours truly. (He also provided some pretty nice salmon and steak dinners--all around a very decent fellow.)

I'd been wanting to try Dave in AZ's Jimmy Dean clone, and then it occurred to me that Pops Fassetts' seasoning mix, which has become 'pops'ular at our house, might share a country cousin between them.

So here's the recipe sage-forward, with an emergency substitution of poultry seasoning for ground thyme:
Taxi from Eastbourne
454g (1 lb.) ground pork butt (2.35 lbs.)
6.6g salt (15.5g)
2.5g coarse ground black pepper (6g)
3g ground sage (7g)
0.49g ground thyme (1g)
0.53g ground nutmeg (1g)
0.82g red pepper flakes (2g)
0.21g ground ginger (0.5g)
7.8g or less brown sugar (1.9%) (18g)
0.41g MSG (0.1%)
1 t. dextrose
19g maple syrup (opt.)
41g ice water (10%) (96g)

Amounts are per lb., with my actual measurements for a factor of 2.35 in parentheses. Omitted were MSG, dextrose, and maple syrup.

The formula is Pops' salt and coarse black pepper in the 7-2-1 ratio with the remainder entirely Dave's; please see their respective posts for more information.

A bit of this sausage fried up with pancakes was a real hit and I'm sorry there are no photos. (Yes, it was THAT good.)

Farewell for now from NW Minnesota, where the tomatoes are ripening even as the days turn cooler.

We've got bulk meats bought on sale and they're pilin up in the freezer (Wife likes to buy stuff on sale). Thought about thinnin the herd by makin some breakfast sausage. Question, Do You All just used pork (I've looked on YT and that's about all I've seen) or mix with beef( we've got plenty of that too)? I've got a 6lb ham & a 6 lb butt roast..

I've got a local butcher who sell his own seasoning mixes and so far his recipes have been pretty good ( lots'a links made but no B'fast saus.). So Question is ,ham versus

 

[Gonna Smoke]

We've got bulk meats bought on sale and they're pilin up in the freezer (Wife likes to buy stuff on sale). Thought about thinnin the herd by makin some breakfast sausage. Question, Do You All just used pork (I've looked on YT and that's about all I've seen) or mix with beef( we've got plenty of that too)? I've got a 6lb ham & a 6 lb butt roast..

I've got a local butcher who sell his own seasoning mixes and so far his recipes have been pretty good ( lots'a links made but no B'fast saus.). So Question is ,ham versus

I've not dived into any beef sausage yet, so no help there although I've read where it can be a little tricky.

As for ham vs butt (I'm assuming). Is it fresh ham? If so, I think it would be too lean and would need some fat. From what I've learned so far, butts are generally 20% fat and I don't think hams are anywhere near that. I have a source for pork fat and will add another 5%-10% to butts sometimes.

I make up all my spice blends for sausage that way I can adjust the ingredients to our taste, primarily salt. We like a 1.25%-1.5% salt content and most commercial blends are higher...

 

[TeeZee]

I suppose I ought to mention here that anyone wanting more salt in the 'Cousin' can bump it up another 0.65g to match Pops' original ratio.

 

[SmokinEdge]

I suppose I ought to mention here that anyone wanting more salt in the 'Cousin' can bump it up another 0.65g to match Pops' original ratio.

Not trying to hijack this thread, but here is my breakfast sausage recipe with fresh minced sage.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/more-cumberland-sausage.326035/

 

[Fueling Around]

I'm a low salt sausage maker. Dave's clone recipe works for us at 1/2% salt with a touch of MSG.

I suppose I ought to mention here that anyone wanting more salt in the 'Cousin' can bump it up another 0.65g to match Pops' original ratio.

Even Pop's low salt is way too salty for my wife.

Not trying to hijack this thread, but here is my breakfast sausage recipe with fresh minced sage.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/more-cumberland-sausage.326035/

I made the cumberland sausage in our low salt formula. Even with the fresh sage and adding a touch of MSG, the flavor was flat for me. I'm a spice lover so it may work well for other tastes.
The white and black pepper flavor does come out, but my wife and I like the ginger and thyme undertones with more RPF in the JD clone

 

[TeeZee]

Not trying to hijack this thread, but here is my breakfast sausage recipe with fresh minced sage.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/more-cumberland-sausage.326035/

That's not a hijack, Smokin! I've been eyeing your Cumberland recipe too.

 

[TeeZee]

I'm a spice lover so it may work well for other tastes.

No, it doesn't work, and I can see why. I like spice too, esp. what they call 'British baking spice (I wonder if that could be used in a sausage) but Cumberland is banger-country and its mild taste marries well with mashed potatoes and onion gravy--a spicy sausage would overwhelm. (The Brits seem to have strange tastes--they love the very mild and the spicy hot, with apparently little moderation between.) Gonna Smoke put up an extensive post on this recently.

 

[Dave in AZ]

I'm a low salt sausage maker. Dave's clone recipe works for us at 1/2% salt with a touch of MSG.


Even Pop's low salt is way too salty for my wife.

I made the cumberland sausage in our low salt formula. Even with the fresh sage and adding a touch of MSG, the flavor was flat for me. I'm a spice lover so it may work well for other tastes.
The white and black pepper flavor does come out, but my wife and I like the ginger and thyme undertones with more RPF in the JD clone

Hi, I'm wondering if you worked around to these salt levels gradually, and now like them, or have always been low salt? My wife and I are both reducing salt to help blood pressure, wondering if I will grow more used to it, or always want the salt.