# Fassett's Breakfast Sausage Seasoning



## pops6927 (Nov 15, 2009)

I had to make up a new batch of breakfast sausage seasoning, and I follow a recipe by weight:

8 oz. salt
2 oz. black pepper
1 oz. sage
put in ziploc and shake thoroughly, then use ½ oz. per lb. of meat

However, this time, for those that don't have scales, I also dumped the contents of each into appropriate measuring cups and come out with:

¾ cup salt
½ cup black pepper
½ cup sage
put in ziploc and shake thoroughly, then use 1 tbsp. per pound of meat

You still have to have a pretty good idea of how much pork you have and the measurements are not as exact as weighing the ingredients (how coarse is the pepper ground, same with salt, etc.) but it should be in the ballpark.  
Hope this helps!


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## mballi3011 (Nov 15, 2009)

Thanks pops for the recipe and really  thanks for the one withouta scale too. I don't have a scale but I'm gonna try this one like Bob said just get some already ground pork and use this seasonings  on the meat and BAM you have some good sausage. Almost kinda maybe homemade sausage. You have to do what you have to do.


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## oneshot (Nov 16, 2009)

Thanks Pops. Just made a batch of B sausage (maple from cabelas) using venison and pork butt.

What does this recipe taste like??? Rough idea/comparison.
I want to try this next I think...


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## pops6927 (Nov 16, 2009)

Tastes like country breakfast sausage. It's not pretty like some seasoning with fancy coloring, just good lean sausage to eat with eggs or pancakes, etc. Well seasoned but not overpowering, just simple salt, pepper and sage. Dad sold thousands and thousands of lbs. of it out of his store, he was famous for it. I know he's rolling over in his grave that I'm giving away his recipe, but I"ll never have a store of my own and I want others to experience how good it is.  Also, it is flexible, too.  Decrease the salt by a third or even half, or decrease the amount per pound from ½ oz. to 1/3 oz. or even ¼ oz.  Add your own spices, too!   Hot, sweet, tart, sour..... anything you like!


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## alx (Nov 16, 2009)

I like that pops and have tons of fresh sage........
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I have figured out proportions myself to taste,so the cup amounts are nice...I do smaller batches anywho....


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## mrh (Nov 16, 2009)

I used the recipe to make some, that was pork/venison mix 50/50.  I do like it very well though it seems just a little salty to me. Maybe next time I will try 7 parts salt and see how that is.  Thanks for the recipe beats going to town and buying a mix!


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## beer-b-q (Nov 16, 2009)

Thanks for posting the recipe Pops...


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## michael ark (Oct 8, 2011)

Thanks for shareing.


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## daveomak (Oct 8, 2011)

Pops, Morning.... Thanks for the recipe... another page in the SMF cook book.... Now if I only had time to....  

Dave


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## alelover (Mar 22, 2012)

I'm going to try this recipe. I'll let you know how it goes.


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## roller (Sep 26, 2012)

I am going to try this also...Nothing like Old School !


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## xfitjay (Oct 18, 2012)

Question about the sage - I assume this calls for fresh sage. 1oz would be a lot of ground sage. What would be a conversion for dried ground sage, since I don't have any fresh at home right now?

Thanks.


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## dward51 (Oct 19, 2012)

Thanks Pops....

Just added this one to the recipe box.


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## pops6927 (Oct 19, 2012)

Just sage you get in a bottle.  I buy it by the lb. from Butcher Packer.  Definitely not fresh leaf sage, it's all pounded, grounded, rubbed and clobbered up.


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## scarbelly (Oct 19, 2012)

Thanks Pops - That is what I figured.


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## shoneyboy (Oct 19, 2012)

thanks for the recipe Pops !!!!


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## junkcollector (Oct 19, 2012)

thank you sir, can't wait to try it....


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## xfitjay (Oct 20, 2012)

Yes sir! Thank you.


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## roller (Oct 21, 2012)

Just mixed up the seasonings and have the shoulder thawing out now. Making 12lbs..I did add some Red Pepper Flakes to mine...


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## sound1 (Oct 23, 2012)

X2 on the Pepper flakes, little color, little warmth, good stuff!! THX Again Pops!


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## xfitjay (Oct 24, 2012)

I made 5# this weekend for patties. I like it a lot. Next time I'll make sure I've got the gournd/rubbed sage. What I made could use a little more sage flavor. The sage I used is called broken leaf I believe. It's dried, but not ground down. Also, I may throw in some pepper flakes as well to give it just a little heat. This is a great recipe on its own and also I think it's going to be a good one to play with and build on.


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## aelder2 (Jan 5, 2013)

Thanks for the recipe Pops. I just got an attachment grinder that hooks to my Kitchen Aid. Used it for the first time this morning and followed your recipe. It was very tasty. I ended up grinding half a pork loin that didn't get cooked on New Years just because that is what I had available. Next time I will use pork butt. Had real good flavor though. I will be using this grinder a lot I think. Thanks again.

ae


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## daveomak (Jan 5, 2013)

ae, morning....  It's great knowing what is in the food you eat.... especially sausage....


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## double rr (Dec 3, 2013)

Pops whats the grind  plate used  ?


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## jaxrmrjmr (Feb 2, 2014)

This makes complete sense now.  For years I have use Leggs Old Plantation seasoning for bulk sausage.  The package always said it was for 25 lbs of meat.  It was too salty for me at 25lbs. so I used a pack to season 30 - 35 lbs of meat, but I always added about 1 Tbsp of ground sage for every 10 lbs of meat.  Legg's also adds a bit of red pepper which is ok with my family's taste buds, but I would use a touch less if I made my own.

As far as the grind, I take it down to a 1/8 grind.  The smaller the better to me on breakfast sausage.  I like chucks in my chili and a course grind on my burger meat but I like my sausage a bit finer.

Thanks Pops.


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## pc farmer (Dec 10, 2014)

Bump this up.  

I need to try this.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Dec 10, 2014)

I always have some on hand. Never know when you need some!


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## bluewhisper (Dec 10, 2014)

I've had good luck growing sage recently and I love to use it in a breakfast sausage like this - but I would add, try it with chicken or turkey, too.


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## fished (Dec 10, 2014)

This is a great recipe.  I have made it three times already.  I do modify by adding red pepper flakes and garlic powder.  Everytime I make it my daughter comes over and steals some.  She says it's really good.  Thanks for the recipe Pop's.

Ed


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## castiron (Mar 12, 2015)

Sorry made a miscalculation. And somehow managed to double the amount of salt.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Mar 12, 2015)

Castiron said:


> Pops, thanks for posting the recipe. But i have to ask about the amount of salt. I'v read several comments about it being a little salty, but thats ok with me, i almost always add salt without even testing an then usually still add more.
> But this is really salty. I weighed it out also to be most accurate.
> I'm guessing it needs at least 30-50percent less salt.


For our tastes, using fresh ground pork it seems to be fine as is and not overly salty. We are conscious about out salt too.


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## daveomak (Mar 12, 2015)

Castiron said:


> Pops, thanks for posting the recipe. But i have to ask about the amount of salt. I'v  read several comments about it being a little salty, but thats ok with me, i almost always add salt without even testing an  then usually still add more.
> But this is really salty. I weighed  it out also to be most accurate.
> I'm guessing it needs at least 30-50percent less salt.



If you followed pops recipe making the seasoning, then used 1/2 oz. / 14 grams per pound, the salt content would be about 2.2%.....  that's pretty mild compared to some recipes for salt...  1/2 oz. is just under 1 Tbs. from the chart I see....   but then it depends on which salt you used also....  some are twice as dense as others...


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## worktogthr (Mar 12, 2015)

For this recipe did you use kosher salt or table salt?  Thanks!!!


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## beefy bill (Mar 13, 2015)

Been looking for this recipe! Thanks!


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## unclesmokie (Oct 26, 2015)

OK, got the recipes and amounts of different spices and I'm sure there are many ideas on the % of pork to the venison.  I have

heard anywhere from 25 to 60% pork...my plan is 1/3 pork to venison.  I use 10% pork ends to all my burger and that works great for me.

unclesmokie


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## driedstick (Oct 26, 2015)

I will have to give this a shot. Thanks Pops!!

DS


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## roller (Nov 22, 2015)

Ive been making it from the start and its still the best breakfast sausage Ive ever had..Making some tonight..


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## DanMcG (Nov 22, 2015)

What size grinder plate does everyone prefer to use for sausage patties?


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## stovebolt (Nov 22, 2015)

I grind it once through the fine plate on my Kitchener. I like to add a touch more sage and a touch of red pepper flakes.

  Thanks for the recipe Pops.

Chuck


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## kawboy (Nov 22, 2015)

unclesmokie said:


> OK, got the recipes and amounts of different spices and I'm sure there are many ideas on the % of pork to the venison.  I have
> 
> heard anywhere from 25 to 60% pork...my plan is 1/3 pork to venison.  I use 10% pork ends to all my burger and that works great for me.
> 
> unclesmokie


I'm curious about this as well. I use 20 percent pork in my summer sausage, would that be too little in breakfast sausage?


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## dirtsailor2003 (Nov 22, 2015)

DanMcG said:


> What size grinder plate does everyone prefer to use for sausage patties?



We like ours a bit courser so we run ours through the course plate. Just our preference.


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## unclesmokie (Nov 22, 2015)

OK, I made 3 batches of venison sausage adding to pop's recipe...I used 1/3 bacon ends and bits to 2/3 venison, this gave me enough fat so the patties were not too dry and could fry a couple eggs in the grease in a non stick pan.

I cut the salt to 2/3, added a littles more course pepper, increased the sage to 2/3 cup and added a teaspoon white pepper, tablespoon rosemary and finally a teaspoon of smoked paprika.

I also smoked a log with maple that can be nuked as a quickie treat.

unclesmokie


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## kawboy (Dec 10, 2015)

Just made a small batch using bacon for the fat. Pretty dang good! Next batch I may add some heat, but not necessarily needed. Thanks for the recipe.


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## ddavis (Dec 25, 2015)

Made some for Chirstmas presents for the family. My mother loved it, said it was better than anything you could buy and my step dad, who grew up on a farm, told me he hadn't had sausage that good since he was a child. Thanks Pops

Darrell


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## jborque (Jan 12, 2016)

Thanks Pops,

I'm going to try it this weekend.

Jerry


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## lamar (Jan 12, 2016)

My family has been using almost the same recipe as long as I can remember  (that's a long time).  Only difference is we like just a bit more sage.

Anyone that don't like Pop's sausage recipe don't know what sausage is supposed to taste like.  

Lamar


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## wrwoelfel (Jan 18, 2016)

Just got done making 14 lbs. of Pop's sausage. 7 lbs. of regular and 7 lbs. of spicy. For the spicy, I added 1/4 tsp. of my dads dried ground up mixture of peppers. The boys loved it and the wife was ok with it. She says it doesn't taste like JIMMY DEAN, I said, "it's not, it's Pop's recipe. She will never understand my madness. Got pork butts for 1.14/lb. can't beat that. Thanks Pops for the recipe.


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## loggie (Feb 28, 2016)

Pops will be making this thanks


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## redheelerdog (Sep 22, 2016)

I am going to make Pop's breakfast sausage this weekend with 14lbs of pork butt and 10lbs of elk.

Sometimes simple is just darn good!

Grinding, seasoning and packaging tomorrow.

Plan is to make 1/3 spicy with red pepper flakes, and 2/3 regular pops.













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__ redheelerdog
__ Sep 22, 2016


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## crazymoon (Sep 23, 2016)

RHD, keep us posted on your sausage !


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## redheelerdog (Sep 23, 2016)

CrazyMoon said:


> RHD, keep us posted on your sausage !


Thanks CM,

Left to right:

Fresh ground black pepper, Rubbed sage, Sea salt, Hickory powder, Red pepper flakes













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__ redheelerdog
__ Sep 23, 2016






Vac packed elk - 2 years old, I am really happy how this kept in the freezer, fresh and sweet.













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__ redheelerdog
__ Sep 23, 2016


















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__ redheelerdog
__ Sep 23, 2016






14lbs regular left and 10lbs spicy right.













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__ redheelerdog
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The fry test was absolutely delicious, and left me wanting more.

I'll do some vac packing patties tonight.


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## redheelerdog (Sep 24, 2016)

Long live Pop's Breakfast Sausage!













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__ redheelerdog
__ Sep 24, 2016


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## b-one (Sep 24, 2016)

redheelerdog said:


> Long live Pop's Breakfast Sausage!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Tasty looking plate! Next up a fattie?


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## pc farmer (Sep 24, 2016)

redheelerdog said:


> Long live Pop's Breakfast Sausage!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Tasty I bet.


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## WaterinHoleBrew (Sep 24, 2016)

redheelerdog said:


> Long live Pop's Breakfast Sausage!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That looks awesome John !  Very nice !  Thumbs Up


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## redheelerdog (Sep 24, 2016)

I covered some of my counter space with wax paper and used a rolling pin to make the sausage about a half inch thick, I then used a glass as a cookie cutter to make sausage patties.

I am going to freeze them over night to make vacuum packing easier.

The 24 lbs made right around 106 patties at 0.22lbs per pattie.













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__ redheelerdog
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__ redheelerdog
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## dirtsailor2003 (Jan 17, 2017)

Time to make this again!


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## driedstick (Jan 17, 2017)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> Time to make this again!


Agreed!!!!


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## browneyesvictim (Jan 17, 2017)

I just whipped up 7 lbs of Italian (because I really like Fennel!) but now after reading this post again, I suddenly have a huge craving for sage... <DOUH!>


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## shyzabrau (Apr 17, 2017)

I have a nearly infinite amount of sage (and the new leaves are growing in now - when they are the freshest and most flavorful) so how much fresh sage would you use (versus dry in the recipe)? 3x as much?


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## ez2b (Apr 17, 2017)

Yes that recipe sounds good will try next time


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## ez2b (May 26, 2017)

Okay made a lot of sausage today and tried this recipe on 4 pounds of fresh ground and I love it awesome recipe thanks for sharing.


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## indaswamp (May 26, 2017)

Shyzabrau said:


> I have a nearly infinite amount of sage (and the new leaves are growing in now - when they are the freshest and most flavorful) so how much fresh sage would you use (versus dry in the recipe)? 3x as much?


My rule of thumb is 3...

If the recipe uses 3 TBSPS fresh sage, then the substitution would be 1 TBSP dried rubbed sage.

If the recipe calls for 3 tsps. dried rubbed sage and all you have is ground sage, use 1 tsp. ground sage.

This gets you in the ball park, you can adjust to taste after the sampler fry patty.

Let the good smoke roll...


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## holliday58 (Jun 7, 2017)

How much meat do you use for this recipe?  I have never made sausage and would really like to start with this!


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## dirtsailor2003 (Jun 7, 2017)

holliday58 said:


> How much meat do you use for this recipe?  I have never made sausage and would really like to start with this!



1 tablespoon per pound.


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## cal1956 (Jul 1, 2018)

i took the recipe and did a few calculations so that i could make a 1 lb batch and came out with 
.36 salt  
.09 black pepper 
.05 sage 
when i mixed and fried this, my wife and i agreed that WE would reduce the salt by 25%  ( quite salty for us as it was ) 
this would make our next batch of 1 lb having .27 salt instead of  the original .36
over all this is a good tasting patty sausage
we plan to keep tweaking the recipe a little at a time


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## pops6927 (Jul 2, 2018)

Yes, or just reduce the entire quantity used, such as ¼ oz./lb. from ½/lb., or in the middle, ⅓ oz. /lb.
This keeps the proportions the same but lowers the concentration of the mix.


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## cal1956 (Jul 2, 2018)

POP : 
 this is a very good tasting sausage , thanks for sharing it with us 
i certainly did not mean to be critical in any way , i might have miscalculated and got it to salty 
when i was trying to figure out how to make a test batch 
 but thanks again for the recipe


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## pops6927 (Jul 3, 2018)

Oh no, just the opposite!  I welcome you to try any variations that might make it better for others!  PLEASE DO experiment around with it!  It's an 8-2-1 recipe; 8 parts salt, 2 parts black pepper, 1 part rubbed sage, if you can get rubbed.  I don't vary from those proportions, but will vary from the amount added to meat.  Now, my son likes it at ¼ oz/lb. vs.½ oz./lb.  I grew up with it as it is, but for him he likes it that way.  No problem!  We will do sausage a week before Thanksgiving, freezing it in ziploc's, plus a 2 lb. bag for the turkey stuffing!


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## ddufore (Jul 4, 2018)

I also put sausage in our turkey day stuffing. I grew up and still live about 2 hrs. North of Adams, NY.  IM 66 now but remember as a kid seeing Fassett's sausage in the stores.  It was our family's favorite.


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## pops6927 (Jul 5, 2018)

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/128002/stuffing-the-turkey-by-pops


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## ddufore (Jul 5, 2018)

I do mine the same way using the same ingredients including the butter. I buy day old bread and cube it and dry in the oven. I grow my own herbs and make my own poultry seasoning. This stuffing is awesome. But of course you know that.


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## cal1956 (Jul 5, 2018)

i tried the commercial mix  with 1 lb of meat this morning , and i'm kinda torn between pops and the commercial mix 
they both are good but different , the commercial mix called for 3 oz per 10 lbs of meat so i reduced that to .03 to make just one lb and the wife liked it but to me it seemed to need more seasoning , 
pops was very  good but salty ( but i can fix that ) now i need to make a decision ... aint life complicated ..lol


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## jimmyinsd (Jul 6, 2018)

I am sure its been done and I've missed it,  but has anybody added cure to this and smoked it?  what kind of results do you end up with?

we have a local butcher that does an outstanding breakfast sausage that they call "country style"  it is a smoked sausage in a hog casing... I found some recipes that have been called country style and they arent even close.

I also remember a cased breakfast sausage as a kid that my grandpa had made in a butcher shop in Shakopee MN,  it was kind of a white sausage and had mustard seeds in it,  it was a pretty mild flavor (johnsonville stadium brats kind of remind me of the flavor.)  any ideas?


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## cal1956 (Jul 9, 2018)

i made 30 lbs of breakfast sausage today and decided to tinker with "pops" recipe 
what i ended up with was really good , not to salty, just the  right amount of sage and black pepper 
and since i like it hot i added a bit of red pepper 
as i said it turned out some of the best sausage i have ever eaten 
here is what i did for 1 lb of sausage 
.20 salt
.09 black pepper 
.05 sage
.09 red pepper 
it was so good i decided to make 15 lbs of it but 1st i did the calculations so that if at a later date i needed 5 lbs i wouldn't have to recalculate  
for 5 lb batches 
1.00 salt 
  .45 black pepper 
  .35 sage
  .45 red pepper
and to make the 15 lb batch just multiply x 3
when you mix this seasoning it looks over seasoned but don't let that fool you...its not !!
just mix well and fry 
if you don't like it hot just reduce the amount of red pepper 
i made 15 lbs of this today and 15 lbs of a commercial blend that i had bought as i like them both
if you like a good country breakfast sausage try "pops" you won't be sorry


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## robertpocha (Sep 23, 2018)

what is the best salt to use...regular table salt will it work just fine or something a bit on the coarse side?


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## ddufore (Sep 23, 2018)

I always use kosher salt. I like the way it tastes. That’s just me, I think any plain salt will work. No iodized.


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## chopsaw (Sep 23, 2018)

Whatever you use , just make sure you weigh it out .


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## pops6927 (Sep 24, 2018)

I use just plain, non-iodized salt for curing and seasoning.


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## robertpocha (Sep 24, 2018)

Excellent. Thank you fellas


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## RVSmoker (Sep 12, 2020)

Wondering if this was ground or rubbed sage?


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## Braz (Sep 13, 2020)

RVSmoker said:


> Wondering if this was ground or rubbed sage?


Pops replied earlier in the thread that he uses just regular ground sage.


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## RVSmoker (Sep 13, 2020)

Braz said:


> Pops replied earlier in the thread that he uses just regular ground sage.


Thanks i missed that one.


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## MoonshinerMike (Sep 25, 2020)

Sou


pops6927 said:


> I had to make up a new batch of breakfast sausage seasoning, and I follow a recipe by weight:
> 
> 8 oz. salt
> 2 oz. black pepper
> ...


Sounds like a great Tasting Midwest Breakfast Sausage Recipe. I might have to give it a try. Did you use  Fresh Sage, Rubbed Sage or Ground Sage for this Recipe ? I'm very partial to all Fresh Ingredients freshly ground or finely crumbled. I just now noticed the other post saying that it's ground rubbed sage. We've always added a little bit of Thyme, Rosemary, Mace as well as the Salt, Pepper and Sage for the extra kick. Which is Honestly the base of German Bratwurst from the Hannover Germany Region.


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## bubba mcnabb (Jan 29, 2021)

cal1956 said:


> i made 30 lbs of breakfast sausage today and decided to tinker with "pops" recipe
> what i ended up with was really good , not to salty, just the  right amount of sage and black pepper
> and since i like it hot i added a bit of red pepper
> as i said it turned out some of the best sausage i have ever eaten
> ...



Wanting to try this, is your measurement in oz, lbs or % ? for instance your 5 lb batch is that 1oz of salt? thanks guessing oz just want to make sure. thanks


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## cal1956 (Jan 29, 2021)

all my measurements are in Oz ,   my scale goes down to  1-100 th of an Oz 
hope this  helps


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