We first made these old fashioned breakfast sausage patties when we were learning about how the pioneers prepared food for the winter in our homeschooling. We have dedicated a lot of time learning about their homesteading life, particularly growing, cooking and preserving food. They used many herbs and seasonings as well as salt and sugar to help preserve foods, like meat that could be eaten all winter long.
Once a pig was butchered, aside from the smoking of the meat, the women were responsible for handling and preserving it. Some of the meat would be smoked, some would be placed in barrels and layered heavily with salt, some of the meat would be cooked and prepared into headcheese and some would be hung to eat fresh. A lot of the extra meat that was leftover would be chopped fine, much like our ground pork, and seasoned well with fresh and dried herbs along with salt and some sugar and then rolled into large “sausage balls.” Sometimes they would stuff the meat into the cleaned intestinal casings to create a formed sausage. When it was time to cook a meal, especially in late fall or winter, she would take a sausage ball and cook it for the family, often roasting it or pan frying the formed sausages. They’d keep in the outbuilding, like a shed, throughout the freezing cold months. Thankfully now we have fridges and freezers to assist us in this.
Making sausage though, whether it was formed, rolled into balls or pressed into patties, dates back to the 1700’s where it began to appear in cookbooks. Below is a recipe from The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy by Hannah Glasse from 1747 which explains how to make sausages, using finely chopped pork, beaten pepper (similar to fresh cracked), salt and shredded sage leaves, much the same as mine. Here is the recipe:
It really is simple to prepare these delicious old fashioned breakfast patties. Pioneer cooking reminds me how complicated our food system has become. Conveniences like pre-made breakfast patties may save us time in the kitchen, but unfortunately are loaded with a toxic cocktail of chemicals that the food industry has deemed safe, but produce an array of long term negative side effects. Making a homemade version may take a bit of work in the kitchen, but is well worth it. We simply do not need a chemical concoction to create homemade breakfast patties and these will last six months to a year in the freezer! Making homemade breakfast sausage patties are easy and much healthier and only contain a handful of ingredients!
Let’s get started!
In a large bowl, place ground pork in. Sprinkle with sugar, salt, ground pepper and ground sage. I have only ever used ground sage, but you can easily chop fresh sage fine.
Mix well with hands. I find using a spoon just doesn’t seem to mix the sage into the meat as well as your hands can. I always wear food safe gloves, but you definitely do not need to.
Sprinkle ground pork with more salt, pepper, and sage. I usually go by smell, since I have been making these for so long, but we also take a piece of meat and cook it up to taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
Roll pieces of meat into balls, place on pieces of parchment and then press flat. Place on a baking sheet and place in freezer. We freeze the patties this way so they stay individually, and then we bag them once frozen. You can easily turn these into fresh breakfast sausages if you so choose. We love the patties because they are simple and can be eaten in a sandwich!
I never make them perfect — I press them well to be sure they stick together, and are often misshaped but still taste great. They seem to shrink and puff up a bit, so I try to press them a bit more flat.
When cooking from frozen, remove from parchment and place in skillet that has been drizzled with a bit of oil.
Cook until brown and flip, about 15 to 20 minutes per side. Be sure to cook meat thorough.
These breakfast patties are perfect in any breakfast sandwich! We enjoy them with homemade buns or bread, homemade biscuits or even english muffins. They can be cut up and placed in a breakfast burrito as well or even tossed into an omelet or quiche. The options are endless!
Old Fashioned Breakfast Sausage Patties
7lbs ground pork
1/3 cup ground sage
2 tbsp sugar
1-1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Combine altogether and mix well. Form into patties. You can also cook a small piece to taste for seasonings and adjust as necessary. Place on parchment paper on a baking tray and place in freezer. Freeze 1 to 2 hours. Package the patties up. Freeze 6 months to 1 year.
To cook, there’s no need to thaw, place patties in a hot skillet with 3 to 4 tablespoons of oil. Cook until browned, flip, about 15 to 20 minutes per side or cook until no longer pink in the centre.
To assemble your breakfast sandwich, place in a toasted english muffin or fresh bun or biscuit along with cheese of choice, fried egg and any other toppings like lettuce or tomato. These sandwiches can easily be pre-made, so they are easy to grab and go.
Here’s to make a smaller batch (which is usually what we make):
2 lbs ground pork
fresh cracked pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 to 2 tbsp ground sage
Follow directions as mentioned above.
Looking for a delicious biscuit that goes wonderfully with these old fashioned breakfast sausage patties? Check out our sourdough cheesy drop biscuits here: https://www.ourcityhomestead.com/sourdough-cheesy-drop-biscuits/
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