Seasonings for pork sausage?!!!!!!

[Sharon of the Dell]

Re: Seasonings for pork sausage?!!!!!!

Just for an F.Y.I...........

My paternal grandfather killed and butchered his own pigs all of his life. Cured hams and shoulders, bacon, "and" made sausage and livermush/scrapple.

All the seasonings you really need for sausage, at least southern style, is salt, pepper, red pepper if you like a bit of bite, and sage!! The sage is the ticket. It will be what makes it pop. I've had it both with and without and it's bland without it. There's still an old farmer near us that raises and kills pigs each fall and winter and makes sausage. That's the seasonings he uses and it is "good."

I agree, sage is the key! Nothing makes wild game taste better! I use it on store bought fowl and pork.
I like your simple recipe, I went kind of over board on the spices and herbs.

[BobD (Archive)]

Re: Seasonings for pork sausage?!!!!!!

I can appreciate the work you did, Sharon! My wife and I were not raised on a farm, and we had no idea how to butcher a hog, so we took the one we bought to the same folks who butcher the half steer we get. I'm shocked at how much meat there is in a hog (and in a half-steer). We've got a chest freezer stuffed with port and beef. But with three growing boys, we go through it quickly.

Bob

[Sharon of the Dell]

Re: Seasonings for pork sausage?!!!!!!

I would like to try making some homemade sausage also. Thanks for this post. Paul

Hi Paul, you asked, so here it is! LOL To the best of my recollection. I should of wrote things down, but I didn't!

Sage- about 2 tsp- ?. would have used more, but it was the last I had.

Italian herbs- 2 tsp-?

granulated garlic- at least a TBSP, maybe 3 tablespoons?- we love it!

crushed red pepper- 1/2 tsp-?

smoked paprika- probably about 4 TBSP, I love paprika, so lots for me and any kind would work.

pepper 2 tsp

ground nutmeg 1tsp

ground ginger 1 tsp

cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp

crushed or ground coriander seed 1 tsp

ground cumin seed 1/2 tsp

oregano 1/2 tsp

Costco's Kirkland brand no salt organic seasoning, but Mrs. Dash would work- 3 or 4 TBSP or was it teaspoons?!!!

I mixed them all up in my blender. It made quite a bit! I used about half of it in the pork, 6 to 8lbs(?). Using my heavy duty kitchen aid mixer with the flat beater, better than doing it by hand.
Then I added about 2 tsp of sea salt.
2 TBSP sugar
Also added about 3/4 cup cheap Gallo white Rhine wine

I had to mix it up in 2 to 4 batches in the Kithcen aid bowl, then finished mixing it all by hand in a huge bowl.

It's pretty spicy and a bit on the warm side. Our 9 yr old grandson ate it, but it was too warm for our 11 yr old grand daughter.

I would do like Claude said and taste some of the seasoning before you add it to the pork.
Go easy on the seasonings, cook a little up and see how it tastes, then if it needs more you can add more spices.

My disclaimer- I'm not responsible for any heartburn or digestive problems that may incur from my recipe! LOL

[Sharon of the Dell]

Re: Seasonings for pork sausage?!!!!!!

Hi Bob, both my folks were raised on farms.
Until I was around 8, we raised sheep and had a steer we raised. My dad went hunting every year and fished a lot, so we always ate good healthy meat. Plus we always had a big veggie garden and canned and froze the bounty from it.
We have raised pigs with my son's ex in-laws at their place. I hate keeping animals in a small confined pen, which is what they/we did. Another friend brought over old donuts (yuck)and scraps from restaurants to feed them. That was some of the nastiest tasting meat I have ever had!
So I was happy for the wild pork.At least they got to have a good life and good food before they died!
Plus pigs are smarter than dogs. They will respond to a name like a dog does. They get excited to see their people like any pet will. I was glad to have the wild pork, because I get too attached! Pigs aren't filthy animals if given enough room to roam, they just like to wallow in the mud to stay cool and to protect their skin. If they are in a small pen, they wallow in that and get really stinky, hence the term, smells like a hog pen!

[BobD (Archive)]

Re: Seasonings for pork sausage?!!!!!!

I agree. This pork is so much better than the stuff you buy in stores. The beef as well. The guy we get the pigs and cows from is a friend of the family. The steer is grass-fed black angus, and he is also careful about what he feeds the hogs. The county landfill is near my parent's house, and after seeing the bears eating from the landfill, we decided that we really didn't want to go bear hunting...

Bob

[Sharon of the Dell]

Re: Seasonings for pork sausage?!!!!!!

Bob, I saw a show on PBS a while back that said grass fed beef and the milk from cows raised that way is about the same as eating cold water fish, it will actually lower bad cholesterol.
I got sick the two times I tried bear. Maybe that's why!

[sbarnhardt]

Re: Seasonings for pork sausage?!!!!!!

This has absolutely nothing to do with sausage, or how to make it.

But my paternal grandfather, the same one that made the sausage, etc., dearly loved to eat roast possums/opossums. He would catch them in his rabbit traps, put them in an old wooden barrel and feed them corn, etc. for a couple weeks. Called it "cleaning them out." Then he would kill them, dress them, and my grandmother would roast them for him in the oven. Think like a beef roast with potatoes, carrots, onions, etc. arranged in and/or around it. They'd always want to invite some of the family up to eat when they did that. Of course, there was always something else to eat. But I remember one time, and the point here is "one" time, he talked me into trying some of that. As folks are fond of saying when they're texting.......OMG.......that was the greasiest lump of anything I'd ever had in my mouth before that or since. The more I chewed it, the bigger it got. Like the raven said..... Never Again,Never Again!!

[Sharon of the Dell]

Re: Seasonings for pork sausage?!!!!!!

This has absolutely nothing to do with sausage, or how to make it.

But my paternal grandfather, the same one that made the sausage, etc., dearly loved to eat roast possums/opossums. He would catch them in his rabbit traps, put them in an old wooden barrel and feed them corn, etc. for a couple weeks. Called it "cleaning them out." Then he would kill them, dress them, and my grandmother would roast them for him in the oven. Think like a beef roast with potatoes, carrots, onions, etc. arranged in and/or around it. They'd always want to invite some of the family up to eat when they did that. Of course, there was always something else to eat. But I remember one time, and the point here is "one" time, he talked me into trying some of that. As folks are fond of saying when they're texting.......OMG.......that was the greasiest lump of anything I'd ever had in my mouth before that or since. The more I chewed it, the bigger it got. Like the raven said..... Never Again,Never Again!!

hahahahahaha! You made me spit my coffee all over the monitor!!!!

[idigjars]

Re: Seasonings for pork sausage?!!!!!!

Hi Sharon! Thank you for posting your recipe. Can't wait to try making my own sausage. Take care. Paul

[Eddy-Smiles]

Re: Seasonings for pork sausage?!!!!!!

Sorry Sharon, I know that they call that the other "white meat" but it's still "red" to me and I haven't eaten "red" meat in over 40-years! But I've got a great recipe for turkey kielbasa kapusta that I can give ya!

[Donsexton]

Re: Seasonings for pork sausage?!!!!!!

Try this per one pound of ground pork ½ cup of dried and chopped cherries ½ cup of toasted and chopped pecans ½ cup of sweet basil ½ cup chopped shallots 1 table spoon of finely ground black pepper ½ table spoon finely ground nutmeg and 1 table spoon kosher salt. Mix all the ingredients together let stand overnight in the fridge then force them into a small natural casing 4” links. Fill your smoker with apple wood chips and cold smoke for no more than 30 minutes.

[Sharon of the Dell]

Re: Seasonings for pork sausage?!!!!!!

Eddy, that sounds good too! My guys go turkey hunting also, so I'd give it a shot, pun intended!

[Sharon of the Dell]

Re: Seasonings for pork sausage?!!!!!!

Don, I'm writing that down. Sounds really good!
I put dried fruit and pecans in my turkey dressing, so I know this would be delicious!

[Brian T]

Re: Seasonings for pork sausage?!!!!!!

Tonight's "experimental dinner" will be my first crack at Chinese Spring Rolls (pork). I have Black Bean sauce, 2 yr-old home-made plum sauce and probably make a Sweet & Sour sauce. The recipe reads that I can freeze them and deep fry straight from that. The convenience of having the meat & veggies all in one package. Bison trumps cow meat every day.

[Sharon of the Dell]

Re: Seasonings for pork sausage?!!!!!!

Tonight's "experimental dinner" will be my first crack at Chinese Spring Rolls (pork). I have Black Bean sauce, 2 yr-old home-made plum sauce and probably make a Sweet & Sour sauce. The recipe reads that I can freeze them and deep fry straight from that. The convenience of having the meat & veggies all in one package. Bison trumps cow meat every day.

Yum on those spring rolls! My daughter makes some awesome ones.
I've only had Bison once or twice and I'd have to agree with you.
Elk is some darn good meat too.
Enjoy your dinner, I'm cooking up clam chowder for this stormy evening.