I was searching for the perfect sausage recipe. I discovered I don’t like a sausage that is heavily flavored with sage. My ideal tasting sausage was Jimmy Dean’s sausage which, of course, contains MSG.
I needed to find a recipe that would keep me from occasionally caving and eating Jimmy Dean. While watching one of my favorite YouTube shows, 18th Century Cooking, I saw their Oxford Gate sausage recipe from Martha Washington’s Book of Cookery which seemed ideal! I’ve modified it below.
This sausage is the ideal breakfast sausage. It wouldn’t work well as a sausage with marinara sauce. It’s great alongside eggs or in an omelette. If I don’t want to eat cheese, it’s also a great, easy snack on the go.
The original recipe for this called for suet, which is rendered kidney fat. The suet melts while cooking and creates a lighter patty. That’s not something I usually have on hand but this recipe works just as well without it. If you don’t mind a denser patty (think like a hamburger) than you’ll enjoy this sausage without the suet.
This is a dairy free, egg free sausage recipe which is great if you’re not currently tolerating either.
You’ll notice a spice used in this recipe is Blade Mace. Blade mace is the shell that surrounds and protects nutmeg. Mace has a sharper taste than nutmeg but if you don’t have blade mace, equal amounts of ground nutmeg can be substituted.
What will you eat alongside this sausage?
Ingredients for How to Make Your Own Sausage:
1 lb fresh ground pork
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
½ tsp Ground Pepper
¼ tsp Blade Mace, coarsely ground
1 ½ tsp Sage
¼ tsp Ground Cloves
2 - 3 tbsp Lard
Directions for How to Make Your Own Sausage:
In a large bowl, mix the meat with the spices.
Heat a cast iron pan on low to medium heat. Add 2 - 3 tbsp of lard to the pan, enough to give yourself a good amount of cooking fat. If your pan is too hot, your sausages will burn!
Roll sausages into finger like shapes. Add them to a pan, a small amount at a time.
These need tending! As soon as you can, move them on the bottom of the pan to prevent them from burning. Then roll them gently to cook on all sides. Because they are thicker and take longer to cook, you do need to roll them a bit to prevent them cooking too long on one side.
Cook the sausage for about 5-7 minutes, depending on how thick you make them. They will start to feel more solid as they cook.
Enjoy warm or cold! Cold sausage tastes more salty to me so if you plan to eat them cold, adjust your salt slightly. These also freeze extremely well, cooked or raw! I cooked and took a large batch of them with me when I went hunting and ate them for breakfast cold.