Country Pork Sausage

Packaged sausage is expensive and contains corn syrup, a lot of salt, and usually some mystery ingredients (DHA? natural flavorings?) as well as Modified Food Starch or dextrose, which are gluten ingredients.  I never knew I could make my own sausage, thinking there was some magic to it.  There is no magic and you can customize it to your own tastes.  You can add ingredients like sun dried tomatoes or dried apple pieces, if those are things that lure you to try the packaged stuff. 

Unlike baking which requires measuring exact amounts of ingredients to make chemical magic in the oven, when cooking, I rarely measure ingredients.  I dump in a little or a lot depending on my mood.  To test for flavor, I place a small ball of sausage on a paper plate and microwave for about 20 seconds.  Allow it to cool slightly before tasting.

Country Pork Sausage

1 Lb. organic ground pork
1/2 Tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander (optional)
2 Tablespoons honey (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl then press into a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Don't worry too much about the shape, just try to get everything to an equal thickness, about 1/4 inch thick for even cooking.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes, until the fat starts to pool around the edges.  Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before cutting into portions.

Place portions side by side (with a little room between) in a plastic zipper bag and freeze, laying on a flat surface.  This isn't always easy in my freezer, by the way.

I eat mine in the morning so I like it a little sweet and not too spicy.  If you like very spicy sausage, add more crushed red pepper.






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