Indiana Farm Sausage
Submitted by sandylad
Indiana farm sausage is a homemade country breakfast sausage seasoned with sage, marjoram, thyme, and a kick of chili. Shape into logs or marble-sized balls for easy freezing.
YIELD
4 dozenPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
6 hrsHomemade breakfast sausage is one of those kitchen projects that’s absurdly easy once you realize how few ingredients are really involved. This Indiana farm-style version leans on classic sage and thyme, but adds chili powder and a pinch of red pepper flakes for the kind of gentle warmth that wakes you up alongside the coffee.
The overnight rest in the fridge is what separates this from a quick mix-and-fry. Chilling gives the salt and spices time to penetrate the meat and the mixture firms up enough to slice into clean patties.
Shape it into logs for sliceable patties, or roll into marble-sized balls that bake from frozen straight into a hot cold oven for party pickups. Serve with scrambled eggs, biscuits, or crumbled into sausage gravy.
Kitchen Tips
- Use ground pork with at least 20 percent fat. Leaner grinds make dry, crumbly sausage no matter how much seasoning you use.
- Mix with a light hand, just enough to distribute the seasonings. Overworking turns the texture rubbery.
- Fry over medium-low, not medium-high. Fresh sausage patties burn outside before cooking through when the pan is too hot.
- Cook a small test patty first to check seasoning, then adjust salt or spice before shaping the full batch. This is the professional trick for any ground-meat recipe.
Variations
- Add a tablespoon of pure maple syrup for a classic sweet breakfast sausage.
- Swap ground pork for ground turkey and add an extra tablespoon of oil or grated apple to keep it moist.
- Stir in a teaspoon of fennel seed and drop the chili for Italian-leaning sausage that’s great in pasta sauce.
Ingredients
Directions
In a deep bowl, combine all ingredients, using hands if necessary.
On wax paper, shape and roll mixture into 2 logs 6 inches long and 2 inches in diameter.
Wrap in plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate overnight.
To serve, slice the rolls into rounds about ½ inch thick and fry in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until done.
Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.
An alternate way to prepare sausage is to shape mixture into 50 large marble-size balls.
Freeze if desired. To serve, bake frozen on a rack, starting in a cold oven for 20 minutes at 325℉ (160℃).
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