I typically make deer sausage 50/50 and cut the pork butts up as-is. If you are making sausage with only pork, should you trim some of the fat cap off (like trim it off every other one)? Or, is it best to just add all that fat? Thanks in advance.

I've made pan sausage many times with straight pork butts. When they are 97 cents a lb and Jimmy Dean is $3.99 it's a no brainer.

ETA: No trimming necessary.

Our family and friends come together twice a year, every year, to make sausage. Once for a church fundraiser, the other for ourselves. The last couple years we've made around 7,000 pounds per year. We use straight pork butts and don't trim any fat off them. For links, the casings will have grease in them when you're cooking it, and some will poke holes in them to let the grease drain off when it's getting close to done. As far as pan sausage goes, it's just right.

my favorite deer/pork sausage is 100% pork

If you're making breakfast/pan sausage, I would leave the fat on. If you're making smoked sausage or fresh link sausage, I would probably trim it down a little. Smoked sausage is best to not exceed about 25-30% fat in my opinion.

we make straight pork out of butts all the time and use the whole thing......good stuff

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my favorite deer/pork sausage is 100% pork

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HaHa. Yeah, I hear you on that. Thanks for the replies, yall.

I did have one more question - I am not planning to smoke this batch. Just stuff and vacuum seal. I don't have to add cure if I am doing it this way, right?

You can certainly do it without cure, but just know that your shelf life will be more limited. Even vacuum sealed in the freezer. Sodium nitrite is a very effective antioxidant and will help prevent it from turning and getting an oxidized flavor while stored in the freezer. Also, when you defrost and keep in the refrigerator, the shelf life will be limited to a couple of weeks at most.

There's nothing wrong with not using cure, you just have to know the limitations.

If you're going to consume it all within the next 4-6 months, it should be fine in the freezer without cure.


Edit to add: I have smoked uncured sausage for a few hours on the pit (offset smoker using mesquite) and then hold them in the refrigerator overnight. They actually turned pink all the way through. The burning of the wood releases nitric oxide gas that acts the same way that sodium nitrite cure (pink cure salt) would act. Hence a smoke ring on BBQ. Letting it sit overnight in the fridge allowed the cure to penetrate past just the "smoke ring" level.

This might be a sufficient alternative for someone not wanting to add synthetic nitrite cure as an ingredient.

I can't say it will work every time, but it worked once that I noticed. Just a thought.

For making breakfast sausage, I'd suggest actually buying pork fat to add in. Otherwise it'll be too lean imo.

Thanks. I didn't realize it actually affected the freezer life. We usually make enough to last a year or so, so I think I will just put it in.

Bonfire97 said:

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my favorite deer/pork sausage is 100% pork

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HaHa. Yeah, I hear you on that. Thanks for the replies, yall.

I did have one more question - I am not planning to smoke this batch. Just stuff and vacuum seal. I don't have to add cure if I am doing it this way, right?

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Nope, no cure required. Just make sure you cook it all the way when its time to cook. 152F internal temp for link sausage. Pan sausage is no different than any other when you cook it.

You really need to get the "Great Sausage Recipes & Meat Curing" book by Kutas Rytek. He doesn't take any short cuts and will let you know when and when not to add cure to meat.

You must add cure if you plan on smoking. Fresh sausage doesn't need it. I have fresh sausage with no cure that was vacuum sealed for over a year and it is still just a good now as it was when I made it.

Bonfire97 said:

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Thanks. I didn't realize it actually affected the freezer life. We usually make enough to last a year or so, so I think I will just put it in.

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I don't add cure to my ground burger or coarse ground - just mix the venison and pork/brisket and grind. Vacuum seal. Haven't yet had a problem with shelf life.

I don't think adding cure will hurt anything, but I prefer to have it just ground where I can add whatever seasoning I want based on what I'm cooking as I'm cooking so I know how much is being added. That's just me though, but vacuum sealed will last a year in the freezer no problem at all, especially if you do a good job getting air our and sealing.

Thanks for all the info everyone. With all that said, I may just try it without cure. I really like that "fresh sausage" gray-in-the-middle look when you BBQ it. It's more like "old time German" sausage that way, in my opinion.

I still haven't found a breakfast pan sausage seasoning I like yet. If anyone has one close to Jimmy Dean please post it up. I'm about to do some grinding soon.

straight pork butts?

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I still haven't found a breakfast pan sausage seasoning I like yet. If anyone has one close to Jimmy Dean please post it up. I'm about to do some grinding soon.

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Schmellba99 (posted above) actually has one listed in this thread that looks pretty good. I might try it this year:

Venison Breakfast Sausage Recipe? - Page 2 | TexAgs

I like the Texjoy OF (old fashioned) seasoning for pan sausage.

AC Legg Blend 10 is the gold standard for pork breakfast sausage, but only if you like sage.

Bonfire97 said:

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I typically make deer sausage 50/50 and cut the pork butts up as-is. If you are making sausage with only pork, should you trim some of the fat cap off (like trim it off every other one)? Or, is it best to just add all that fat? Thanks in advance.

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Not only no, but hell no.

Wodanaz said:

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I still haven't found a breakfast pan sausage seasoning I like yet. If anyone has one close to Jimmy Dean please post it up. I'm about to do some grinding soon.

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Zach's seasonings out of Pasadena has a hot breakfast sausage seasoning that is nails.

https://www.zachspice.com/collections/sausage-seasonings/products/old-fashion-pork-sausage-seasoning-hot-for-25-of-sausage

I'll try it. My kids like the Reo #3 but I like a little heat. Looks like the same blend just hotter. Gracias.

ETA: I ordered some of the recs above too so y'all don't get your feelings hurt. I'm gonna try them all 25# at a time.

I use the "hot" version in the link below. You need to add more cayenne if you really want it hot.

https://www.budget101.com/recipes/3886-copycat-jimmy-dean-breakfast-sausage/

ETA: On closer look, it seems this is Schmellba's recipe.

Jimmy Dean copycat recipes:

Hot Breakfast sausage

You'll Need:
16 ounces ground pork
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more, depending on how hot you want it!)
1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon msg (*Optional, but this is what they use)


Maple breakfast sausage

You'll Need:
16 ounces ground pork
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon msg (*Optional, but this is what they use)
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper


Regular (Plain)

You'll Need:
16 ounces ground pork
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon MSG (such as Accent Flavor Enhancer)

Be aware that adding a cure to unsmoked sausage will change the color and texture significantly. When cooked, the sausage will turn pink like a ham and have firmer texture. It will not cook up gray like normal pan sausage.

I cure everything that goes in the smokehouse and nothing that doesn't. I have never had an issue with uncured sausage degrading in quality in a year or more. We vacuum pack everything except pan sausage. Pan sausage goes in poly bags.

Curing prevents botulism growth in which a smokehouse provides near ideal conditions. Fresh meats going straight to the freezer, not so much.

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I'll try it. My kids like the Reo #3 but I like a little heat. Looks like the same blend just hotter. Gracias.

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Wodanaz, is the Reo #3 pretty close to Jimmy Dean?

It's as close as I've gotten so far. The taste is probably spot on but I can't get the texture to match. Mine is always more dense. Going to try a bigger grind plate this time to see if I can get a better mimic.

Make couple hundred lbs of sausage every year. Only thing we use cure on is summer sausage.

Just tried making some breakfast sausage with some Reo #3. It is almost the exact flavor of Jimmy Dean. Really good stuff!

Personally, I would run a couple of small batches with varying fat trimmed. You'll like the taste of the no trim option best but it's certainly possible that you'd prefer some trimmed.

We keep a cast iron skillet hot while we are grinding sausage so we can sample before fully committing to running a batch. It is really helpful for me.