How to Prepare Bulk Sausage

Sausage is one of my personal favorite morning foods. The simplicity, ease of preparation, and yet versatility of this traditional breakfast meat puts it at the top of my list. We are sometimes asked though, what is the best way to prepare bulk sausage. Not everyone is used to purchasing sausage in this form.

First the basic.. What is bulk sausage? Simply put, sausage is a combination of meat and fat, ground and mixed together with spices, and delivered in a package of some sort without being pressed into a skin or casing.  The spices used can range anywhere from exotic and flavorful to basic and light.

When you purchase pork from little sprouts farm, we always recommend turning a good portion of it into sausage, and having it only lightly seasoned with basic spices like salt. This is how we have our own sausage packaged at the butcher. Doing a light seasoning on the sausage itself allows you versatility at preparation time to create any flavor you desire, and a different flavor each day.  Here's a simple recipe we use:

1 lb bulk sausage (hopefully from Little Sprouts pastured heritage organically fed pork)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 to 2 teaspoon dried herb (my favorite is Thyme, but rosemary also works well)

Simply mix the sausage and spices in a small bowl, being careful to ensure an even mix throughout. You can then either form the sausage into patties or just drop it in the pan crumbled. Either way cook until just starting to brown on the edges and all pink is gone in the thickest parts.

You can use any combination of spices or flavorings. Dress it up with a little jalapeno, brighten it with some soy sauce, soften it with a little milk, or whatever flavor strikes you as tasty. Be aware though not to add too much flavor. Too much flavor will hide the good taste of the pork. When working with commercial factory created store bought sausage heavy spices are necessary to create flavor, but when you start with farm fresh naturally raised pork the meat and fat itself has flavor and texture that are enjoyable and healthy. Hiding that natural goodness is a shame.

Its always important to remember that naturally raised meats are entirely different in texture and flavor from factory produced meats commonly purchased in the grocery store. The recipes used should be adjusted for this fundamental and significant difference. Adding too much flavor to an already flavored meat is both unnecessary and prevent enjoying the true flavor of the meat itself.

So unwrap a package of Little Sprouts bulk sausage and ask yourself... which flavor explosion do I want to enjoy today?!?!