Breakfast Sausage

5 LB ground pork (I get 15% fat, up to 24% will work just fine)
2 ½ TBSP salt
1TBSP white pepper
1/2 TBSP sage
½ TBSP thyme
1 ½ tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. marjoram
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cups ice cold water

In a small bowl combine seasonings and mix well, set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine ground pork, seasonings and cold water. Mix with your hands (I prefer to use gloves while mixing) until seasoning are thoroughly mixed in. The meat should look a little darker and you should not see any collected concentrations of seasonings. Pack it into a corner of your mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for half an hour.

While meat is marinating you must do the most important step in sausage making. That is to cook and taste the sausage you are making. You cannot adjust the seasoning to sausage once it is cooked, so while the seasoning is marinating into the meat, cook a small amount in a skillet to see if you need more of anything.

After 30 minutes of marinating, either cook over medium heat, then freeze for later use or divide into small patties and freeze raw.

*****
It is so nice having a great sausage recipe! This one has a strong bold flavor and I love the depth it adds to a dish. Everyone has unique preferences for their favorite sausage so use this as a starting point and adjust the seasonings to your taste. You can try adding some ground fennel seeds, some extra sage or a little maple syrup. I prefer to cook the entire batch all at once, then freeze for later use. Use in breakfast burritos or as a pizza topping. Recipe courtesy of Chef Bob Ballantyne.