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I’ve written in the past how we try to go grain free in our household a day or two each week, usually on the weekend. The practice isn’t necessary as no one is gluten sensitive or has allergies in our home, but my husband and I have been practicing this since last summer when we both came off a few months on GAPS. During that time, we realized just how heavy in grains the Western diet truly is and how beneficial regular and frequent digestive breaks from them can be.
Grains are the hardest foods to digest, after all, which is why nearly all gut healing diets exclude them. This includes GAPS, SCD, and Autoimmune Paleo (AIP).
The kids generally dislike this practice as they all really enjoy toast or sourdough bagels for breakfast. Lately, though, they’ve warmed to the idea as they’ve been getting a homemade breakfast sausage from a local farm and they really love it!
My husband actually came up with the idea. Our favorite sausage from a local farm was back-ordered, and we were desperate for a breakfast sausage fix. So, hubby decided to try his hand at creating his own with some excellent quality pastured ground pork and five different spices.
I am happy to report that this breakfast sausage recipe turned out fantastic! In fact, the majority vote in the house is that Dad’s homemade sausage is the yummiest they’ve tasted yet!
I don’t think we’ll be going back to store-bought ones, since this recipe is so easy to make, tastes better, and is more budget-friendly.
Homemade Breakfast Sausage
Below is the easy breakfast sausage recipe we use in our home with suggested substitutions that work well. I truly hope you enjoy it courtesy of my husband’s creativity in the kitchen!
Love breakfast sausage? You may wish to try this pastured meatballs recipe too.

Breakfast Sausage Recipe
Easy, delicious breakfast sausage recipe flavored with herbs you probably already have in your spice drawer.
Ingredients
- 1 pound pastured pork or ground turkey
- 1 large egg preferably pastured, lightly beaten
- 2 Tbl butter softened
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin preferably organic
- 1/4 tsp ground oregano preferably organic
- 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper preferably organic
- 1/2 tsp dried basil preferably organic
- 1/2 tsp thyme preferably organic
- 2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
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Mix all ingredients together and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour or so. This allows the flavors to blend.
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Form the chilled meat into small patties and cook on the stovetop in a frypan until cooked through.
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Time saving tip: Make a bunch of homemade breakfast sausage patties ahead of time to freeze for quick breakfasts on the go! Separate patties in the storage container using parchment paper.
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Refrigerate any leftovers. They will be good to reheat and enjoy for several days.
Recipe Notes
If using ground pork for this recipe, it is best to marinate in 1 cup of apple cider vinegar for 1 hour in the refrigerator first. Dry the marinated meat thoroughly with paper towels or a clean dishtowel before proceeeding.
Ground turkey may be substituted for the ground pastured pork as desired. Ground turkey does not require marinating.
Ghee may be substituted for the butter.
Hi, Just bought a WHOLE pastured pig raised by another WP member. I need some advice regarding soaking ground pork. I am soaking 1# of ground pork in 1/3 to 1/2 C of ACV in preparation to make your breakfast sausage. The ground pork soaked up almost ALL of the Braggs ACV. I have squeezed it a lot in white paper towels and maybe a half tablespoon of drips has come out. The rest of the 1/2 C of ACV got absorbed. The towels are dampened from squeezing but not dripping wet. Question 1: SHOULD I EXPECT the ground pork to absorb most of the ACV??? Appreciate your thoughts since I have more than 60-70 1# packages of lean ground pork in my freezer. Question 2: Can I soak a roast or chops for a few hours in the fridge in ACV then use the same vinegar to soak 1# of ground pork overnight in the fridge, knowing that the ACV will get absorbed by the ground pork?? I assume parasites are killed by the ACV but remain in the ground pork. I have already soaked both thick, as well as thin pork chops which did absorb some of the ACV and tasted fine. I soaked 2 roasts on 2 different occasions which came out quite sour after each was cooked but still acceptable. I greatly appreciate that you posted this info on soaking pork because prior to reading your article I cooked about 6 meals (un-soaked) and I felt sluggish (not great) after eating these un-soaked meals. I felt fine after eating the soaked pork. Thanks much, Kathy
Hello,
the part about marinating it is very interesting. Why do we have to do this and do we rinse the ground meat after and dry it?
Thanks
I make my own sausage also, and did start by marinating in vinegar, but it was so messy. Now I just add all the spices and salt and put in the fridge over night or longer. This seems to take care of the pork side effects. I am very sensitive to the blood effects that un cured pork has on people. This is also the way old traditions cured, by salt and herbs.
We have purchased pastured pork from a local farmer for years but I have never gone the extra step to soak it in vinegar. Thanks for this information. I have a question about the sausage we purchase from the farmer – it is already mixed up. Do I just soak it in vinegar as I would regular ground pork? Thanks!
If the sausage is cured and aged, then you do not need to marinade.