Skip to main content

Elk Breakfast Sausage

 


I love breakfast.  I love mornings when we have time to make a big breakfast, and sit together at the table to enjoy it.  This time of year it is cold early in the morning, and I relish those days when we can wait just long enough for the sunshine to start spreading across the dining table, warming up the house.  

Of course, breakfast is not usually set to such ideal conditions. We are usually rushing to get ready for school and work, and don't often have the luxury of time and relaxation. That means that quick healthy breakfasts are coveted by this busy mom!

When we processed the elk I recently harvested, we ended up with a lot of cuts of meat best suited for the grinder. We decided that along with our standard burger, we wanted to make breakfast sausage as well. I use so much burger throughout the year, in pasta, casseroles, chili, and a ton of other meals. But we often overlook breakfast in our planning.  Not this year!

In the past when I have made breakfast sausage we have packaged it ground in a bag, and I make the patties while cooking, or just crumble the meat up into scrambled eggs.  As I said earlier, mornings are so busy around here, and I wanted to take the time now, to make things easier for myself later. I decided I wanted to freeze my sausage in patties, so I could just toss them right into the pan in the morning.  


I ended up "flash-freezing" the patties on cookie sheets, then vacuum sealing them in packages of four and six.  This was a pretty simple process, and I would encourage you to do the same!  I know I will be happy with all of the work I did upfront, when I am rushing to feed my family before work this winter!

I came up with this recipe based upon flavors I love. I think food should be personal, so feel free to use my recipe as a jumping off point, and change things up wherever you want!


Elk Breakfast Sausage

Amounts listed are all per pound of meat. This recipe could be made with any form of venison, and I'm sure it would all be delicious.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups bacon, sliced
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika

 Process:

Mix the bacon slices and chunks of elk meat and feed through the grinder using a medium or large grinding plate. Set the mixture aside. Mix the remaining ingredients well, and add to the elk and bacon mixture.  Do this in small portions to try and distribute the ingredients and evenly as possible.  Now change the grinding plate to a small grind.  Feed the mixture back through the grinder once more.

Once all of the sausage has gone through the grinder it is time to form the patties! Roll small balls of sausage in your hands, and then flatten into a patty about the size of your palm. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or freezer paper, and place patties on the sheet. I layered stacks of patties, three high, with paper in between.  Place in the freezer for twenty to thirty minutes, until firm. Place patties into ziplock freezer bags or vacuum seal, and label! When ready to cook, fry in a pan over medium heat in olive oil until cooked through. 

Enjoy!




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A Walk in the Woods (aka Grouse Hunting)

Following my hubby through the woods. I bought a hunting license this year. That statement may not be shocking to most of you, but it is if you’ve known me in my younger years.  I grew up in a family of ranchers, although we stopped ranching when I was a little girl, and beef was always on the menu.  Hunting, however, was a foreign concept.  There were certainly members of my extended family who hunted, but it was not something I was ever exposed to.  In high school I became very attached to one of the steers we were raising for meat, and I swore off red meat.  Several family members love to tell the story of Chrissy the Vegetarian, but I was far from it.  I never gave up chicken or pork.  Especially not bacon, because, it's bacon.  Enough said. When I met my husband I had no understanding of why someone would hunt, and although I didn't really think it was wrong, I didn't think it was something I would ever really support, let alone partic...

The Best Turkey Broth Ever

 We raised turkeys this year for the first time.  We had been talking about raising meat birds for some time, and had planned on starting with chickens, but the opportunity to raise Broad Breasted White turkeys came along, and we just jumped in.   Raising these turkeys has been a wonderful experience, and one we plan on repeating next year.  These birds were personable, and so fun to visit with every day.  It was eye opening and emotional for me to raise and butcher my own meat, but I am so glad I did.  Find out more about our journey raising turkeys here.   Now I want to talk broth!  I use broth in practically everything I make.  I buy so much chicken broth at the grocery store, I would be scared to add up my total cost!  Therefore, making my own broth has been top on my list of homesteading chores.  I have made a lot of broth over the years, and this is my favorite way to do it, so I thought I'd share it with you.  ...