Breakfast sausage
Encyclopedia
Breakfast sausage is a type of fresh pork
sausage
usually served at breakfast in the United States. It is a common breakfast item in traditional American "farmer" or "country" breakfasts, as it originated as a way for farmers to make use of as much of their livestock (usually pigs) as possible. Often, scraps and trimmings that would ordinarily have been fed to a dog or discarded were instead ground, seasoned, refrigerated and later consumed by the farmer as an inexpensive, high-protein morning meal.
Breakfast sausage is not cured or smoked. It is essentially highly seasoned ground meat
, so it does not keep and should be stored and handled appropriately. Newer variations made from pork and beef
mixtures as well as poultry
can now be found. There are also vegetarian varieties that use textured vegetable protein in place of meat. In America, the predominant spices used for seasoning are pepper
and sage
, although there are varieties also seasoned with cayenne pepper, or even maple syrup. Some breakfast sausage is flavored with cured ham
.
Most commonly served as patties or slices from a large roll, breakfast sausage also comes in links of various lengths and diameters. It is normally fried in a pan. Some people like to pour ketchup
or other condiments like maple syrup
onto their breakfast sausages. Cooked breakfast sausage is also commonly mixed into egg
casserole
s before baking, and is a central component of sausage gravy. Sausage patties are commonly sold on an english muffin with cheese and egg at fast food restaurants, and can also be sold on toast, biscuits and croissants.
Some common US brands include: Bob Evans
, Jimmy Dean
, Purnell's Old Folks Country Sausage
, Tennessee Pride, Johnsonville
and Jones
.
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
sausage
Sausage
A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
usually served at breakfast in the United States. It is a common breakfast item in traditional American "farmer" or "country" breakfasts, as it originated as a way for farmers to make use of as much of their livestock (usually pigs) as possible. Often, scraps and trimmings that would ordinarily have been fed to a dog or discarded were instead ground, seasoned, refrigerated and later consumed by the farmer as an inexpensive, high-protein morning meal.
Breakfast sausage is not cured or smoked. It is essentially highly seasoned ground meat
Ground meat
Ground meat is meat finely chopped by a meat grinder or a chopping knife. It is called minced meat or more usually mince outside North America....
, so it does not keep and should be stored and handled appropriately. Newer variations made from pork and beef
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
mixtures as well as poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
can now be found. There are also vegetarian varieties that use textured vegetable protein in place of meat. In America, the predominant spices used for seasoning are pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
and sage
Common sage
Salvia officinalis is a small, perennial, evergreen subshrub, with woody stems, grayish leaves, and blue to purplish flowers. It is a member of the family Lamiaceae and is native to the Mediterranean region, though it has naturalized in many places throughout the world...
, although there are varieties also seasoned with cayenne pepper, or even maple syrup. Some breakfast sausage is flavored with cured ham
Ham
Ham is a cut of meat from the thigh of the hind leg of certain animals, especiallypigs. Nearly all hams sold today are fully cooked or cured.-Etymology:...
.
Most commonly served as patties or slices from a large roll, breakfast sausage also comes in links of various lengths and diameters. It is normally fried in a pan. Some people like to pour ketchup
Ketchup
Ketchup is a sweet-and-tangy condiment typically made from tomatoes, vinegar, sugar or high-fructose corn syrup and an assortment of...
or other condiments like maple syrup
Maple syrup
Maple syrup is a syrup usually made from the xylem sap of sugar maple, red maple, or black maple trees, although it can also be made from other maple species such as the bigleaf maple. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before the winter; the starch is then...
onto their breakfast sausages. Cooked breakfast sausage is also commonly mixed into egg
Egg (food)
Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes...
casserole
Casserole
A casserole, from the French for "saucepan", is a large, deep dish used both in the oven and as a serving vessel. The word casserole is also used for the food cooked and served in such a vessel, with the cookware itself called a casserole dish or casserole pan...
s before baking, and is a central component of sausage gravy. Sausage patties are commonly sold on an english muffin with cheese and egg at fast food restaurants, and can also be sold on toast, biscuits and croissants.
Some common US brands include: Bob Evans
Bob Evans Restaurants
Bob Evans Farms, Inc. is a food service, processing, and retail company based in Columbus, Ohio. The company is named after its founder, Bob Evans . It operates two family dining restaurant chains in the United States, Bob Evans Restaurants and Mimi's Cafe...
, Jimmy Dean
Jimmy Dean (brand)
Jimmy Dean Foods is a food company that was founded in 1969 by the late country singer and actor Jimmy Dean who died in the summer of 2010. It was purchased by Consolidated Foods, later renamed Sara Lee Corporation.-History:...
, Purnell's Old Folks Country Sausage
Purnell's Old Folks Country Sausage
Purnell's "Old Folks" Country Sausage is a brand of breakfast sausage that is manufactured in Simpsonville, Kentucky, by the F.B. Purnell Sausage Company....
, Tennessee Pride, Johnsonville
Johnsonville Foods
Johnsonville Sausage is a Wisconsin-based sausage producer, founded in 1945 by Ralph F. & Alice Stayer. Johnsonville Sausage produces various varieties of sausage including fresh bratwurst, Italian sausage, smoked-cooked links and fresh breakfast sausage links...
and Jones
Jones Dairy Farm
Jones Dairy Farm is a family-owned and -operated food company that has been making all natural sausage, ham, Canadian bacon, bacon, scrapple, and liver sausage since 1889.- History :...
.