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Pronghorn breakfast sausage with fresh sage and garlic
A flavor-packed breakfast sausage that's easy to make at home
Darby Doyle
Communications Team Coordinator
Any type of big game meat can become a terrific sausage, but the already sage-forward flavor of pronghorn makes especially delicious breakfast sausage. Pan-fried as patties, stuffed into casings or crumbled into gravy, this flavorful sausage is sure to be a family-friendly favorite.
Pronghorn breakfast sausage
Makes about 5 pounds sausage
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds trimmed pronghorn (or any combination of big game meat)
- 2 ½ pounds pork butt (or shoulder)
- ⅓ cup fresh sage (finely chopped and packed into the measuring cup)
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh garlic
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup ice water
Directions
Step 1
Dice all of the big game meat and pork into ½-inch cubes (cut fatty pieces even smaller) and keep refrigerated until you're ready to mix the sausage.
Step 2
In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for the ice water. Toss with your hands or two large spoons to evenly distribute the ingredients. Cover tightly with plastic wrap (press the plastic wrap onto the surface of the meat) and refrigerate until ready to grind, about 12-24 hours.
Step 3
Prepare a chilled setup for grinding: Place a large bowl inside another larger bowl (or a rimmed baking dish) filled with ice, and place the entire bowl setup under the grinder plate. Grind the spiced meat mixture through a medium die into the chilled bowl.
Step 4
Using a wooden spoon or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, thoroughly combine the ground meat mixture using the lowest speed setting. A tablespoon at a time, add the ice water and keep mixing until all is evenly combined.
Increase the mixer speed to medium for about one minute (or keep mixing vigorously with a spoon for 2-3 minutes). The resulting sausage will be quite sticky.
Step 5
Check the level of seasoning: In a skillet, sauté a quarter-sized piece of sausage until cooked through. Taste, and adjust seasoning to add more salt or spice as desired, mixing in thoroughly to distribute the new additions.
Step 6
If you intend to use this as a loose sausage or for patties or crumble, divide it into portions for refrigeration (up to one week) or freezing. Wrap the portions in butcher paper or prepare vacuum-sealed bags. Tip: Roll sausage into logs for easy slicing to make patties.
Step 7
If you're making links, stuff the sausage into rinsed hog casings — or for smaller-diameter sausages, sheep casings — and twist into 6-inch sections. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to cook.
Step 8
Serving: Make sure sausage is cooked through before serving (reaching a temperature of 160 degrees) by sautéing, grilling or roasting the sausage.
Bonus recipe: Easy sausage gravy
Makes 6-8 servings
Over medium heat, brown 16 ounces of pronghorn breakfast sausage in a large heavy skillet until cooked through, breaking it up with the back of a spoon as it browns. Sprinkle ¼ cup all-purpose flour (or Wondra flour) evenly over the sausage, and stir to make sure the flour is coating all surfaces. Turn heat to medium-low and continue to stir the sausage until the flour is golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Slowly pour in 2 ¼ cups whole milk, stirring continuously and scraping the bottom of the pan to make sure all ingredients are incorporated evenly. Reduce heat to low and continue stirring until the gravy thickens and is piping hot. Add salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve over biscuits.
