Southern Pork Sausage

You have never had good pork sausage unless you have made your own. Sausage in the South (USA) is most often a mixture of freshly ground pork and seasonings, the two most prominent flavors being sage and red pepper. There was a time almost every little corner meat market ground and seasoned its own blend, and there would almost always be a separate "extra-hot" batch. If that's your taste, triple (or more) the red pepper in this recipe. Some prize the sage and that, too, can be tripled. It is wonderful to create your own personal recipe; experiment with small batches and fry up a small piece for tasting. If it's too hot add more unseasoned pork.

This is my personal favorite blend.

Serves 4-6
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1 pound ground pork, not too lean
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, chopped
1/3 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage, or 1/3 teaspoon dried
1/3 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of ground allspice

Mix all the spice ingredients together in a small bowl; add to pork mixture and mix well. Refrigerate covered several hours or overnight so the flavors can develop.

To cook, form the sausage meat into small patties. Place in a cold skillet, turn the heat to medium, and fry until cooked through and well browned on each side, 5-6 minutes per side.