Alright, let’s talk about makin’ that Bob Evans sausage, you know, the kind they have at the restaurant. I ain’t got no fancy culinary degree, but I can cook up a storm, and I figured out how to make somethin’ pretty close to it. It ain’t rocket science, I tell ya.
First off, you gotta get yourself some ground pork. Don’t go buyin’ that lean stuff, you need some fat in there, or it’ll be dry as a bone. Fat is flavor, remember that. I usually get a pound or so, depends on how many hungry mouths I gotta feed. Now, this is important, you gotta season it up right. They use some fancy words on the package, but it all boils down to salt, pepper, some sage – that’s what makes it taste like breakfast – and a little bit of sugar. Don’t go overboard with the sugar, just a pinch will do.
- 1 pound ground pork (not too lean!)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- Pinch of red pepper flakes (if you like a little kick)
Okay, so you got your pork in a bowl. Now dump in all them spices. Get your hands in there and mix it all up real good. You wanna make sure every little bit of that pork is coated in flavor. Don’t be shy, get in there and squish it around. That’s how you know it’s mixed good.
Now, here’s the tricky part, Bob Evans sausage is in little patties, right? So, you gotta make patties. I just take a handful of the meat and roll it into a ball, then I flatten it out a bit. Not too thin, though, you want them to be juicy. Make ’em all about the same size so they cook even.
Get yourself a big ol’ skillet, put it on the stove over medium heat. Don’t crank it up too high, or you’ll burn the outside before the inside is cooked. Let the skillet get hot, then put in your patties. Don’t crowd the pan, you know, give ‘em some space. You’ll hear ’em sizzle, that’s good. Let ’em cook for a few minutes on each side, until they’re nice and brown and cooked through. You can cut one open to check if it ain’t pink inside no more.
Now, some folks like their sausage greasy, some don’t. If you don’t want it too greasy, you can put the cooked patties on a plate lined with paper towels. That’ll soak up some of the extra grease. But me? I like the grease. It’s got flavor, ya know?
And that’s about it. You got yourself some homemade sausage that tastes just like Bob Evans. You can eat it with eggs, put it in a biscuit, or just eat it plain. It’s good any way you slice it. It ain’t hard, see? Just gotta have the right ingredients and a little bit of elbow grease.
Now, about that gravy they make. That’s a whole ‘nother story, but it ain’t much harder. Once you got your sausage cooked, you just leave a little bit of that sausage grease in the pan, sprinkle in some flour, stir it around until it’s all mixed in and bubbly. Then you slowly pour in some milk, keep stirrin’ it, and it’ll thicken up into gravy. Add a little salt and pepper, and you’re good to go. Pour that gravy all over your biscuits and sausage, and you got yourself a breakfast fit for a king, or at least a hungry farmer.
And listen, don’t you go frettin’ if it ain’t perfect the first time. Cookin’ takes practice. You just keep tryin’, and you’ll get the hang of it. And the best part? You get to eat your mistakes! So go on, get yourself some pork and get to cookin’. You’ll be surprised what you can do. It ain’t nothin’ fancy, just good, down-home cookin’. That’s what I like.
One more thing, if you’re makin’ a big batch, you can freeze the cooked sausage patties. Just let ’em cool down, put ’em in a freezer bag, and pop ’em in the freezer. Then you got sausage whenever you want it. Just heat it up in the microwave or in a skillet, and it’s good as new. Saves you time later on, you know. And that’s always a good thing when you got chores to do.
Tags: [Bob Evans Sausage, Homemade Sausage, Breakfast Sausage, Sausage Recipe, Copycat Recipe, Pork Sausage, Country Cooking]
