Recipes / Family Notebook
Grandma Pearl → Father → Family Notebook · Printable
Grandma Pearl's Pork Sausage
A simple family recipe for seasoned ground pork, passed from Grandma Pearl to her son and then to the creator.
Ingredients
- Pork (quantity not specified)
- Salt, 2 tablespoons per gallon of cut meat, according to the notebook
- Pepper, 1 tablespoon per gallon of cut meat
- Hot pepper, listed without a separate quantity
- Lard, for the historical storage method
Directions as written
- Cut meat into small pieces.
- Add 2 tablespoons salt and 1 tablespoon pepper per gallon; mix and grind.
- Cook, or preserve in jars with lard over the meat and store in a cool place, as described in the historical notebook.
Family history
This recipe was taught to the creator's father by his mother, Pearl Lathrop. He passed it on to the creator. The handwritten ingredient list also names “hot pepper,” though the steps do not specify how much to add.
Important food preservation note
The lard-covered jar method is preserved here as family history, not as a safe modern shelf-storage method. Ground pork requires appropriate cooking and refrigeration or freezing; covering it with lard and keeping it in a cool place is not a validated preservation process and may allow dangerous bacterial growth. For a fresh batch, refrigerate promptly and cook ground pork sausage to 160°F (71°C).