Hog Facts

Why You Shouldn't Buy Store made Pork Sausage

To be honest, the best available choice at the supermarket is one of the national brands, such as Johnsonville.

Even this is not the "best" pork sausage you can buy.

With national brand sausage the biggest worry is how fresh it is. The expiration date or "best when used by" code can be misleading. These dates usually do not tell when the sausage was actually made.

And fresh sausage, as for as taste, really has a short life span (1 week at the most for the best flavor).

Frozen national brand sausages would be a little better. But frozen sausage usually begins to lose its taste within 1 to 3 months.

I could say never to buy any grocery stores' "store made" pork sausage, but there are some (maybe 1 out of 10) grocery stores who don't do the following.

Almost all grocery stores make their store made pork sausage from "Pulls".

A pull is a cut of pork that has been for sale in the display meat case but did not sell by the stores expiration date. They debone the pork cut if necessary, add more pulls, then season and grind the sausage and put it out in the display case for sale. (Where it might set for 3 days before you buy it!)

So, my recommendation for the very best, freshest, (and usually leanest) pork sausage would be from a local butcher shop or meat processor.

Most of these butcher shops use only fresh pork, and if the product doesn't sell in 3 days, they reduce the price and freeze it.

So ask your butcher how he makes his pork sausage. Make sure you are buying the freshest, best tasting sausage possible!