I have a confession to make.
When it comes to choosing breakfast meats… I prefer sausage over bacon.
Please don’t revoke my doctorate in breakfast just yet!
I realize this may be an unpopular opinion. Yes, bacon is the king of breakfast, probably the king of all foods. And I most certainly love it. I can’t recall ever turning down bacon. But there’s something I prefer about sausage. There’s more variety of flavors. There are more opportunities to introduce different ingredients through it. And think of regional variations like scrapple from Pennsylvania or goetta from Cincinnati. So if I’m given the choice between sausage or bacon when ordering breakfast… I’ll most likely pick sausage. (Although if you’re offering both, I will embrace the equal opportunity.)
And it seems like I’m in good company here in Ohio. We’re a pork-producing state, after all, and sausage is a mainstay in nearly corner of Buckeye country. And that’s where a gentleman by the name of Steve Evans enters.
Steve Evans comes from a long tradition of sausage-making. You may have heard of his dad, Bob Evans, a guy who made a name for himself producing sausage from his farm and eventually his restaurant in Rio Grande, Ohio. There are now hundreds of restaurants that bear his name, and Steve has taken up the family tradition by starting a company of his own – Steve Evans Country Sausage.
In fact, Steve is reviving some of the origins of his family’s sausage-making traditions. He told me that he was given a sausage recipe that was hand-written by his father. The pencil on the recipe was so faded they had to hold it up to the light and trace it on a new card. The sausage recipe – one that isn’t made anywhere else – was his mother’s favorite. That’s saying something.
Steve has started producing the sausage in a couple different forms, including patties and little sausage biscuit sandwiches, and in two flavors: Mild and Southern Blend. Steve joked that someone with Southern roots would call the light spiciness of the Southern Blend “just right.” He was kind enough to share some of his products with us, and we’ve found both types to be very well seasoned; I like the extra boost of the Southern Blend personally.
The ingredient list for his sausage is something to note, too. My one concern with ordering sausage at restaurants is that they can put just about anything in it by way of fillers and preservatives, and Steve keeps it straightforward and natural. His sausage is flash frozen during production, so you’ll find it in the freezer section of the grocery store.
Steve also shared a box of the Sausage & Biscuits. These adorable little sandwiches can be reheated in the oven or the microwave; we found it only takes 45 seconds to microwave until they’re piping hot. Our boys devoured the entire box in one sitting.
For one breakfast, we took a box of the Southern Blend sausage patties and heated some in a cast iron skillet, then crumbled up the others to make a sausage gravy. And then we fried the eggs in the leftover fat, naturally. (Check it out two photos up.)
Right now, Steve’s sausage is available through his website (the memorable bringthefarmtoyourkitchen.com) and in Walmart stores around central Ohio. You can get a look at his full list of products, where to find them, and some suggested recipes on his site. We’re certainly looking forward to trying more of it!