Why you’ll love this Irish sausage recipe
Food holidays are my favorite. If there’s food involved, I want to celebrate, and every year around St. Patrick’s Day, I find myself wanting something more interesting than the usual corned beef – even though my baked corned beef is really incredible. This is a recipe I keep coming back to.
I adapted this sausage recipe from one of my dad’s Irish cookbook, but I tried to make it a little more doable for a weeknight dinner while still keeping them as authentic as possible.
It’s a one-pan dinner that comes together in about 45 minutes – homemade sausage cooked right in a savory onion stout gravy. The gravy alone is makes this recipe worth making. Serve it over mashed potatoes with some peas for a proper Irish-inspired meal that’s full of flavor.
Don’t forget dessert: Lucky Charms cookies / Guinness cake / Irish potato candies / Guinness beer floats
More St. Patrick’s Day dinner ideas: Irish beef stew / dairy free shepherd’s pie / Guinness braised beef / sautéed cabbage
Ingredient notes:
- Ground pork – Most grocery stores carry ground pork, but make sure you aren’t accidentally buying pre-seasoned sausage meat. You also don’t want a super lean ground pork because we need to fat in the pork for flavor. This is pretty hard to find anyway, but just make sure before you buy.
- Egg – Traditionally Irish sausage should contain egg, this acts as a binder – which is quite helpful since these sausages are made with casing.
- Panko breadcrumbs – Just like the traditional ingredient rusk, panko breadcrumbs will act as a binder and filler in this homemade sausage. Make sure to check your labels, as some breadcrumbs contain hidden dairy.
- Guinness or stout beer – I know Guinness is everyone’s go-to for St. Patrick’s Day, but we’ve also used a local coffee stout in this recipe and it was fantastic. Either way you want a good, dark beer such as a stout or porter for your gravy.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Melissa’s tips + tricks:
- Make the sausage ahead of time. You can mix and shape the sausage up to 24 hours in advance and keep them covered in the fridge.
- Don’t drain the fat. After browning the sausages, leave the drippings in the pan. That’s the flavor base for your gravy and you don’t want to lose it.
- Use a meat thermometer. You want to cook your sausage to an internal temperature of 160°F and the best way to be sure you’ve reached that is by using a meat thermometer to check for doneness.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. If you want to skip making sausage from scratch, you can use store-bought Irish-style sausage links, but homemade ones have a more authentic flavor compared to anything you can find mass produced in the U.S..
We love to serve our Irish sausage with dairy free mashed potatoes and peas, but any spring vegetable, like asparagus, would be great around St. Patrick’s Day. Irish champ would also be a great side dish.
More sausage recipes to try: dairy free zuppa toscana / sausage and peppers pasta / puff pastry sausage rolls / fennel sausage pasta
Homemade Irish Sausage
Ingredients
For the Irish sausage:
- 2 pounds ground pork
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
For the onion stout gravy:
- 1 sweet onion, sliced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups stout beer*
- 1/2 cup beef broth
Instructions
- Make the sausages. Add all of the sausage ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix until well combined. Separate the sausage mixture into 2-3 ounce portions and shape into links or patties.
- Brown the sausages. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Cook the sausages, turning halfway, until browned on all sides and the internal temperature has reached 160˚F – cook time will vary depending on the size/shape of your sausages. Transfer the sausages to a plate and tent with foil, leaving any rendered fat in the pan.
- Make the gravy. Add onions, salt and pepper to the skillet. Sauté the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are translucent and tender. Then, sprinkle the flour over the onions, stirring to make sure the onions are evenly coated.Slowly add in the beef stock and beer, whisking continuously to prevent lumps. Lower the heat to medium and simmer until the gravy has thickened. Return the sausages to the pan, allowing them to simmer in the sauce until they are heated through, about 5 minutes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
I know that many beers and wine do contain dairy as casein is used in the fining process. What brands have you found for beer and wine for cooking that are safe?
I used Guinness. It’s listed as a vegan beer, so I normally use that, but there are quite a few options out there. Try searching – http://www.barnivore.com/search?keyword=stout
I haven’t made this yet but plan to very soon. Who can resist that pic. For those who don’t eat pork this recipe is perfect for subbing ground turkey.
What was the coffee stout that you substituted in the gravy recipe?
I’m sorry, but I just don’t remember because it was so long ago. Really any coffee stout would work though. If you need it to be dairy free, make sure you’re looking that up though, because sometimes they’re made with milk products.
Hi. Why is the an asterisk after the stout beer? Thanks.
Just a reminded to use dairy free beer if you need it. This is a dairy free website, but I realize not all of our readers are dairy free since most of our recipes are naturally dairy free.
First of all, I never comment on recipes I find online. This recipe is just on another level. It captures that Irish pub taste I miss so badly. I made this for my family last night and it is easily one of my family’s favorite dishes now. This will be my go-to St. Patrick’s Day dish from now on.
Thank you! I’m so glad to hear that you liked the recipe. It’s one of our favorites, too!
Can you make this a day ahead?
Absolutely! When you’re reheating you might want to add a little bit of liquid to the pan to help the gravy reconstitute.
So delicious
I just searched for “panko breadcrumbs in bangers” and what do you know the best food blog ever popped up – Simply Whisked! Of course when I make these sausages I’ll be using hog casings, can’t wait to try that gravy!
Thanks Melissa 🙂
Nothing Irish about this recipe. Sausages might taste good but not the “real” thing without Mace and some Nutmeg. I’m from Ireland and been making and stuffing my own sausages for years and in order to get them close to what we eat at home, I use Salt, black pepper, white pepper, coriander, mace, nutmeg and a little ginger. Make your own bread crumbs with left over stale bread and add whatever after that depending on if you breakfast or dinner sausages. Slán!
Hi Paddy I’m Irish also. I’M about to attempt to make my own sausages is there a recipe you recommend? I’m going in blind lol
Hello Paddy, I’m Irish living in Canada 33yrs. Can’t find a decent Irish sausage in Toronto. Could you please share your recipe. I’d love to try making my own. Thanks.