There are sooo many kinds of sausages dandy. What kind were the ones you liked? I got a new mixer with a sausage attachment, but I haven't used it yet. My motto is, if you can't find a food that meets your standards then make it yourself. It may be a little trial and error at first, but eventually you get it right. I'm Slovak, and we eat a potato sausage with bacon, pork, and onions called Drobe. You can't buy it anywhere, so if we crave it, we have to make it ourselves. There are some obsticles like, where do you find hog intestines for the casings?

I have found many markets with good sausage. Bristol Farms makes their own, and all the ones I've tried of theirs has been very good. I also sometimes go to Jody Maroni's in Venice - I used to be able to walk there when I lived in Venice, but it is worth a trip. I think Trader Joe's also has decent sausage, and I've found good sausage at the regular markets as well, such as Aidells Sausage.

Jay makes an excellent point about making your own. :)

What kind of sausage? We have sausage specialist companies where I live. Since you just said "sausage" and "brand", I'm kind of thinking you mean pork breakfast sausage? The mass market kind may not have enough fat and salt to please your memories, let alone the freshness and flavors that your family used.

Short of making your own, you might search around for specialist butchers, sausage makers who sell to local restaurants and bars, ones who sell at farmer's markets, etc.

"I have found many markets with good sausage. Bristol Farms makes their own, and all the ones I've tried of theirs has been very good."

Lars, I agree and they have such a nice selection. Also agree Aidells has some good ones.

Jay many grocers who cater to cooks rather than package openers have sausage casings, as do butcher shops. There's also Google:

This first one has lots of sausage making supplies: https://www.sausagemaker.com/natural-sausage-casings-s/1923.htm

https://www.waltonsinc.com/home-pack-natural-hog-casings-32-35mm?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6IaRo-Ly2wIVhvhkCh3AQQksEAQYASABEgIa7vD_BwE

https://www.amazon.com/Home-Pack-Sausage-Casings-32mm/dp/B001RQOY94?th=1

https://www.walmart.com/ip/The-Sausage-Maker-Natural-Hog-Casings-32-35mm/753592882?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=8421&adid=22222222227073891298&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=186856777606&wl4=pla-293117063035&wl5=9031004&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=115787743&wl11=online&wl12=753592882&wl13=&veh=sem

There are many good sausages out there - you just have to try some and note the ones you like the best. I would love to find some real English bangers like I had in London and in Montreal. But, I also like a good sweet or hot Italian sausage, then there are others like venison/pork, chorizo, sage breakfast, smoked, kielbasa, andouille, bratwurst, beef summer sausage, etc., etc.

Back whe n I had a freezer full of hog, I always made my own breakfast sausage....I could buy ground pork and do it again....but for some reason, I don't.

Wow! A great lesson in sausages! Thanks to everyone. I was not planning on using casings and, folks, I'm too old and weary to consider making my own sausage. Plan now to try the different sellers mentioned, and feel sure I will eventually be satisfied. Thanks again everyone.

I frequently make my own breakfast sausage - no casings, just patties. And it is super easy to make....just ground pork and then add the seasonings you prefer. Lots of recipes online :-)

With my British heritage, I love bangers but haven't mastered the art of making my own (English sausages are to die for and so many varieties!). Fortunately, there is an excellent grocery here that imports them and also a small shop that sells only British goods that also stocks them. Not fresh but very tasty and reminds me strongly of my childhood!

I'm curious as to what makes a sausage good? I like sausage but eat little of it.

We like Goolsby patty sausage, mostly available frozen at Costco in Texas. Its a Tennessee country sausage and is cooked from the frozen state and doesn't shrink.

I'm guessing you have tried all your local markets/butchers? We were recently surprised by a markets sausages a few weeks ago. Much better than I remembered years past. (we went back and stocked a bit for the freezer re-packed in small portions.)

We were at this location a couple years before discovering a true butcher and found excellent lamb merges sausages at a nearby Italian market. And then it changed to very salty and odd....

Another old school roadside butcher had the best customer service...ground fresh burger just the way we liked...short rib, brisket, chuck...ground twice, large die. Great sausage. Even cut our shell steaks by showing us the cut as thick as we wanted...then his son took over and made sooo salty sausages and would point to the cooler where burger was ground 'his way'. Rude, lol.

We make and grind our own now but I understand it is not easy.

Do you have a stand mixer? We have this one for easy fresh ground burgers and sausages. Good quality and great for small batches for fresh and freezing. Total control on what goes in.

D'artagnan is great for many charcuterie delights. We have many of their products in our local market. I like their pate and many of their salami. D'artagnan , Not tried their sausage because we make our own about twice a year. Burgers we grind bi-monthly.

Bumblebeez SC Zone 7

I'm curious as to what makes a sausage good? I like sausage but eat little of it.

You know it when you have a good one. Not greasy, salty, or full of chunky fat fillers. A cheap, lazy, dis-likes his job butcher, will toss all the fat scraps into the sausage mix and add spice and salt to hide that...and often some missed bone bits. Sausage should not be all about 'scrap' crap.

"You know it when you have a good one."

Definitely...and what's good to you might not be to someone else. You just have to do some taste testing.

My favorite brand nowadays is Applegate Farms organic chicken sausage. They make a number of flavors/styles. My fave is the Chicken & Apple, because it's smoked and tastes like ham to me. They also make a very, very spicy, smoky Andouille and their Spinach & Feta reminds of bratwurst or knockwurst.

I've tried other brands' chicken & apple offerings, but they always seem to have cinnamon in them, no smoke flavor, and taste weird, IMO. In fact, a lot of other brands' chicken sausages are too bland, IMO.

I feel your pain! My Uncles all made the best homemade sausage you could ever eat! It was crazy good...they would smoke it in their little homemade smoke houses. I sure do miss that sausage. I am of no help finding good sausage, I have yet to find anything better than mediocre.

Dandyrandylou, you can even buy already prepared breakfast sausage spice mixes. None of the breakfast sausages at the store are worth eating anymore imo. For me, making them myself is the only option I have left. And they are so easy to make, no fussing with casings. Hey gardengirl, Miss 87 gazillion comments, do you make mash with your bangers? Do you like spotted dick? Which makes me think of blood sausage, which makes me think of tapas, which is making me very hungry, or should I say hangry, because I don't have any blood sausage topped tapas on hand. ;) My parents would eat blood sausage, and it grossed me out, so I never tried it, but but after having it on tapas a whole new world opened up. Yummy yum yum!

Ok, I eat good sausage occasionally, buying it at TJ's, Aldi's or Publix, usually apple/chicken but it's never the greasy breakfast type I was imagining from the posts here. That was making me wonder what is good pork breakfast sausage.

We have a local place, Williebird Turkey that has THE best turkey products ever! They have sausage and bacon that even my Dr. approves of! Low fat AND tasty!

Living in Chicago there are so many different sausages available. Regular brats, veal/pork brats, Polish/Kielbasa, Chinese, Mexican, Puerto Rican, various Italian one,. So, tell us what you are thinking........

I thought Usingers had the best sausage in town (Milwaukee) back in the day...

https://www.usinger.com/?SID=1e49d58f245c16b572619750fb28cafa

Love Aidell's Spicy Mango with Jalapeño sausage. Unfortunately, I can't find it locally anymore, so I've been settling for their Mango & Jalapeño meatballs.

Thanks to this thread, I see they're finally offering online sales again. I'll be placing an order tomorrow.

https://www.aidells.com/products/dinner-sausage/spicy-mango-jalapeno

I grew up having great sausage made by farmers that raised pigs. Impossible to duplicate 50 years later. I have tested many brands and the Jimmy Dean company makes a bulk 1 pound roll. Fresh not a precooked sausage. It comes in original and HOT. The hot one is spicy and flavorful. I cut the roll in half , freeze half and make patties out of the rest. Cook as directed on package, depends on how thick your make patties. It is availabe in many supermarkets in the fresh case. Also Walmart has it in with the bacon. You might like it, very reasonable.