This Might Be The Worst Breakfast Sausage You Can Buy

Quick, easy, and usually delicious, breakfast sausage really can't be beat. These days, there's a whole world of sausage products you can try with options that rival the traditional pork-based recipes that have dominated the breakfast table — turkey being a prime example. However, not all turkey sausages are created equal, and some should be avoided at all costs if you respect your taste buds. In our ranking of breakfast sausage brands from worst to best, Butterball All Natural frozen turkey sausage had the dishonor of coming in dead last. In the words of our reviewer, "[Butterball] should stick to slinging whole birds."

The texture was the primary issue with this frozen turkey sausage, as we found that "the resulting mouthfeel [of the cooked sausage] was both mushy and foamy, two adjectives that rarely apply to appetizing food," not to mention the "tiny pieces of gristle scattered throughout." And if that's not bad enough, the flavor was also sorely lacking.

According to our reviewer, "There was barely any perceptible seasoning besides salt, and even the salt level wasn't high enough." Lest you think we're biased against non-pork sausage, we ranked Jones All Natural golden brown turkey sausage in fourth place, and Impossible Sausage, which is a fully plant-based product, claimed the No. 3 spot in our list.

As you can imagine, there are some major differences between turkey and pork sausage. The primary one is the fat content of the two meats, as turkey is much leaner. While leanness is a good thing where health is concerned, a lack of fat can also affect taste and texture, as fat contributes to the rich, savory flavor and juicy consistency associated with great breakfast sausage. This highlights the importance of seasonings in turkey sausage, and it explains why Jones All Natural golden brown turkey sausage fared so much better in our taste test, as it "was the most herbaceous sausage we tried, with a ton of sage," as our reviewer wrote.

Let's imagine you find yourself saddled with a package of Butterball All Natural frozen turkey sausage and want to make the best of it. In this case, the Butterball method for a crumbled preparation involves breaking the turkey sausage apart and cooking it in a frying pan on medium-high heat. This preparation might make it easier to add seasonings to the meat, and a seasoning blend consisting of thyme, red pepper flakes, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and marjoram makes a great addition to turkey sausage.

You can also try incorporating the sausage into other recipes for a better mix of flavors. In this case, pan-frying the sausage with onions, peppers, and garlic can make for a tasty, Italian-inspired breakfast feast.