I tried 8 brands of breakfast sausage, and Jimmy Dean has officially been dethroned

There's a new sausage sheriff in town.

"Links or patties?" It's the eternal diner breakfast question, just as burning as "sausage or bacon?" Sausage, with its more substantial build, is the easy answer for true trenchermen, but choosing whether to have them encased or flattened can prove a more difficult decision. 

Even more complex: deciding on which sausage brand to buy. The question became an obsession for me at a family brunch. That's when I first prepared Allrecipes' Easy Sausage Strata for my family to eat. I used a tube of classic Jimmy Dean Original, but while I liked the hint of heat from red pepper, I couldn't help but think it was a little bit boring. 

After trying several different sausages one by one, I decided that the only way to solve the problem was by sampling them all at once and gettin' a little more scientific about it. In doing so, I'm convinced that I've identified the best breakfast sausage for every occasion. I would be proud to serve any of the top four listed below as part of a meal, whether it's Mother's Day brunch, Christmas breakfast, or any day in between.

How I Selected the Breakfast Sausage To Test

I started my quest by heading to Walmart to buy every non-regional sausage variety. I also dove into other "best sausage" lists to see which brands were popular around the country. In general, I tried to stick to a "plain" or "original" version of each sausage. Many of the brands that I chose are available as both links and patties, but I sampled only one of each, so feel free to grab whichever variation you prefer.

How I Cooked the Breakfast Sausage

I warmed my Our Place Always Pan over medium-high heat, then seared the breakfast sausages without using any additional oil. I cooked the four links and four patties (including meat from a Jimmy Dean tube, shaped into a small patty) in quadrants by type and took notes about flavor and texture for each. 

The Best Breakfast Sausages, Ranked

8th Place: Banquet Brown 'N Serve Original Patties

Although this ranking primarily focuses on pork sausages, this product also features turkey. I was surprised to find, then, that this was the most fatty-tasting of the bunch. That could be due to the dearth of spices, which meant that I was just experiencing the fat with nothing to cut through it.

7th: Johnsonville Original Recipe Links

I liked the herbaceous flavor of these links, but overall, I found them way too salty. There are artificial flavors in all of the breakfast sausages I sampled, but this is the only one that made me think about it. I felt like I was eating something that was chemically enhanced.

6th Place: Swaggerty's Premium Sausage Links

The most golden, caramelized sear among all of the links belonged to these, the darkest-hued breakfast sausages. But like Johnsonville's, these were also over the line on saltiness. However, I was a fan of the strong pork flavor and pleasant dash of spice. 

5th Place: Jimmy Dean Regular Tube

My former go-to landed right in the middle. That was thanks to its pleasantly coarse grind and the red pepper flakes that bestow the porcine blend with a subtle heat. Part of why it didn't land higher in the ranking is the difficulty of dealing with the tube, but even Jimmy Dean links are a little on the dull side.

4th Place: Jones Golden Brown All-Natural Pork Sausage Links

I didn't anticipate finding any winners among the pre-cooked breakfast sausages. In fact, I rolled my eyes a bit as I tossed them in my cart. But Jones, with its cute, vintage packaging, showed me! I'm a lifelong fan of McDonald's sausage patties, and these were a dead-ringer for the fast-food meat. The only con was a slightly spongy texture, even after a hard sear.

3rd Place: Bob Evans Original Patties

The juiciest of all the breakfast sausages I tried, Bob Evans made me want to visit the restaurant chain of the same name. These patties also excelled in seasoning, with one herb in particular taking the lead. The sage flavor was the strongest in this brand, which I appreciated, but I still found it to be well-balanced overall. 

2nd Place: Great Value Original Premium Sausage Patties

Walmart's own generic brand was something I would not have purchased on my own accord, but I was impressed by the patties' lightly sweet, pork flavor. When I'm looking for a breakfast sausage that will please everyone at my table, this is an excellent pick. 

1st Place: Smithfield Hometown Original Breakfast Sausage Links

Not only was I able to get a serious sear on these links, but they also had the most balanced flavor and meatiest interior texture. I liked the medium-smooth grind and the hint of sweetness. In fact, Smithfield's breakfast sausages reminded this former hobbyist butcher of an apple-finished hog that I took apart more than a decade ago. It might not have been freshly butchered or made from a local pig, but the flavor was just as rewarding.