Cooking time :
30 Mins

Prep time :
30 Mins

Course :
Dinner, Lunch, BBQ

Detail :

There are numerous ways to cook sausages, but the general rule is to cook them long and slow until they are just cooked. Too long and, like any piece of meat, they can be dry and tough; too fast and the natural sausage casings can burst.

Methods

  • Pan/ Griddle Pan Frying: Pan frying is one of the best ways to cook a fresh sausage: just make sure the pan is on a very low heat. To pan fry, add a little oil to the pan, place your sausages in and slowly cook for about 20 minutes, turning regularly.
  • Grilling: To grill a sausage, place under a medium grill for 20 minutes, regularly turning.
  • Oven Baking: This is one of the simplest ways to cook a sausage, just beware they don’t overcook them and they dry out. Just place on a baking tray with a little oil and cook for 15-20 mins at 170 C, turning once or twice to make sure they brown evenly.
  • BBQ: My personal favourite way to cook a sausage is over natural coals on a barbecue. Once the coals are glowing nicely, but not too hot, place on the barbecue and turn regularly for 15-20 minutes.
  • Pre-poaching: Although not the traditional way to cook a fresh sausage, pre-poaching can make a barbecue very easy, fast and foolproof. To pre-poach a sausage, bring a large pan of water to 65 C and gently poach for 20 minutes. Make sure the water doesn’t boil as the fat will melt out of the sausage (causing an unpleasant dry sausage) and the skins may split. Once cooked, plunge into iced water and remove once cold and refrigerate until needed. When you’re ready to barbecue, simply cook until nicely brown all over and hot through.
  • Braising: Sausages are great to braise in stews etc., especially meaty French and Spanish styles as the stronger flavours add depth to the entire dish.