The best way to cook a sausage

[HowardLi]

Hate to bring this from the dead, but the thread is titled aptly enough. If doing the sausages SV, what is the best internal temp to cook to? 135F would certainly be the safe option, but is a higher temp preferred to gelatinize the tougher parts of the meat used in the sausage?

Also, re: poaching in oil, one can ziploc the sausages in oil and SV the bag. Economical, and the sausage sees nothing but oil and inert plastic.

[larryroohr]

I've always cooked sausages starting them in water to poach and then browning when the water boiled away, can't beat it.

Where I picked it up years ago when I was first out on my own was from an early black and white Sophia Loren and Anthony Quinn movie "The Black Orchid".

If my memory is correct, Quinn was a widower and never happy with his daughters sausages. It was the final scene after Quinn wins Sophia's heart, Sophia teaches his daughter how to cook him sausages this way. Anthony took a bite and yelled in a thick Italian accent "now datsa gooda sausage!" (or something like that).

Sausage movie trivia, funny the things we remember.

[Charcuterer]

Hate to bring this from the dead, but the thread is titled aptly enough. If doing the sausages SV, what is the best internal temp to cook to? 135F would certainly be the safe option, but is a higher temp preferred to gelatinize the tougher parts of the meat used in the sausage?

Also, re: poaching in oil, one can ziploc the sausages in oil and SV the bag. Economical, and the sausage sees nothing but oil and inert plastic.

Howard,

I have been cooking my sausages for about a year using the sous vide method and I usually use 160 degrees to get a better mouth feel. I make a lot of Chicken sausages and find that at less than that they feel a bit bubble gum-ish. The pork sausages also benefit from that temperature in my opinion (that and company tends to feel a little weirded out by mid-rare pork in their sausage.) I make an argentine chorizo that is all beef and I cook it in a 140 degree water bath and finish them on a grill.

I don't know if there is any truth to this but I think that sous vide with sausages in natural casings have a more tender "skin". I finish mine off in a ripping hot pan with a touch of oil to crisp the skin. Usually only takes a few seconds per side.

[TylerK]

I tried something similar after a recent confit experiment. Fresh bratwurst went into the oven submerged in duck fat at 160F for four hours. I stored them in my refrigerator until I was ready to eat, still in the fat like I would for a confit duck leg. Pulled out of the fat and briefly broiled until the skin was brown and blistering, they were some of the juiciest and tastiest sausages I have ever eaten.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

For me, it's the charcoal grill all the way, with 6-8" pieces of sausage on skewers. They start out with whole casings, but once they're good and hot I cut slits in them to let some of the grease out and allow them to expand a bit. They're done when there's a bit of char on them.

Then again, the only sausage I eat is Ambato-style chorizo.... I doubt my method would work with breakfast bangers.

[avaserfi]

I seal sausage, cook at 60C/140F then flash fry (205C/400F) to crisp the skin. Easily the best results I've ever had.

[dcarch]

Long before Modernist and Molecular Gastronomy, as little kids, we succeeded in a high-tech sausage cooking method:

We inserted a nail at each end of a sausage, wired the nails to an electrical cord and plug the sausage into an outlet.

In no time, the sausage was done.

dcarch

[HowardLi]

Long before Modernist and Molecular Gastronomy, as little kids, we succeeded in a high-tech sausage cooking method:

We inserted a nail at each end of a sausage, wired the nails to an electrical cord and plug the sausage into an outlet.

In no time, the sausage was done.

dcarch

Like this?

I've heard it puts a bad taste in the dog but I've never tried it myself.

[DanielColeman]

Does no one else lightly roast them? Low oven, little bit of oil, good bit of time.

[Jaymes]

I just saw a method for cooking sausages on a food program called "Secret Meat Business" that I wanted to share.

The chef, Adrian Richardson, placed his sausages in a pan with a small amount of water and brought it to the boil. Before the water boiled away completely, he turned the sausages to even up the cooking. Once the water was evaporated, he continued cooking them in the same pan until done.

He proposed that the use of water early in the cooking process made sure the sausages were evenly cooked without being burnt on the outside.

It sounds like your method Chris A without the step of transferring them between cooking vessels.

That is the method I was taught eons ago and have continued to use with success. I try for the sausage almost completely cooked as the water has evaporated and then just a quick time in the dry pan to brown them.

We like them outside on the barbie best but, when I cook them inside, I do the water/liquid boil-down thing, and then a quick fry in the fat that has accumulated.

But rather than just water, I like to add something like beer, or maybe fruit juice - apple or pear or whatever I have handy.

[rotuts]

about Sv-ing that sausage:

i have some frozen vac sealed sausage from Nueski's:

its their smoked breakfast sausage and suits me to a T

It takes a long time to properly saute so i thought id pack up 4 - 5 in an SV bag and get the job done in no time.

has one tried 131? im overly hung up on 'rare' i know. how long to pasturize these?

would 140 be 'better'?

I could then do the chill/freeze and bring out packs in the refrig and thaw very cold then take out one or two and do a hot saute.

excellent with good quality sourdough toast and steel cut oatmeal.

thanks your your sausage ideas.

[avaserfi]

If the sausage was hot smoked it is already cooked through (probably to at least 155F/68C) and you only need to heat it up (i.e., no rare sausage for you), then crisp it. If it was cured and cold smoked (unlikely for a breakfast sausage) then you are in a different situation.

I find I prefer the texture of a sausage cooked at 60C/140F for about two hours, then fried until crispy.

[rotuts]

OK Ill do and Exp. at 131 and then 141.

I do like rare pork. as there is no trichinosis in commercial pork:

try it very rare.

i do this with pork loin Not tender loin which to me has no flavor

sliced very thin and warm the Best Pork Sandwich Any Ware !