Sausage Roll Question

[Kim Shook]

Growing up with an English stepdad (some of you will remember the late @Ted Fairhead), I adore sausage rolls.  We had them frequently.  When he made them, he usually used Jones pork sausages, which he said were somewhat like chipolatas.  They are what his mum used when she visited from England, too.  But here’s the thing – I remember that they always cooked them before rolling in the pastry and baking.  Every recipe I’ve seen as an adult calls for rolling up raw sausage inside the pastry.

 

So, my first questions is when done with raw sausage, does the sausage get fully cooked in the center?  Especially in a large sausage roll that is going to be sliced rather than served whole like the little ones. 

 

Secondly – isn’t there a lot of grease coming out of the raw sausage as it cooks?  Even with the (slightly under-) cooked and well pricked sausages that I use, I do get some grease coming out.

 

My reason for asking is that mine tend to be a little over-done.  I try to undercook them, but still have a bit more toughness that I’d like in my sausages.

 

Ta!

[Anna N]

Hi @Kim Shook

 

It sounds as if you are using sausages still in their casing.   I have never attempted to make them that way but rather I take the sausage meat out of the casing.  Here is the recipe I use. It calls for different sausage than yours but I don’t think that matters. I’m sure you could substitute your sausage. Click.

 

 On the other hand perhaps your parents did use the whole sausage I’ve just never seen it done that way except with some cocktail sausages which I find revolting. 

[Kim Shook]

Thank you, @Anna N!  I've never used Italian sausage for rolls before.  The next time that I make them as a snack or appetizer, I'll be doing that!  I've printed out the recipe!

 

These are what I usually use when I do them.  So, yes, they are in casings.  But, honestly, the casings generally peel off and I pick them out when they are sauteing.  It never occurred to me to just strip the casings off before cooking.  Duh.  But, I'm guess that the answer is that I don't need to pre-cook them at all?  Just remove the casings and wrap them in pastry all raw?  No problem with grease?  Because if you don't have a grease isuue with Italian sausage, I don't see why I should with breakfast sausage.  

 

So this brings up another question.  When I do this for Xmas, I always do them, up to the point of egg wash and baking, ahead of time and freeze.  Can I still do this with raw sausages?  What I would have are frozen rolls formed of raw puff pastry and sausages.  I generally thaw them for about an hour and then brush with an egg wash and bake.  Would this still be ok?

[Anna N]

 Kim if you scroll down to the bottom of the recipe you’ll see instructions for freezing them. 

 

 I have never had an issue with excessive grease although some grease in a sausage roll seems to me a given. 

[kayb]

4 hours ago, Anna N said:

Hi @Kim Shook

 

It sounds as if you are using sausages still in their casing.   I have never attempted to make them that way but rather I take the sausage meat out of the casing.  Here is the recipe I use. It calls for different sausage than yours but I don’t think that matters. I’m sure you could substitute your sausage. Click.

 

 On the other hand perhaps your parents did use the whole sausage I’ve just never seen it done that way except with some cocktail sausages which I find revolting. 

 

Oh, now, don't be hatin' on the Little Smokies in Pillsbury Crescent Roll dough. Haute cuisine here in the trailer park.

Edited November 17, 2017 by kayb (log)

[Anna N]

8 minutes ago, kayb said:

 

Oh, now, don't be hatin' on the Little Smokies in Pillsbury Crescent Roll dough. Haute cuisine here in the trailer park.

 

I try not to be hatin’ on much.  To each their own.  But it’s hard to beat a real sausage roll.

[kayb]

Just now, Anna N said:

I try not to be hatin’ on much.  To each their own.  But it’s hard to beat a real sausage roll.

Have saved the recipe. Will have to try it myself.

 

 

[Tri2Cook]

You ladies are not helping things at all. I was trying to convince myself something on the more healthy side for Saturday's football food would be a good idea... now all I can think about is sausage rolls.  

[Anna N]

30 minutes ago, Tri2Cook said:

You ladies are not helping things at all. I was trying to convince myself something on the more healthy side for Saturday's football food would be a good idea... now all I can think about is sausage rolls.  

Silly. Silly.  Football should be fun.  Don’t spoil it with healthy food. (Not that I have ever understood the game at all!)

Edited November 17, 2017 by Anna N (log)

[Kim Shook]

2 hours ago, kayb said:

 

Oh, now, don't be hatin' on the Little Smokies in Pillsbury Crescent Roll dough. Haute cuisine here in the trailer park.

 

LOL!  My English stepsister uses Little Smokies!  In puff pastry, though.  

[lindag]

My favorite Pennsylvania Dutch turkey dressing recipe uses diced Lil' Smokies.  I love the flavor.

[JAZ]

22 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

But, I'm guess that the answer is that I don't need to pre-cook them at all?  Just remove the casings and wrap them in pastry all raw?  No problem with grease?  Because if you don't have a grease isuue with Italian sausage, I don't see why I should with breakfast sausage.  

 

So this brings up another question.  When I do this for Xmas, I always do them, up to the point of egg wash and baking, ahead of time and freeze.  Can I still do this with raw sausages?  What I would have are frozen rolls formed of raw puff pastry and sausages.  I generally thaw them for about an hour and then brush with an egg wash and bake.  Would this still be ok?

 

The recipe that Anna linked to, which is similar to one I've used, calls for mixing bread crumbs into the sausage. That seems to absorb some of the grease -- at least the pastry doesn't come out grease-soaked. I'm not sure what would happen if you just rolled up plain sausage.

[JohnT]

I do like the recipe @Anna N has referred to but I must admit that when I have made sausage rolls using a pork only filling and using it uncooked, I have had too much fat. I used to make quite a few sausage rolls and always, when using just pork for the "sausage" part, changed to cooking the filling first, then when the filling was cooked and cooled down, doing the pastry wrap and bake bit. It resulted in a far less fatty end product but was a bit of a pain due to the time involved. I then changed my filling to a mixture of pork and beef and had far less fat. However, the last batch of sausage rolls I made incorporated added breadcrumbs, and some finely grated vegetables and herbs, which turned out very well. I post the recipe below but have no idea where it actually originates from as it was given to me by an elderly woman at a club I used to do catering for and I never noted her name - she just told me that it came from a relative in Australia. If it did or not, I have no idea but the results were pretty good and tasty – nothing like the run of the mill shop bought ones.

 

SAUSAGE ROLLS

Ingredients:
1kg good quality sausages or sausage mince

1 large or two small onions

2 large carrots

2 tablespoons mixed fresh herbs like oregano, marjoram, thyme, sage, parsley (or a good pinch of dried herbs)

1 teaspoon garlic, paste

3 slices of white bread

750g block of cold, ready-made puff pastry - or the ready-rolled stuff if you can spare the expense

1/4 cup poppy seeds (optional)

 

1. Method:
2. If you bought sausages, push the meat out from the casings into a big bowl and throw the casings away.
3. Finely chop the onions, fresh herbs and garlic. Finely grate the carrots. Add all this to the mince.
4. Whiz the bread up into crumbs using a food processor. Or soak the bread in water for a few minutes, crumble it into the sausage mince and mix the whole lot up really well. The mixture is best left overnight in the fridge to develop its flavour.
5. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. It’s best if you can work with the pastry while it’s still cold and firm. On a floured bench, roll the puff pastry out into 4 rectangles, about 25cm x 12 cm. It’s a bit easier if you bought the ready-rolled puff pastry: just unroll the sheets and cut them in two lengthwise so you have two long, thin rectangles.
6. Lay about a quarter of the mixture in a long, sausage shape about an inch in from the long edge so you have a short flap of pastry near you, and a longer flap away from you. Brush the far edge of the longer flap with water or milk to help it stick. Roll it up, starting with the short flap nearest you.
7. Repeat this until you have four very long sausage rolls. Brush the top with milk and sprinkle the poppy seeds if you’re using them over the top. Cut each long roll into the desired lengths - you can get about 5 or 6 short cocktail-sized sausage rolls out of each long roll, making about 20-25 little sausage rolls in all. Try to slicely through cleanly so you don’t squish the little rolls flat - though it doesn’t matter if you flatten them out a bit.
8. Pop the rolls on a lightly greased oven tray and bake for 20-25 minutes until they’re golden on top and cooked all the way through. Let them cool a bit then either eat them straight away or freeze them ready to reheat later.

 

[Kim Shook]

14 hours ago, JohnT said:

I do like the recipe @Anna N has referred to but I must admit that when I have made sausage rolls using a pork only filling and using it uncooked, I have had too much fat. I used to make quite a few sausage rolls and always, when using just pork for the "sausage" part, changed to cooking the filling first, then when the filling was cooked and cooled down, doing the pastry wrap and bake bit. It resulted in a far less fatty end product but was a bit of a pain due to the time involved. I then changed my filling to a mixture of pork and beef and had far less fat. However, the last batch of sausage rolls I made incorporated added breadcrumbs, and some finely grated vegetables and herbs, which turned out very well. I post the recipe below but have no idea where it actually originates from as it was given to me by an elderly woman at a club I used to do catering for and I never noted her name - she just told me that it came from a relative in Australia. If it did or not, I have no idea but the results were pretty good and tasty – nothing like the run of the mill shop bought ones.

 

SAUSAGE ROLLS

Ingredients:
1kg good quality sausages or sausage mince

1 large or two small onions

2 large carrots

2 tablespoons mixed fresh herbs like oregano, marjoram, thyme, sage, parsley (or a good pinch of dried herbs)

1 teaspoon garlic, paste

3 slices of white bread

750g block of cold, ready-made puff pastry - or the ready-rolled stuff if you can spare the expense

1/4 cup poppy seeds (optional)

 

1. Method:
2. If you bought sausages, push the meat out from the casings into a big bowl and throw the casings away.
3. Finely chop the onions, fresh herbs and garlic. Finely grate the carrots. Add all this to the mince.
4. Whiz the bread up into crumbs using a food processor. Or soak the bread in water for a few minutes, crumble it into the sausage mince and mix the whole lot up really well. The mixture is best left overnight in the fridge to develop its flavour.
5. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. It’s best if you can work with the pastry while it’s still cold and firm. On a floured bench, roll the puff pastry out into 4 rectangles, about 25cm x 12 cm. It’s a bit easier if you bought the ready-rolled puff pastry: just unroll the sheets and cut them in two lengthwise so you have two long, thin rectangles.
6. Lay about a quarter of the mixture in a long, sausage shape about an inch in from the long edge so you have a short flap of pastry near you, and a longer flap away from you. Brush the far edge of the longer flap with water or milk to help it stick. Roll it up, starting with the short flap nearest you.
7. Repeat this until you have four very long sausage rolls. Brush the top with milk and sprinkle the poppy seeds if you’re using them over the top. Cut each long roll into the desired lengths - you can get about 5 or 6 short cocktail-sized sausage rolls out of each long roll, making about 20-25 little sausage rolls in all. Try to slicely through cleanly so you don’t squish the little rolls flat - though it doesn’t matter if you flatten them out a bit.
8. Pop the rolls on a lightly greased oven tray and bake for 20-25 minutes until they’re golden on top and cooked all the way through. Let them cool a bit then either eat them straight away or freeze them ready to reheat later.

 

Thank you so much, @JohnT!  That sounds like perfect breakfast/brunch sausage rolls to me.  I've printed them out and will give a test run soon for Christmas morning!

[Tri2Cook]

I skipped the sausage rolls this week but only because the plan is sausage rolls for the Iron Bowl next weekend. 

[kayb]

25 minutes ago, Tri2Cook said:

I skipped the sausage rolls this week but only because the plan is sausage rolls for the Iron Bowl next weekend. 

 

War Damn Eagle!

 

(Because I loathe Alabama on prinicple, and Gus Malzahn is a good guy.)

 

My favorite day of the year is New Year's Day, because I get up early, cook my greens and black eyed peas, and make up a whole horde of snacky stuff to munch on all day while watching football. I have a feeling sausage rolls may make an appearance then, if not before. The other favorite is silver dollar sized latkes, topped with a schmear of real sour cream (usually I sub Greek yogurt) and caviar. The CSO, by the way, also excels at reheating latkes.

 

Edited November 19, 2017 by kayb (log)

[Tri2Cook]

34 minutes ago, kayb said:

 

War Damn Eagle!

 

(Because I loathe Alabama on prinicple, and Gus Malzahn is a good guy.)

 

My favorite day of the year is New Year's Day, because I get up early, cook my greens and black eyed peas, and make up a whole horde of snacky stuff to munch on all day while watching football. I have a feeling sausage rolls may make an appearance then, if not before. The other favorite is silver dollar sized latkes, topped with a schmear of real sour cream (usually I sub Greek yogurt) and caviar. The CSO, by the way, also excels at reheating latkes.

 

 

No ma'am, Roll Tide! Hmmm... War Chicken sausage rolls?   

I'm actually leaning towards mixing up a batch of my breakfast sausage and using that. I make it fairly spicy and somewhat sage forward, would just need to add egg and breadcrumbs for this use. 

[chromedome]

On our side of the border, the current football dynasty - Laval's Rouge et Or - punched their ticket back to the national championship game, where they'll meet the University of Western Ontario Mustangs, who were one of the great dynasties a couple of decades ago. The Mustangs have a truly dominant ground game...in their playoff this weekend against the Atlantic champion Acadia Axemen, their three running backs and QB accounted for over 450 yards on the ground in an 81-3 (!!) victory. 

 

Looking forward to the championship game, it should be a doozy. It's next Saturday, 'cause our football season ends before yours. It's cold up here, doncha know.

 

[liuzhou]

I love me a good sausage roll, but can't find them here. Chinese sausages aren't what I want, so I have to make my own sausage meat from fatty pork. But then I have the spicing problem. The spices and herbs I want just aren't available here, so I just use black pepper, sometimes chilli powder, maybe some nutmeg. If I'm feeling industrious I may make pastry, but usually buy frozen (not easy to find - I only know one shop which carries it, but they take forever to restock when it sells out, so I usually buy tons of it (which is why they run out!))

 

I never pre-cook the meat. Bake from raw. They only get minimally greasy and fat is flavour! Sausage rolls need grease! Flavourless, dry sausage meat in pastry is not what I want.

 

 

[Anna N]

32 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

I never pre-cook the meat. Bake from raw. They only get minimally greasy and fat is flavour! Sausage rolls need grease! Flavourless, dry sausage meat in pastry is not what I want.

 Absolutely. They are not diet food and should never be shoehorned into being so. 

[Toliver]

Besides, pork sausage these days isn't as fatty as it used to be. Some say that's a bad/sad thing.

I pre-cook my mom's pork sausage for her Thanksgiving stuffing and there's barely any leftover fat in the pan when I'm done cooking it and storing it away in a container destined for the refrigerator.

[Tri2Cook]

I didn't make the sausage rolls last weekend. The kid requested tacos and that sounded good to me so I went with it. I'm doing them this weekend, gonna be a long day of college football with all of the conference championship games. Not being a sausage roll expert, is there any reason leaving out the egg and bread in the recipe Anna N linked would be a bad idea? I know what the egg and bread does texturally but I like the texture of my homemade sausage (which is mixed and ready to go) so that's not an issue. Binding won't be an issue either, I've never had it be a problem no matter how large I make patties with the mixture (sometimes a big cheeseburger using the sausage instead of beef is nice). So is there any other sausage roll related reason I shouldn't leave those items out? I'd prefer not to add anything that's just going to mute the flavor of the sausage. 

And no, kayb, I'm not making crow rolls.  

[Anna N]

 Can’t see that it’s critical if you’re satisfied with the texture of your own sausage meat. What’s the worst thing that can happen? Next time you’ll do it my way. 

Edited December 2, 2017 by Anna N (log)

[Tri2Cook]

3 hours ago, Anna N said:

 Can’t see that it’s critical if you’re satisfied with the texture of your own sausage meat. What’s the worst thing that can happen? Next time you’ll do it my way. 

 

I'm about 95% convinced I'm gonna just go ahead and do it your way this time. Skip the whole "live and learn" step. 

[Kim Shook]

I made the sausage rolls for Xmas morning - I used @JohnT's recipe (well, mostly - since they were for breakfast, I left out the garlic and since I detest cooked carrots, I left them out, too.  They were fantastic - everyone preferred them to the ones I used to make.  The sausage was fully cooked and they weren't too greasy at all (my two fears).  Thanks so much @JohnT!  These are now my go-to for sausage rolls!