Cooking sausages

[epicuric]

OK, I've been cooking sausages for quite a few years now, but I really haven't mastered the process. When I was young I remember them being pan fried, juicy and succulent with crispy bits of the sausage meat that had oozed out of the ends. They are the same at food fairs when tasting samples are being cooked. I can not achieve this at home without fat spitting everywhere, no matter which pan/oil/temp combination I try, so I end up cooking them in the oven for an easy life. I find this dries them out though.

Does anyone have any tips on cooking the perfect pan fried sausage?

 

[Morning Glory]

Maybe you just have to fry them in lots of oil/fat? I know what you mean....

 

[buckytom]

Firstly, do not break the skin/casing.

A lot of people fork their sausages to help them cook through, but that only helps the fat inside to leach out as it renders.

Secondly, use a cast iron skillet or a charcoal/gas grill. Something that can get hot enough to cause the sausage to properly brown.

Finally, do not overcrowd the pan, nor cover the pan in which the sausage is cooking. That will only serve to steam them rather than cook in a more dry heat.

 

[Ken Natton]

Well now, you see, this taps in to the whole discussion about the almost straight dichotomy that there is between that which is nice and that which is healthy.

I have often mentioned here the problem I have with dishes that I would like to make but have the difficulty that my wife will object to them on the grounds of them being unhealthy. It might then be a surprise, a contradiction, a little slice of human reality for me to record, that when I cook sausages I tend to grill them. It is my wife who objects to how dry they are when you grill them and insists on pan frying them.

But if you do grill them, have you seen just how much fat runs off them – even if you don’t prick them first? And the truth is, if you fry them, you are eating all of that fat.

Ah but get this, you are bringing back a memory from my days as an apprentice. Working for Beloit Walmsley at their training school in the Denvale Mill on Union Road. Okay, quick tangent. Union Road in Bolton. There is a famous Gracie Fields film which finishes with her gustily singing a song as crowds gather around her. As the end titles roll, the camera retreats skywards to show you the size of this crowd around her as Gracie soars to the high finish. That scene was shot on Union Road in Bolton.

So, what has this got to do with sausages? Well, during my apprenticeship days in the Denvale Mill, we, all too often, would walk along Union Road at lunch time to a chip shop that served the most delicious sausages and chips you have ever eaten. It was later pointed out to me just why those sausages were so good. Chip Shop? Yup, They deep fried them. All I can say is. probably the only reason I got away with it is precisely because I was just sixteen years old at the time.

 

[Morning Glory]

Well now, you see, this taps in to the whole discussion about the almost straight dichotomy that there is between that which is nice and that which is healthy.

I have often mentioned here the problem I have with dishes that I would like to make but have the difficulty that my wife will object to them on the grounds of them being unhealthy. It might then be a surprise, a contradiction, a little slice of human reality for me to record, that when I cook sausages I tend to grill them. It is my wife who objects to how dry they are when you grill them and insists on pan frying them.

But if you do grill them, have you seen just how much fat runs off them – even if you don’t prick them first? And the truth is, if you fry them, you are eating all of that fat.

Ah but get this, you are bringing back a memory from my days as an apprentice. Working for Beloit Walmsley at their training school in the Denvale Mill on Union Road. Okay, quick tangent. Union Road in Bolton. There is a famous Gracie Fields film which finishes with her gustily singing a song as crowds gather around her. As the end titles roll, the camera retreats skywards to show you the size of this crowd around her as Gracie soars to the high finish. That scene was shot on Union Road in Bolton.

So, what has this got to do with sausages? Well, during my apprenticeship days in the Denvale Mill, we, all too often, would walk along Union Road at lunch time to a chip shop that served the most delicious sausages and chips you have ever eaten. It was later pointed out to me just why those sausages were so good. Chip Shop? Yup, They deep fried them. All I can say is. probably the only reason I got away with it is precisely because I was just sixteen years old at the time.

Nice story...

 

[Kake Lover]

I cook our sausages under the grill too, I turn them regularly as they brown. I like them slightly more cooked than Mr K because I particularly like a bit of crunchy skin whereas he likes them a bit paler and moister. This is easily done by putting his at the front of the grill where it is less hot. I try to buy the 97% meat ones from Tesco which don't seem to leave much residue in the grill pan or get some from the local butcher as a treat because he makes his own and don't have too much extra filler in either.

 

[epicuric]

Well now, you see, this taps in to the whole discussion about the almost straight dichotomy that there is between that which is nice and that which is healthy.

I have often mentioned here the problem I have with dishes that I would like to make but have the difficulty that my wife will object to them on the grounds of them being unhealthy. It might then be a surprise, a contradiction, a little slice of human reality for me to record, that when I cook sausages I tend to grill them. It is my wife who objects to how dry they are when you grill them and insists on pan frying them.

But if you do grill them, have you seen just how much fat runs off them – even if you don’t prick them first? And the truth is, if you fry them, you are eating all of that fat.

Ah but get this, you are bringing back a memory from my days as an apprentice. Working for Beloit Walmsley at their training school in the Denvale Mill on Union Road. Okay, quick tangent. Union Road in Bolton. There is a famous Gracie Fields film which finishes with her gustily singing a song as crowds gather around her. As the end titles roll, the camera retreats skywards to show you the size of this crowd around her as Gracie soars to the high finish. That scene was shot on Union Road in Bolton.

So, what has this got to do with sausages? Well, during my apprenticeship days in the Denvale Mill, we, all too often, would walk along Union Road at lunch time to a chip shop that served the most delicious sausages and chips you have ever eaten. It was later pointed out to me just why those sausages were so good. Chip Shop? Yup, They deep fried them. All I can say is. probably the only reason I got away with it is precisely because I was just sixteen years old at the time.

Ah, @Ken Natton, you presuppose that fat is bad for you. I would urge you, as an engineer and frustrated scientist, to examine the flawed evidence behind the demonisation of fat. Start with Ancil Keys. There is a thread about it on here somewhere. It frustrates and saddens me that so many otherwise intelligent people blindly follow the 'fat is bad for you' mantra whilst turning a blind eye to the staggering amounts of refined sugars they consume, hidden away in processed 'healthy' foods.

 

[Morning Glory]

Ah, @Ken Natton, you presuppose that fat is bad for you. I would urge you, as an engineer and frustrated scientist, to examine the flawed evidence behind the demonisation of fat. Start with Ancil Keys. There is a thread about it on here somewhere. It frustrates and saddens me that so many otherwise intelligent people blindly follow the 'fat is bad for you' mantra whilst turning a blind eye to the staggering amounts of refined sugars they consume, hidden away in processed 'healthy' foods.

Yes its a fascinating subject. So much nutritional health advice is based on flawed (and rather dated) studies. The problem is that its virtually impossible to conduct controlled nutritional studies in humans without locking large numbers of people up and monitoring everything they eat over a period of many, many years! The same goes for salt. There is almost no solid evidence that it affects blood pressure - but the NHS still promote the idea.

 

[Rocklobster]

Play around with your range and find a level of heat that will allow your sausage to sizzle without burning. I heat my pans on high, then dial back the heat after the meat is in, leaving it in the pan as long as I can...sometimes I boil them in an inch of water until they are cooked somewhat inside, then drain the water, add a bit of oil and brown to crisp. You can use a bit of a higher heat this way as a lot of the rendered fat is poured out with the water so you don't get as much spatter..

 

[Yorky]

......without locking large numbers of people up..........

I know a few who deserve that.

Our "cook" in Ellesmere Port depot always used to deep fry sausages. They then went into a sandwich with brown sauce.

I have tried to emulate her only recently.

 

[Cinisajoy]

Ok you are talking about smoked sausage not breakfast sausage. I had to read this entire thread twice.
I put mine on the grill.

 

[epicuric]

Ok you are talking about smoked sausage not breakfast sausage. I had to read this entire thread twice.
I put mine on the grill.

No, talking about plain pork sausage - that is breakfast sausage here!

 

[epicuric]

I know a few who deserve that.

Our "cook" in Ellesmere Port depot always used to deep fry sausages. They then went into a sandwich with brown sauce.

I have tried to emulate her only recently.

View attachment 7924

I have tried every other way mentioned above, but never thought of deep frying. That could work for me, thanks Yorky.

 

[Ken Natton]

Ah, @Ken Natton, you presuppose that fat is bad for you. I would urge you, as an engineer and frustrated scientist, to examine the flawed evidence behind the demonisation of fat. Start with Ancil Keys. There is a thread about it on here somewhere. It frustrates and saddens me that so many otherwise intelligent people blindly follow the 'fat is bad for you' mantra whilst turning a blind eye to the staggering amounts of refined sugars they consume, hidden away in processed 'healthy' foods.

Yes, I am aware that the very devil is free sugar. And yes, I understand that fat is not necessarily as bad as it was once thought to be. But still, the point about saturated fats and their tendency to fur up the arteries does remain the truth. You maybe shouldn't hold up a crucifix to an occasional good, hearty cooked breakfast, but on the other hand, excessive amounts of fat and too little exercise are a bad combination. The connection between the diet and the high incidence of heart disease in Scotland is not about sugar.

 

[Morning Glory]

Yes, I am aware that the very devil is free sugar. And yes, I understand that fat is not necessarily as bad as it was once thought to be. But still, the point about saturated fats and their tendency to fur up the arteries does remain the truth. You maybe shouldn't hold up a crucifix to an occasional good, hearty cooked breakfast, but on the other hand, excessive amounts of fat and too little exercise are a bad combination. The connection between the diet and the high incidence of heart disease in Scotland is not about sugar.

I can feel a debate coming on...