Let's Cook Sausage!

Cooking sausage successfully has always been a bit of a challenge for me.  I always tend to get it too crispy on the outside and sometimes undercooked on the inside. Pork should always be cooked all the way through!  After much experimentation, I have developed this method which always seems to produce an excellent finished product - sausage patties that are cooked all the way through and beautifully browned on the outside.

I place the roll of sausage on the cutting board.  This one is my most-prized as it was made from a picture drawn by my favorite artist!  I use a steak knife and slice through the plastic wrapper and sausage making slices about 3/4" wide.  If you prefer a different thickness, this method will still be successful.  You can also make the patties by hand - its a personal preference.  I also find if the sausage is slightly frozen, it is much easier to slice.  Notice that I am using the light sausage - there is a difference in the fat and calorie content and I think it is quite tasty.

I place the slices into a frying pan which I have warming over medium heat.  They seem to cook more evenly if they are not touching each other.  This is the not the entire roll of sausage as I reserve some to make sausage gravy.  I will be blogging my method for making gravy later.  I let the patties brown slightly as the pan is warming up. 

Once the pan is warm, I add a small amount of water.

Then I cover the pan and continue cooking with the burner on the medium setting. I like using a glass lid because I can see what is happening inside the pan. This keeps me from lifting the lid to check on the sausage. Every time you lift the lid you release steam and heat and this seems to prolong the cooking time. After the sausage has cooked about five or six minutes, turn them to cook the other side. If the water evaporates, add a little more. 

Cook until they are done completely through.  If the second side doesn't have a nice golden color, remove the lid and let the water evaporate and cook them a bit longer to get the color you want. If I am uncertain if they are completely done, I use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature is at least 160 degrees.  You can also cut into a patty for a visual inspection.

Remove the sausage patties to a plate covered with a paper towel to absorb grease.  I find this method of cooking sausage gives me a nice, moist, well-cooked sausage that is as pleasing to the eye as it is the tongue!

SMALL LIVING TIP:   I cook the entire roll of sausage.  I store the leftovers in either a tightly-covered container or a sealed baggie in the refrigerator for another meal.  They also freeze well and can be reheated in the microwave.