I rarely cook breakfast sausage at home, as I have it twice a week at my local diner. However, I picked some up this morning at my local supermarket and thought I'd try my hand. I remember my mother placing the links in a frying pan with a small amount of water, covering the pan with a lid and letting the links simmer. I'd greatly appreciate any tips or your tried-and-true methods. Thanks you.

Matt

The way you described your mother doing it is the way I’ve always done it. Simmer in a pan with a little water, covered. When cooked through I’ll empty the water and brown a bit more in the pan, just to give some color. I don’t know if that’s necessary but it works for me.

Cast iron pan, low heat and roll them around every minute or two. If the sausages are lean and not putting any grease in the pan after two minutes or so I add a bit of butter. I prefer a good breakfast sausage patty over a link.

I prefer to smoke them for an hour or two. I have had pretty great luck with some amazingly tasty sausages doing it this way.

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
Cast iron pan, low heat and roll them around every minute or two. If the sausages are lean and not putting any grease in the pan after two minutes or so I add a bit of butter. I prefer a good breakfast sausage patty over a link.

This but I'll put butter in 1st always. I've done links but normally do sausage patties.
Eggs after in the leftover sausage/butter mixture.

If you got some time simmer in a covered pan with a little heinz chili sauce and grape jelly is a good way to cook sausage.

The water+oil is the way I do it, sort of a reverse sear. The water moderates the temperature until it boils off, allowing the link to cook all the way through, then the skin gets crispy as the oil takes over.

You can get links that are "skinless," basically patties shaped into tubes, or you can get them stuffed into skins. The latter are better.

Pan fry or roast in oven

Why are you guys boiling sausage like that?

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
Pan fry or roast in oven

Why are you guys boiling sausage like that?

Maybe they're used to cooking brats that way?

I have never in my life seen someone steam breakfast sausages like that. Sounds like cooking beer brats or something, I dunno. Sounds strange to me, not breakfast-y.

I brown them in a skillet in their own grease/fat, adjust temp based on size and amount of sausages, roll around or flip as needed to get all sides and the middle done, move to paper towel on plate before serving to deal with any excess grease.

quote:

Originally posted by Erick85:
The way you described your mother doing it is the way I’ve always done it. Simmer in a pan with a little water, covered. When cooked through I’ll empty the water and brown a bit more in the pan, just to give some color. I don’t know if that’s necessary but it works for me.

I like to let them brown a bit, too.

You can just pan fry them, too, but a moments inattention and they can burn fast. My wife starts them, get off on doing something else in almost inevitably burns them.

The ones I get: 30 seconds on high.

I find the precooked don't spoil in the refrigerator as fast.

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
I brown them in a skillet in their own grease/fat, adjust temp based on size and amount of sausages, roll around or flip as needed to get all sides and the middle done, move to paper towel on plate before serving to deal with any excess grease.

This is the ticket in cast iron for us.

We too simmer in water then follow by frying in a little avocado oil to brown the links.

Fry 'em up in a pan......

I buy the Jones brand links in the freezer section in a large bag, only cook what I need in the moment.

They are precooked and 9 minutes in the air fryer at 350 is perfect.

Cast iron frying pan on medium heat and then fry the eggs up in the "sausage grease".

I like them pan fried so they have crispy skins. Only problem is the really juicy ones (processed deer sausage for example) tend to splatter a lot when pan fried, so I do them on the outside Weber with a Lodge cast iron griddle set on the grill grate. When they are all crispy and almost done, I turn off the grill and close the cover. Finishes the cooking and keeps them warm until the other breakfast fixins are ready. If you don't mind a bit of kitchen clean up, just about any good fry pan will work on the stove.

I put the sausage in a cold skillet. And set it on medium. And keep an eye on it.

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:

I add a bit of butter.

Uh, isn't that why we save bacon fat?