by Peggy Strickland

Created on: February 14, 2010   Last Updated: July 07, 2011

Bite into a perfectly grilled sausage and the crisp, browned skin will literally "pop" the juicy succulence right into your mouth!  Achieving such splendid results requires just a little well placed expertise.

First, Choose the Right Sausage,

Whether you choose to begin with fresh sausages or smoked, in casings natural or synthetic, selections for the grill should be of high quality, plump and meaty.  You don’t want tiny breakfast “brown and serve” links for a fat suppertime sausage or “sausage dog.”

You can choose from a variety of seasonings, from mild to flaming red hot; and from a wide array of meats, such as pork, beef, lamb, veal or venison.  Some familiar types are.....

*Polish; available usually fresh, pork or beef with garlic accents

*Italian; usually purchased fresh, available sweet and spicy or hot and peppery

*Kielbasa; fresh or smoked, with a garlic and mustard base

*Bratwurst; fresh or smoked, pork, beef or veal, with a unique spicy flavoring

*A few varieties come ready to eat and some prepackaged like hot dogs, ready for quick grilling.  Some choices might be the very spicy Andouille, mild summer sausage, or various liver sausages. 

*Do not rule out homemade sausages, with any number of unique meats, casings and spices.

Prepare Sausage in Just the Right Way.

To keep the juices in, sausages should never be rapidly cooked on a super hot grill.  You do, however, want sausages to be brown and crisp on the outside, yet juicy, tender and flavorful on the inside.

On a medium hot grill sausage should be gently rotated a few times to brown and crisp on all sides.  Use tongs, when possible to avoid releasing the juices with any tool that pierces.  Your sausage should plump up as it cooks and browns, near to bursting, but not quite.  Use non stick cooking spray on the grates to keep your sausage from sticking or damaging the skins.  Skewers can be used to pierce the sausage lengthwise, enabling easy turning, and making for easy preparation with accompanying vegetable kebabs.

Previously smoked or partially cooked sausage requires less cooking time than fresh sausage.  When grilling fresh sausage you might consider a very short precook in the microwave or in a pot of boiling water. 

Some sausages, like bratwurst, benefit from being partially cooked in liquid, preferably beer.  A good idea for these uniquely flavored sausages is to use a grill-safe pan, or shape a shallow form from heavy duty aluminum foil into a sturdy, sealed pan.  Layer your choice of garnishes like onions, green peppers, or hot peppers, sizzling in olive oil, butter or a non-stick spray until slightly tender.  Drench the onions in beer and allow to simmer.  The brats can be alternately browned on the grill and simmered in the beer/onion mixture, or vice versa.  This assures the brats will be juicy and hot for serving.  The sausages also will hold in the liquid for quite some time, and can be stored and reheated later.

Serve Appropriately

Grilled sausage can be served as choice dictates;; on a bun with condiments and relishes, on a plate as a main course with side dishes, blended with noodles or vegetables in a casserole, or simply wrapped in a few napkins to eat whole. 

Leftover sausages are great with next morning’s breakfast and make a wonderful change from typical pan fried or brown and serve breakfast sausage.

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