How Long to Grill Sausage?

Sausage is a beloved food for gatherings due to its ease of preparation and versatility. This guide provides comprehensive methods for grilling sausage to perfection, ensuring a delicious result every time.

Best Ways to Grill Sausage

A perfectly grilled sausage should have a crispy exterior with slight browning and be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F. There are three main methods to achieve this:

1. Slow Cooking Over Low Heat: Allow the sausage to absorb smoke flavors before finishing over high heat for a crispy exterior.
2. Consistent Medium Heat: Cook the sausage thoroughly while browning the exterior.
3. Pre-Cooking and Finishing: Slowly simmer the sausage in liquid before finishing on the grill for easier control and crisp skin.

Choosing the Best Sausage for Grilling

• Pre-Cooked Sausage Links: Easiest to grill, requiring only to be warmed up.
• Uncooked Sausage Links: Require more attention to reach a safe internal temperature of 160°F.

Preparing Sausage for Grilling

Pre-cooking sausage is optional but recommended to prevent the exterior from burning before the interior is fully cooked. Simmer sausages in broth, beer, or water until they reach an internal temperature of 150°F, then finish grilling for crispiness.

Optimal Grill Temperature

Grill sausage at 350°F to avoid splitting the casing and losing flavorful juices.

Grilling Time

• Direct Grilling: About 20 minutes over medium heat, 10 minutes per side.
• Smoking and Finishing: Smoke at 225°F for about an hour, then grill at 450°F for 5 minutes.

Ensuring Sausage is Cooked

Use a thermometer to ensure the internal temperature reaches 160°F.

Common Sausage Cooking Questions

• Boiling Sausage: Never boil sausage before grilling to prevent casing breakage and flavor loss.
• Puncturing Sausage: Avoid puncturing to keep the sausage moist.
• Slicing Sausage: Slice fully pre-cooked sausages before grilling if serving as appetizers; do not slice uncooked sausages.

Serving Suggestions

Serve grilled sausages with grilled onions, peppers, or in buns with condiments like ketchup, mustard, sauerkraut, relish, and pickled peppers. Pair with picnic salads like potato salad, bean salad, and macaroni salad for a complete meal.

Grilled Sausage Recipes

1. Polish Sausages with BBQ Sauce

   • Grill Time: 10 minutes
   • Ingredients: 4 polish sausages, ½ cup Traeger Sweet & Heat BBQ Sauce, 4 hot dog buns.

2. Bratwursts with Beer and Mustard

   • Grill Time: 1 hour
   • Ingredients: 4 bratwursts, ½ cup mustard seeds, 1 cup beer, 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar, salt, 4 hot dog buns, sauerkraut for serving.

Summary

Set your grill to 350°F, cook the sausage for about 20 minutes, rotating every few minutes, and ensure it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F for perfect results.