Advise on how to cook sausage

Arkysmokin

Looking for some advise. I picked up 2lbs of beef sausage yesterday at Southside Market in Elgin, TX. The sausage isn't pre-cooked like most are and I've never cooked raw sausage before. Is there an IT that I should shoot for? Color? Any help would be appreciated. 

JustineCaseyFeldown

grill or smoke to 150-160 internal

Arkysmokin

Thank you very much

Mickey

Pics please

fishlessman

you can just grill it to 155. if theres not alot of fat you can add a little water to the pan, add sausage and bring up the internal temp quicker, then sear. been seeing some stuff on seafood sausage with the sous vide first, seafood sausage gets dry and over cooked fast, something i want to try.  with the beef though, i would probably start with foil and a little water (this keeps it from splitting too quickly), then grill it direct once the color starts to change. its strange how some areas use more precooked stuff, we see more raw stuff up here on the whole

Jupiter Jim

Try this link, I would not go much above 140 if you do you risk drying out the sausage. https://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/MeatTemperatureChart.htm

HoustonEgger

Just cooked some last night! Did mine indirect at 350 for 20 min per side. Used post oak for smoke  - came out terrific. 

They are pretty fatty so I wanted to smoke instead of grill them to reduce flare ups

SmokeyPitt

Ay-ay-ron has a vid. He cooks indirect for 275 for 30 minutes until the casing looks right. The sausage from TX looks pretty fatty so I think an IT in the 155-160 range would be best. One other tip I have heard is you can check the IT from the ends without popping the casing. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQQ6Wk4nIwo

Arkysmokin

Thank you all! This is great stuff! I'll cook it up this weekend and post some pics

JustineCaseyFeldown

@fishlessman seafood sausage, and some really mild emulsified sausages, should or can be poached. 

Weisswurst , brats, etc. benefit from gentle cooking.  

Foghorn

Anywhere between 275 and 325.  The best thing I have figured out is that when one casing pops a little hole and starts decompressing sausage juice, that one if very slightly overcooked and all the rest are done (unless there is some major temp variation around the grill).

fishlessman

JustineCaseyFeldown said:

@fishlessman seafood sausage, and some really mild emulsified sausages, should or can be poached. 

Weisswurst , brats, etc. benefit from gentle cooking.  

i do like them browned abit though, only way ive found that works is poached and chilled, then browned. thinkin sous vide would poach a bunch perfectly and then chill the whole bag in ice water, then a light browning and serve with the buerre blance sauce. there used to be a great cook in the capecod fishing mag...popeye

Toxarch

For uncooked, I like direct at 300 until an IT of 160 and the outside looks good. If the casing it really thin, indirect is OK. 

JustineCaseyFeldown

fishlessman said:

JustineCaseyFeldown said:

@fishlessman seafood sausage, and some really mild emulsified sausages, should or can be poached. 

Weisswurst , brats, etc. benefit from gentle cooking.  

i do like them browned abit though, only way ive found that works is poached and chilled, then browned. thinkin sous vide would poach a bunch perfectly and then chill the whole bag in ice water, then a light browning and serve with the buerre blance sauce. there used to be a great cook in the capecod fishing mag...popeye

Simmering in water, and then browning after the water boils off, is basically the conpromise cook. Gentle cook while simmering until pretty much done. Then light browing

As you mentioned, that's pretty much the standard breakfast sausage method. 

Probably came aboit as a poor man's "poach" (just plain water), and one day the water boiled off unattended, and the happy accident of browning happened

if i grill, I tend to go lower so that the cook is a gentle roast while i pick up color at the same time

cooking too high leads to blackening and split skins in my experience. And sometimes even undercooked interiors

check ruhlman's book for the seafood or lobster sausage. I think he poaches in seafood stock. But butter would be awesome