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Pizza: pre-cook sausage or no?

Slippy
Slippy Posts: 214
in EggHead Forum
Making the dough now for tomorrow's pies. Bought some bulk Italian sausage at the Italian market... From everything I can tell if you are cooking hot & quick at 900+, then raw is fine... But what about 500ish in the egg? I guess the same could be asked about the tomato sauce...  Didn't plan to cook the sauce, but I can be persuaded..  
Rockwall, TX  •  LBGE, Big Hat Ranger offset smoker, Really old 22" Weber Kettle, Pile of Pecan and Post Oak... 
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Comments

  • lkapigian
    lkapigian Posts: 11,549
    edited December 2018
    Crumbled , no but pre cooked will be safe and OK
    Visalia, Ca @lkapigian
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  • TEXASBGE2018
    TEXASBGE2018 Posts: 3,831
    edited December 2018
    Slippy said:
    Making the dough now for tomorrow's pies. Bought some bulk Italian sausage at the Italian market... From everything I can tell if you are cooking hot & quick at 900+, then raw is fine... But what about 500ish in the egg? I guess the same could be asked about the tomato sauce...  Didn't plan to cook the sauce, but I can be persuaded..  
    I always precook but that’s because I’m OCD about food born illness. As far as the sauce I never precook. I just combine San Marzano tomatoes with garlic a little olive oil salt and pepper and pulse in a blender 3-4 times. Then into the fridge for a couple days prior to making my pies.


    Rockwall, Tx    LBGE, Minimax, 22" Blackstone, Pizza Party Bollore. Cast Iron Hoarder.

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  • Jstroke
    Jstroke Posts: 2,605
    I would cook it first. 
    Columbus, Ohio--A Gasser filled with Matchlight and an Ugly Drum.
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  • Mattman3969
    Mattman3969 Posts: 10,458
    Precook for sure. 

    -----------------------------------------

    analyze adapt overcome

    2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.
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  • hoosier_egger
    hoosier_egger Posts: 6,808
    Just did this today and I pre-cooked it
    ~ John - Formerly known as ColtsFan  - https://www.instagram.com/hoosier_egger
    XL BGE, LG BGE, Med BGE, BGE Chiminea, Ardore Pizza Oven
    Bloomington, IN - Hoo Hoo Hoo Hoosiers!

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  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    I've never precooked sausage or hamburger. Just use smaller pieces. Bacon is another story. 

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

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  • BGEChicago
    BGEChicago Posts: 575
    I never do, my sausages are the size of marbles, if your using large pieces perhaps pre-cook
    Chicago, IL BGE XL BGE Mini Webber Charcoal / Elmhurst, IL
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,797
    I will offer the following: Is there a downside flavor-wise to pre-cooking or not?
    If not then you have the obvious answer.  If so, then you have to make sure the sausage gets cooked during the pizza cook.
    Related but not the same- I always pre-cook sausage  or any meat filling for ABT's. 
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. CHEETO (aka Agent Orange) makes Nixon look like a saint.  
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  • Slippy
    Slippy Posts: 214
    My dough recipe ended up making 11 dough balls. I may try it both ways. I’ve got plenty of spares. I have read that not pre-cooking Italian sausage tastes better. We shall see. 
    Rockwall, TX  •  LBGE, Big Hat Ranger offset smoker, Really old 22" Weber Kettle, Pile of Pecan and Post Oak... 
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  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 17,375
    I lightly pre-cook the sausage, not for flavor but to release some of the excess grease.  
    I've even done that with pepperoni slices but that's a bit anal; some grease is a good thing.  

    "Dumplings are just noodles that have already eaten"   - Jon Kung

    Ogden, UT, USA


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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,137
    Botch said:
    I lightly pre-cook the sausage, not for flavor but to release some of the excess grease.  
    I've even done that with pepperoni slices but that's a bit anal; some grease is a good thing.  
    Completely agree
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • dstearn
    dstearn Posts: 1,705
    I cook pizza at 450 for 14 minutes and the raw sausage renders and cooks fine. Even check it with a thermopen and it is perfectly safe provide it you cook it long enough. 
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  • GrillSgt
    GrillSgt Posts: 2,507
    edited December 2018
    I don’t like the grease so I always precook. Actually I cook a couple of lbs at a time and freeze in 1/4 lb segments. I find the 1/4 lb is perfect for a 12” pizza. Well I really use simple ground pork and add fennel, red pepper, oregano to make my own sausage. 
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  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,380
    GrillSgt said:
    I don’t like the grease so I always precook. Actually I cook a couple of lbs at a time and freeze in 1/4 lb segments. I find the 1/4 lb is perfect for a 12” pizza. Well I really use simple ground pork and add fennel, red pepper, oregano to make my own sausage. 
    This.
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




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  • Toxarch
    Toxarch Posts: 1,900
    There's the grease aspect. Put I also put so many toppings on my pizza, it really needs to be precooked. 
    Aledo, Texas
    Large BGE
    KJ Jr.

    Exodus 12:9 KJV
    Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.

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  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 34,737
    GrillSgt said:
    I don’t like the grease so I always precook. Actually I cook a couple of lbs at a time and freeze in 1/4 lb segments. I find the 1/4 lb is perfect for a 12” pizza. Well I really use simple ground pork and add fennel, red pepper, oregano to make my own sausage. 
    I do the same as your last sentence there.  Fennel sausage is pretty awesome on pizza.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike

    "The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand." - Deep Throat
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  • GATraveller
    GATraveller Posts: 8,207
    Precook. 

    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community [...] but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots."
                                                                                  -Umberto Eco

    2 Large
    Peachtree Corners, GA
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  • JRWhitee
    JRWhitee Posts: 5,678
    I pre-cook sausage
                                                                
    _________________________________________________
    Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story!
    Large BGE 2006, Mini Max 2014, 36" Blackstone, Anova Sous Vide
    Green Man Group 
    Johns Creek, Georgia
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  • SonVolt
    SonVolt Posts: 3,316
    edited December 2018
    Either way is fine. Lately I’ve been crumbling the sausage into pinky nail-sized bites and dusting them in a light coating of flour. The flour helps keep it from being greasy, also adds a bit of nonstick coating to keep the crumbles from lumping back together. Little trick I learned from from watching videos of pizzerias. I find the results a little better than precooking.  The sausage manages to cook through even with short 2-3 minutes cooks. 
    South of Nashville  -  BGE XL  -  Alfresco 42" ALXE  -  Alfresco Versa Burner  - Sunbeam Microwave 
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