Fully cooked sausages, like kielbasa and many hot-dog-style bratwurst, can go straight over medium-high heat until they’re warmed through and browned. For extra crispy edges, butterfly them before grilling.
How to cook sausage in the oven
Roasting sausage is an easy, mostly hands-off option, especially when you’re cooking dinner on a sheet pan.
Heat oven to 425°F. Arrange fresh sausages on a parchment-lined baking sheet or nestle them among vegetables for an all-in-one meal—the rendered fat will help caramelize vegetables like fennel, onions, peppers, squash, and potatoes as they roast. Cook until the sausages are browned and bounce back when lightly pressed, 15 to 20 minutes for small sausage links or 25 to 30 minutes for larger ones, then verify doneness with an instant-read thermometer.
This sheet-pan sausage dinner is here for you when doing a pile of dishes isn’t on your to-do list.
How to cook frozen sausage
Forgot to thaw the sausage? You’ve got options:
Heat oven to 375°. Start frozen sausages at a slightly lower temperature; using too high a heat would brown them while leaving the centers frozen.
Arrange frozen sausages on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast until they’re mostly cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes, depending on their size. Increase oven temperature to 425°F to crisp the casings. Continue roasting until the sausages are deeply browned, and an instant-read thermometer registers 160°F for pork, beef, or lamb sausage or 165°F for poultry sausage.
Fresh sausages don’t cook evenly on the grill straight from the freezer, so it’s best to thaw them overnight in the refrigerator first. If you didn’t plan ahead, poach them instead.
Place the frozen sausages in a saucepan, cover with at least 1″ cold water and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook until a paring knife slides easily into the center, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the sausages to a paper towel–lined plate and pat dry. Grill sausages over direct heat until browned all over, then move them to indirect heat, if necessary, to finish cooking, just as you would with fresh sausage.
Sausage cooking FAQs
Is it better to boil or fry sausage?
Rather than boiling, gently simmer fresh sausages until they’re cooked through, then finish them in a hot skillet or on the grill. Simmering cooks the meat evenly, while the final sear creates a crisp, browned exterior.
Can you cook sausage entirely in a skillet?
Yes. You can cook fresh sausage entirely in a skillet over medium-low heat, turning frequently. The simmer-then-sear method is simply more forgiving and produces consistently juicy results.
How do you grill sausage without burning it?
Use both direct and indirect heat. Brown the sausages over direct heat first, then move them to the cooler side of the grill to finish cooking. This prevents the casing from scorching before the center is cooked through.
Why did my sausage casing split?
Sausage casings usually split when they’re exposed to high heat too quickly. Starting fresh sausages over gentle heat—or moving them to indirect heat after browning on the grill—helps the meat cook evenly while keeping the casing intact.
Should you pierce sausage before cooking?
No. Poking holes in the casing allows the juices and rendered fat to leak out, causing flare-ups on the grill or more violent oil splatters on the stove. Either way, you’ll end up with a drier sausage. Unless a recipe specifically tells you to prick or split the casing, leave it intact while the sausage cooks.
Can you cook sausage from frozen?
Yes. Frozen sausages can be roasted directly from the freezer or gently poached before grilling. Both methods take longer than cooking thawed sausage, but they’ll still turn out juicy if you finish them over a higher heat to brown the casing.
How do you know when sausage is done?
The most reliable way is with an instant-read thermometer. Fresh pork, beef, and lamb sausage should reach 160°F; fresh poultry sausage should reach 165°F. Because some varieties of sausage can remain pink even when fully cooked, the color of the meat isn’t a reliable indicator of doneness.
Thermoworks Sizzle Instant-Read Thermometer
A few skewers and a hot grill turn this short list of ingredients (Italian sausage! fresh fennel! olives!) into a quick, punchy meal.
Editor’s note: This story was first published in February 2018 with the title How to Cook Sausages So They’re Not Weirdly Raw Inside (or Burnt), featuring reporting by Alex Delany. It has been expanded for style and content.