Grilled Sausage - basic technique. This is a weeknight grilling recipe, but just barely. It takes 30 to 45 minutes, end to end, counting preheating the grill. But most of that time is hands off, because I cook the sausage over indirect heat, so there are no flare-ups. A quick browning at the end and the sausage are ready! Also, because sausage is already stuffed with flavor, there is no other prep work. I take the sausage out of its packaging and put it directly on the grill.
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Grilling sausage is an essential skill for every grill master. Especially me. My Dad is from Wisconsin, and I was born there. Knowing how to cook bratwurst is a family requirement.
Grilling sausage is not easy. Cooking a sausage all the way through before it burns on the outside is tricky, and flare ups from dripping fat make it even harder...if you cook them over direct heat. Sausages are a prime candidate for sear-roasting on the grill. Start them over indirect heat, and leave them there until they are cooked through. Then, brown the sausage quickly over direct heat to finish.
If the grill is hot enough, you can skip the browning step - on my charcoal grill, 20 minutes of indirect heat is enough time to brown the sausage AND cook it through.
This is a weeknight grilling recipe, but just barely. It takes 30 to 45 minutes, end to end, counting preheating the grill. Half of that time is hands off - the indirect cooking part - and you can get other parts of your dinner done while the sausages are grilling. Also, because sausage is already stuffed with flavor, there is no other prep work. I take the sausage out of its packaging and put it directly on the grill.
Ingredients
- Uncooked sausages (I usually cook 1 to 2 packages, roughly 2 to 3 pounds)
- (See Variations for sausage suggestions)
How to Grill Sausages
Prepare the grill (Gas Grill) - Indirect 400°F+
Set the grill up for cooking with indirect high heat. For my Weber Summit, I preheat the grill with all the burners on for ten to fifteen minutes, then I clean grates with my grill brush. Then I set up for indirect heat by turning off two of the burners, and putting a foil pan under the grill grate, on top of those unlit burners. On my Summit 650, this means burner 1 is on, 2 and 3 are off and 4 to 6 are still on (I use 4-6 as a grilling area for other things...like peppers and onions.)
OR: Prepare the grill (Charcoal Grill) - Indirect
For a charcoal grill, like my my Weber kettle, I light a chimney starter full of charcoal, wait for it to be covered with ash, then pour it in two equal piles on the sides of the charcoal grate, and put the drip pan on the charcoal grate, between the piles.
Cook the sausages
Put the sausages on the grill grate over indirect heat. (That is, over the unlit burners and drip pan). Cook with the lid closed for fifteen minutes. Flip the sausages, and check their temperature. They should be 160°F in the middle; if not, cook with the lid closed for another five minutes, or until they are 160°F. Now, if the sausages aren't browned enough, move them over the direct heat (one of the lit burners) and grill until browned, watching carefully for flare-ups, about 2 minutes. Flip the sausages and brown the other side, about 2 more minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Serving suggestions
- On a bun: Pop them in a bun and load them up with toppings and some mustard. My favorite is grilled peppers and onions and brown mustard. Or, pickle relish and yellow mustard. Or, sauerkraut and grainy mustard. Or sliced jalapeños and hot and sweet mustard. The choices are almost endless
- With pasta: This is especially good with Italian sausage. Cut the sausages into 2 inch pieces and toss them with pasta. Add some fresh diced tomato, minced garlic, basil leaves and olive oil, and you have a perfect pasta recipe for the height of summer.
- As an appetizer: Cut the sausages into 1 inch pieces, and serve as an appetizer with pickles and a variety of mustards. If you want to be fancy, skewer each piece of sausage on a toothpick. (These are particularly good with the wood smoked variation, below)
Variations
What kind of sausage can you grill?
What kind do you have? I've used this recipe with
- Italian sausage (sweet and hot)
- Merguez sausage (lamb sausage from my local farmers market)
- Bratwurst (Johnsonville, my favorite)
- Hungarian sausage (from Al's Quality Market)
- Sicilian sausage (from DeVitis)
- Chorizo (Spanish, uncooked style)
- Chicken sausage (from Mustard Seed Market)
Add some wood smoke
A great addition to this recipe is wood smoke. This works best on a charcoal grill. I soak a fist-sized chunk of hickory (or other smoking wood) in water for an hour. Then I drain it and put it on the lit coals, right before I add the sausage. On a gas grill I soak a cup of wood chips for an hour, drain them, wrap them in a foil packet, and put them under the grate, on the burner cover over a lit burner. (Or put them in the smoker box on my Weber Summit).
Equipment
- Grill (I use a Weber Summit. Here is the current version of my grill.
)
)What to do with leftover grilled sausages
Leftover sausages are great to have in the refrigerator. Slice them up, then use them in pasta (see the variations), or in a soup, or with beans. They'll last for a few days in the refrigerator, or for a few months in the freezer.
What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? How do you like to serve sausages - any other suggestions? Leave them in the comments section below.
Adapted From: Stephen Raichlen's BBQ USA
Grilled Sausages Recipe
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: As many sausages as you can fit on the grill
Description
Basic technique: grilling sausages over an indirect fire. Cook the sausages through over the cool zone, then finish over the fire to brown them up.
Ingredients
- Uncooked sausage (I usually cook 1 to 2 packages, roughly 2 to 3 pounds)
Instructions
- Prepare the grill (Gas Grill): Set the grill up for cooking with indirect high heat. For my Weber Summit, I preheat the grill with all the burners on for ten to fifteen minutes, then I clean grates with my grill brush. Then I set up for indirect heat by turning off two of the burners, and putting a foil pan under the grill grate, on top of those unlit burners. On my Summit 650, this means burner 1 is on, 2 and 3 are off and 4 to 6 are still on (I use 4-6 as a grilling area for other things...like peppers and onions.)
- Prepare the grill (Charcoal Grill):For a charcoal grill, like my my Weber kettle, I light a chimney starter full of charcoal, wait for it to be covered with ash, then pour it in two equal piles on the sides of the charcoal grate, and put the drip pan on the charcoal grate, between the piles.
- Cook the sausages: Put the sausages on the grill grate over indirect heat. (That is, over the unlit burners and drip pan). Cook with the lid closed for fifteen minutes. Flip the sausages, and check their temperature. They should be 160°F in the middle; if not, cook with the lid closed for another five minutes, or until they are 160°F. Now, if the sausages aren't browned enough, move them over the direct heat (one of the lit burners) and grill until browned, watching carefully for flare-ups, about 2 minutes. Flip the sausages and brown the other side, about 2 more minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
When serving sausages on buns, I like to open up the buns and toast them on the grill for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Be careful if you do this, though; bread goes from toasted to burnt in a flash.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Weeknight Dinner
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: American
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Click here for my other grilling recipes
Did I mention this goes well with: Grilled Peppers and Onions
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Michael Blough says
I love the concept of indirect then direct for raw sausages, thank you.
I have the exact same grill. Two questions, 1) What foil pan have you found that will fit under the grill grate, and on top of the unlit burners?, 2) Curious how you lift that very hot grill grate once pre-heated, to put the foil pan under it?
Thank you.
Mike Vrobel says
I buy 9x13 foil “cake” pans, which are shallow enough to fit. (Or for regular height foil pans, I squish them down to fit before putting them in the grill.) or, if I am in a hurry, I just skip the foil pan.
I lift the hot grate with my cooking tongs, and slide the foil pan under.
Mark Robeson says
Great basic technique - I've seen other recipes (including an NYT one) that recommend cooking over the coals directly for like 8 minutes and just taking off and plating. The longer cooking time over medium and then a short sear just brought out the flavor of the sausages. And we didn't do the onions and peppers because these links were made with green onion. I added some pecan chips for an extra smoky flavor. Love this site, thank you!
Mike Vrobel says
You're welcome!
Istvan says
Where do you buy Hungarian sausage?
Mike Vrobel says
I get it at a local specialty butcher: https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/road-trip-als-quality-market/, but my local grocery stores also carry it.
roger lee porter says
Worked much better than direct heat. Thanks for the tips!
D.r.a.m says
Works great
j. rankin says
following your game plan today! Thanks for posting.
David Kennedy says
Mike,
You mentioned you used some of the burners fir other things ... like corn.
Have you done a recipe for grilled corn?
Mike Vrobel says
Have I done grilled corn? Oh, yes: https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/grilled-corn/ or https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/grilled-in-the-husk-corn/ or https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/grilled-corn-with-chipotle-lime-butter/
Mr Davey says
Try simmering in water till cooked, then on to BBQ. Keeps the meat soft and moist. Carefull some brands split
Greg says
Funny that you posted this cause I have some Aidell's Mango & Jalapeno getting ready to be grilled.
The biggest mistake people make is overcooking sausage. A thermometer is a great idea and will help to develop one's ability to recognize when they are done.