To boil or cook in a pan?

[David LaPell]

My wife and I were having a discussion over breakfast about the proper way to cook sausage. I was doing it my way which she disagrees with, making it the wrong way. I whipped up some bison sausage last night and this morning I wanted to cook some in a pan for my son and myself, and I have always cooked sausage by putting them in a pan and cooking them in oil or butter. A little messy but hey I clean it up and it tastes very good, but I am always open to new things, and I have heard that boiling it then cooking it in a pan isn't a bad way to go, I have never tried it though. Has do you fellas cook your sausage. I have more to cook today and tomorrow so I thought I would ask.

 

[Alnamvet68]

It really depends on what kind of sausage you're cooking, and what method. For real Italian sweet sausage with fennel seeds, I either grill them on the Q, or bake them in a Pyrex dish with about a 1/2" of water, or slow pan brown with a bit of water to keep them moist. Southern style pork sausage, such as patties are just pan fried, while their link equivalent I pan fry with a bit of water. Personally, I think the water helps maintain their plumpness.

 

[duppie]

The sausage that I frequently cook has a high fat and sugar content and the traditional method of cooking is to boil in a high sided pan in just enough water to cover and boil slowly to cook through so after water evaporates,the residual oil left will begin to fry the Sausage.
2 issues. 1, it's a long process especially when you're starving and 2,because of the sugar componant, the pan is a nightmare to clean so now I boil it to cook and finish in toaster oven on foil so clean up is a breeze.
Traditional sausages I boil briefly and then fry or boil and grill in a Panini press.

 

[imashooter2]

I put the sausage in a fry pan, add a half a cup or so of water, put on a loose fitting lid and turn the heat high. When the water boils off, you can hear the pan start to fry. Take the lid off and finish browning to your taste. With this method, I've never noticed my pan any harder to clean than just frying something.

 

[dcxplant]

Weiner, knackwurst get boiled. Be careful not to overboil and split the skins.

Sausages, brats, most dogs, on the grill.

Chorizo, Italian sausages (I cut mine up to brown before putting on pizza), breakfast sausage, go into an iron skillet.

Basically, lean sausages in natural skins I boil, fatty sausages get grilled whole, or broken down (like chorizo) or chopped and into the iron skillet. Except brats, they stay whole and go on the grill.

Keep the skillet really hot, and squelch it in cold running tap water wiping with a non-plastic sponge to clean. It comes right off. Wipe down with veggie oil while it's still hot or warm and you're done.

 

[oberon]

Both methods have cred. I am a slow fire black iron guy for most applications. Slow fire on the grill is probably the best for the pure pleasure of it all.
The water 'parboil'/braze method is effective when preparing for a sauce or the like, or if you want to cut the time factor a little. Minestrone starts with sausage meat, oil , and a little garlic in the bottom of the kettle. If I am whippin' up a batch of sauce for lasagna, I will shove 'em in the oven and roast 'em for a whille till they are brown, and then add them to the sauce. The possibilities are endless.
For your purposes, you can let her know that you have reserched the issue and have found no conclusive information. Then suck up to her and show her that you are up to speed with her view, and that she has opend a new avenue for you to explore in your culinary experience. Then invite her out tonite for a quiet, romantic dinner someplace nice. Maybe some flowers? Can't hurt. Good luck.

 

[Alnamvet68]

Are we hungry yet?



..............

 

[roarindan]

dont matter to me,,long as she's got it ready when i sit down!

 

[Alnamvet68]

dont matter to me,,long as she's got it ready when i sit down!

Dang....you've got mega-huevos for a 21st century man.

 

[gregintenn]

Sausage-Fry in cast iron skillet.

The end.

 

[USAF385]

Being a Polish boy from coal country, I have had a lot of experience with kielbasa growing up. For a few years I even smoked my own. A good amount of work but it was great. My grandfather (my dad's dad) had a smoker and taught me.

My mother's method is to heat the kielbasa in a frying pan with about an inch of water with the lid on but tipped. She lets the kielbasa simmer on one side until the water level gets low, maybe 1/4 inch or less. She flips the link, adds water and let's it simmer again. This time she keeps it uncovered and let's the water evaporate and. She lets the link cook until slightly browned on the bottom.

I generally did it the same way to start: simmering in an inch of water until the level dropped. Instead of re filling the pan and flipping the link, I would switch to a new pan and fry in oil, flipping to brown both sides. I liked to get it a little browner / crispier. Or, instead of the frying pan I would heat it on the grill, which was also good but easy to split the link if not careful.

I don't eat meat anymore, so I'm going to take up pierogis this year. I'm getting together with my mom to learn how it's done, using the recipe she got from my grandmother (Mom's mom).

 

[kudzu3]

Sausage-Fry in cast iron skillet.

The end.

Dat is right! Ain't no other way to do it. Oh yea, it's gotta be pig.

 

[Ruger Nut]

Andouille, smoked sausage, and boudin taste the best in a crawfish boil. C'est si bon!

 

[WuzzFuzz]

Sheesh Dave, next you're going to want to know if I just eat the sausage with my fingers, with a fork, on a plate, or just right out of the pan.


Personally, no matter how I fix it, I' like mine juicy but not too juicy, no matter whether I pan fry, or boil...Depend on how fast I want to eat~!!!!! Don't get much better than on the grill though, Patty, Link, Italian, Chrizo, Pork or Deer.

Kind of depends too, if I'm going to make a sausage sandwich, or make the sausage for breakfast.


WuzzFuzz

 

[Chipmunk6]

On a flat rock surrounded by hot coals.....hey ,you asked.
Chipmunk6

*with a potato wrapped in mud.

 

[rewster]

Throw um in the pan and cook um like you've always done. Don't try and reinvent the wheel. ;-)

 

[Rule3]

Both. Boil or simmer actually, then brown in the pan.

 

[labworm]

I must confess, whenever I am at a Flea Market, Fair etc.

I just can't get by the sausage guy, my honk will find him wherever he is.

Italian sausage belongs in a oven for browning, then in a huge pot of Italiano sauce with meatballs and pork. Allowed to simmer for about 6/8 hours.

 

[gregintenn]

Andouille, smoked sausage, and boudin taste the best in a crawfish boil. C'est si bon!

I've always wanted to ask.....What is a "Boudin", and how many balls do they typically have?

 

[WuzzFuzz]

Off subject here a bit...Greg. or some of you other Southern boys..

Where I grew up, we called them crawdads...When I went further south, they were called crayfish, or I've heard then called Poboy's shrimp.


Crawdad huntin we did go..uh huh..Crawdad huntin we did go..uh huh....remember that little diddy?


I can't remember now who that other forum member here, that mentioned the crawdads up there in the lakes...Hawley lake, or Big Lake, Arizona...or some of the other rim lakes. But I've been there many a day, and there's lots of them there in the summer time.

But back down south, some good snack food. Boiled crayfish and boiled peanuts....


WuzzFuzz