When you think of cooking meat, you automatically think of the grill: it's one of the most common tools for grilling, an ancient way of cooking meat and fish that involves using wood or charcoal, on which the grill is then placed for cooking (be careful not to confuse it with barbecue, they are two different techniques). And what's better, among all the types of meat, than a succulent sausage cooked with this technique?
Grilling is particularly suitable for sausage, no matter what type you choose to cook among the dozens of varieties that exist in Italy. But mastering this technique perfectly is not easy: grilling is a true art, especially when it comes to sausage. If cooked incorrectly, it risks becoming dry and tough, losing everything that makes it so good and flavorful.
That's why we've created a guide to grilling sausage, covering all the key factors for perfect results, from choosing the right ingredients to the right cooking times. Once you've mastered these rules, you'll become a master of the grill, and your grilled sausages will be second to none.
What to Do Before Grilling Italian Sausage
The first step to achieving excellent results is choosing the right ingredients, as not all types of sausage are suitable for grilling. Pork sausages perform best: they have a thicker, more resistant grain, are thicker, and generally are a type of meat that handles heat better during cooking. Once you've chosen the right type of sausage, it's time to prepare it, that is, to season it before actually grilling it. You have several options: if you want to degrease the meat, you can marinate it in beer for an hour before cooking, or you can season it with a mix of spices of your choice. Now it's time to prepare a sufficient amount of coals, place the grill on top, and start cooking the meat.
Grilling Italian Sausages: Cooking Times
The most important rule to keep in mind when grilling Italian sausage (but it actually applies to all types of meat cooked this way) is to respect the correct cooking times because leaving it longer than necessary risks burning the product, while leaving it shorter means removing it from the grill still raw. For Italian sausage, the cooking time is about 8-9 minutes over medium-low heat, a time that allows you to cook it slowly but decisively. It's important to remember to turn the sausage on all sides during cooking, so that it cooks evenly and right through to the core, and to avoid adding salt because the product is generally already salted during production. If you're looking for a more objective approach to cooking and have a food thermometer available, remember that for proper cooking, the sausage must be 167°F/75°C in the center.
Should Grilled Sausage be Pierced or Cut Open?
One of the most heated debates when it comes to grilled sausage concerns the age-old question: should the meat be pierced or opened, or should it be left whole and intact? Piercing the sausage releases more water and fat during cooking, and many argue that the resulting drier, drier meat actually improves the quality and flavor. In reality, this isn't exactly the case: the beauty of grilling is that the meat cooks in its own juices, which remain inside the unopened product, giving it a truly excellent flavor and texture. To get the most out of your grilled sausage, therefore, you shouldn't cut it or pierce it with a fork, so you can enjoy its tenderness and flavor at its best.
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