There are many beautiful dishes in the world, but few make my mouth water the way a perfectly cooked sausage does. The satisfying snap of a crisp casing, the moist interior, the interplay of spices and herbs, and the richness of fat combine to create something irresistible.
Fat is essential to a true sausage. Low-fat versions may still taste fine, but without a good fat-to-meat ratio they are simply seasoned ground meat in a casing—missing the juiciness and texture that define a proper sausage.
For years I made bulk sausages (without casings), but I longed to stuff links. The craving began with Bell’s Meat Market in Kane, Pennsylvania. When my dad worked near Harrisburg, Kane sat on the route between our homes. My dad and stepmom discovered Bell’s and brought back hand-made sausages that were unlike anything we’d tasted at typical grocery stores. That memory planted the seed: I wanted to recreate truly exceptional sausages at home.
After my family moved away from that route, the craving only grew. Then Charcutepalooza arrived, a community “Year of Meat” project that pushed people to try curing, salting, smoking, and other advanced meat techniques. I bought the project manual, Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn. The book provided the method and confidence I needed to start stuffing my own links.
I recruited my nine-year-old helper—he was obsessed with the Two Fat Ladies and eager to participate. He turned the handle on our vintage grinder and stuffer while I fed the meat and handled the casings. It was a slightly awkward job, but we produced a beautiful string of Hot Italian Sausage links. We felt ridiculously proud of the result.
We froze half the batch for later sauces and soups, and the other half we simmered in beer before finishing them on the grill.
We sliced bell peppers and onions into thin strips and sautéed them with olive oil and garlic to go with the sausages.
Grilling sausages properly matters. If you toss raw links on a hot grill and leave them alone, three things will likely happen: they’ll cook unevenly, their casings may burst, and the fat and juices will escape—leaving dry, sad sausage jerky.
Follow this simple method for all raw sausages to get the best results:
- Par-boil the sausages gently in a flavorful liquid—beer, apple cider, or wine all work well. Use something you’d be happy to serve alongside the finished sausages. The goal is to begin cooking the interior without finishing it.
- Place the sausages over moderate direct heat on the grill to brown and develop color.
- Once they have good browning and grill marks, move the sausages to indirect heat (away from direct flames or coals) and continue cooking, turning frequently, until the internal temperature reaches 150°F.
When they reach that point, remove them promptly from the grill.
These links were crackling and crisp on the outside, with a juicy, flavorful interior. A properly cooked casing should only burst when bitten into, keeping all the fat and juices until you eat them. If the casing breaks on the grill, those flavors are lost—and a dry sausage results. This batch was anything but dry.
I couldn’t resist eating a couple more. Honest opinion: they were excellent.
Foodie With Family’s Favourite Grilled Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions
Rebecca Lindamood
Ingredients
- 6 raw hot Italian sausage links
- 1 can drinkable quality beer (12 ounces; lager or ale works well)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, sliced into thin strips
- 2 large bell peppers (any color), sliced into thin strips
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 hearty sausage rolls or homemade hot dog rolls
- Lots of yellow mustard
Instructions
- Preheat half of your grill to high, creating a two-zone heat (direct and indirect).
- Place the sausage links in a single layer in a heavy-bottomed skillet and pour the beer over them. Cover tightly and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. As soon as it boils, remove the lid, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 minute only.
- Move the sausages to the hottest part of the grill. Turn them often until they develop golden brown color and grill marks.
- Immediately transfer the sausages to the cooler side of the grill and cook, turning frequently, until they are heated through to 150°F.
- Transfer the sausages to a platter and tent loosely with foil while you prepare the peppers and onions.
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced peppers, onions, garlic, and salt, and stir to coat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender but still have a bit of bite. Transfer to a bowl.
- Serve each sausage on a roll smeared with yellow mustard and topped with the sautéed peppers and onions.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition using your actual ingredients and preferred tool.
Foodie With Family’s Favourite Grilled Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions
Rebecca Lindamood
Ingredients
- 6 raw hot Italian sausage links
- 1 can drinkable quality beer (12 ounces; lager or ale is a good choice)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, sliced into thin strips
- 2 large bell peppers, sliced into thin strips
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 hearty sausage rolls or homemade hot dog rolls
- Lots of yellow mustard
Instructions
- Preheat half of your grill to high to create direct and indirect heat.
- Place sausage links in a heavy skillet and pour beer over them. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove the lid, reduce to low, and simmer for 1 minute.
- Transfer sausages to the hottest part of the grill and brown, turning often.
- Move sausages to the cooler side and cook, turning frequently, until heated through to 150°F.
- Tent sausages with foil while you prepare the peppers and onions.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add peppers, onions, garlic, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender with a bit of bite. Transfer to a bowl.
- Serve each sausage on a roll with mustard and a generous portion of sautéed peppers and onions.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate using your actual ingredients and preferred nutrition tool.