How to Cook Sausages Without Splitting Them

A good sausage deserves better than to be split, charred on the outside and still pink in the middle. The fix for all three is the same: less heat, more time.

Why Sausages Split

A sausage is full of meat, fat and moisture held inside a casing. Put it straight onto a very hot pan or barbecue and the water inside turns to steam quickly while the casing shrinks and tightens. Something has to give, and it is the casing. Out goes the juice and fat, and with it the flavour.

Do Not Prick Them

Pricking sausages before cooking lets the steam out, but it lets the juices and fat out too. The result is a dry sausage that flares up on the barbecue. Gentle heat does the same job without the damage.

In a Pan

1. Take the sausages out of the fridge 10 minutes before cooking.
2. Put them in a heavy frying pan with a little oil over medium-low heat. They should sizzle gently, not spit.
3. Turn them every few minutes so they brown evenly on all sides.
4. Thick sausages need 15 to 20 minutes, thin ones about 10 to 12.
5. Rest them for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

On the Barbecue

Set up a hot side and a cooler side. Brown the sausages over the heat for a few minutes, turning often, then move them to the cooler side, close the lid and let them finish gently. This keeps them from bursting and stops the fat from flaring up.

In the Oven

For a crowd, the oven is the easiest way. Spread the sausages out in a roasting tin, roast at 180 to 200°C for 20 to 25 minutes and turn them halfway through. Throw in some sliced onions and they make their own gravy base.

The Poach and Brown Method

If you are worried about thick sausages cooking through, poach them first. Put them in a pan of barely simmering water, stock or beer for 8 to 10 minutes, then brown them in a pan or on the barbecue. Do not let the liquid boil hard, or they will split there instead.

How to Tell When They Are Done

Because sausages are made from minced meat, they must be cooked all the way through. A thermometer should read 75°C in the centre, and the juices should run clear with no pink left inside.

Sausages and Onion Gravy

Cook a pan of sliced onions slowly in butter until soft and golden, add a spoon of flour and a cup of beef stock, and simmer until thick. Serve with mashed potato and the sausages on top for proper bangers and mash.

Browse the shop for sausages, or ask at the counter what's in the cabinet this week.