Breakfast sausages are a typical dish of American cuisine, especially in rural areas. In reality, it is minced meat (usually pork) and flavored, which can be modeled in the classic form of sausages joined together, as a single roll or as meatballs. Although the cooking techniques for each format remain the same, the times may vary slightly.
Ingrediants
For 4-6 servings
- 12 sausages or 6 meatballs or one 450 g roll sliced
- 60 ml of water (only for the boiled meat method)
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Pan-fried
Step 1. Heat a non-stick pan
Put it on the stove over medium-high heat and wait 1-2 minutes.
- Remember that you shouldn't add any more oil or fat to the pan, the ones in the meat should melt with the heat, providing everything you need to brown it perfectly.
- If you have the ability to control the temperature of the pan, make sure it has reached 180 ° C before continuing.
Step 2. Add the meat
Arrange the sausages or meatballs in the hot pan, taking care to form a single layer.
- This method is suitable for minced meat both modeled in meatballs and in the classic sausage shape; cooking times vary slightly, but the process remains the same.
- You can also try cooking the roll after slicing it into pieces slightly thicker than one centimeter; consider them like meatballs.
Step 3. Cook the meat in the pan until ready
Sausages need 12-16 minutes, while small meatballs are cooked in 10-12 minutes.
- Regardless of the shape, you need to turn the meat frequently to brown and cook all sides evenly.
- If you're using frozen mince that you haven't defrosted, add another two minutes to cook.
- The meat should be well browned and the core temperature should be at least 70 ° C.
Step 4. Remove the fat and serve the meat
Remove the sausages from the pan and transfer them to a plate covered with absorbent paper; wait for the excess oil to drain for 1-2 minutes and bring it to the table as long as they are very hot.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 1-2 days or freeze them for up to one harvest
Method 2 of 5: Boiled and Browned
Step 1. Put the meat in the water
Use a deep, medium-sized skillet to hold the meat and 60ml of water.
- Sausages should not be completely submerged.
- Although it is possible to cook any type of ground coffee for breakfast with this method, it is better to use the "fresh" one, without skin; meatballs and sausages with skin do not lead to excellent results.
Step 2. Let the water evaporate
Place the pan on the stove over medium-high heat and let the contents simmer for 6-7 minutes until the water has completely evaporated.
- Continue for as long as necessary for the liquid to disappear naturally without draining it; do not add water if it evaporates sooner than expected.
- Do not use the lid, as it slows down or prevents steam from escaping by interfering with the cooking process.
Step 3. Brown the sausages for 6-7 minutes
Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue stir-frying them until ready.
- Use tongs to turn them regularly during the process; this way, you make sure they are well browned on all sides.
- For this technique you don't need to add oil or fat in the second step; that released by the meat itself is sufficient to cook it.
- When the sausages are brown and release clear juices, they are cooked; if you want to check the internal temperature, check that it is at least 70 ° C.
Step 4. Drain the liquids and serve
Remove the meat from the heat and place it on several layers of absorbent paper; after a minute or two, transfer it to individual plates and enjoy.
Leftovers that are not eaten immediately can be stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days or frozen for up to a month
Method 3 of 5: Baked
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 200 ° C
Meanwhile, prepare a shallow dish or baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
- The paper prevents the meat from sticking to the pan and simultaneously absorbs the excess fat that is released during cooking.
- If you don't have parchment paper, place a metal rack on top of the baking dish or baking sheet; in this way, the grease can run off preventing the meat from cooking in its own fat.
Step 2. Arrange the sausages in the pan
Align them forming a single layer and spacer between them by about 2-3 cm.
- You can make both sausages and meatballs using this method; cooking times may vary slightly, but the procedure remains essentially the same.
- The roll can also be baked in the oven; you just need to reduce it into slices about 1 cm thick that you can consider as meatballs.
Step 3. Cook the meat until it is perfectly cooked
Place the pan in the oven and wait 15-16 minutes for the meatballs or 20-25 for the sausages.
- Remember to turn it once halfway through the process to help it cook evenly.
- When ready, it should be brown and release clear juices; the internal temperature of each portion should be 70 ° C as a minimum.
Step 4. Serve the sausages hot
Take them out of the oven and transfer them to individual plates to enjoy while they are still very hot.
- If they are too greasy for your taste, you can blot them with clean paper towels.
- Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days or frozen for up to a month.
Method 4 of 5: at the Grill
Step 1. Preheat the grill
Turn it on and let it warm up for 3-5 minutes.
Most models can only be turned on and off, but others are equipped with a temperature regulator; in the latter case, choose a minimum level of heat
Step 2. Place the sausages close to the heat source
Arrange them in a single layer on a special pan and bake them 10-15 cm from the already hot grill element.
- If you don't have a specific pan, you can replace it with a wire rack inserted into a high-sided baking dish. You must use a support that allows the fat to drain, so you should avoid the classic oven tray.
- With this method you can prepare both meatballs and sausages; in the first case, arrange the meat 15 cm from the resistance, while in the second keep a distance of 10-12 cm.
- If you have opted for the meat roll, slice it into 1 cm thick pieces and treat them as normal meatballs.
Step 3. Cook the sausages for 6 minutes
After the first 3, turn the meat to the other side and continue for the remaining time (or until the juices that come out are transparent and the meat is no longer pink).
- These guidelines for cooking time are valid for both meatballs and sausages, but the latter should be turned more often and therefore, in the end, they could cook even more quickly.
- The core temperature of the meat should be 70 ° C before it can be removed from the grill.
Step 4. Serve it while it is hot
Take it off the grill and transfer it to individual plates to enjoy while still hot.
If you don't eat the sausages right away, put them in the refrigerator for 1-2 days or freeze them for up to a month
Method 5 of 5: Reheated
Step 1. Reheat cooked sausages in the microwave
Leave each portion in the appliance on full power for 10-15 seconds.
- This method is applicable for home cooked meat, as well as for pre-cooked packaged meat, both in the form of meatballs and sausages.
- Arrange them in a single layer in a microwave safe dish, taking care to line the container with paper towels, and then cover them with another layer of paper to contain the splashes.
- Heat each thawed meatball or sausage for 10 seconds; remember that the exact times may vary according to the power reached by the appliance.
Step 2. Alternatively, you can reheat the meat on the stove
Leave it in a saucepan over medium heat for 8-10 minutes.
- Just like with the microwave, you can use this method for almost any format: meatballs or sausages, homemade or pre-cooked, thawed or frozen.
- Arrange the dish in a single layer in a cold non-stick pan; put the lid on and set the stove to medium heat.
- If the sausages are defrosted, reheat them for 8 minutes, if they are still frozen, wait 10 minutes; you shouldn't turn them during the process. They are ready to eat when they are hot.
Step 3. Finished
Advice
- Raw sausages can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days; if you can't use them sooner, freeze them and cook them within a month.
- It is best to defrost them before cooking to ensure even cooking with each preparation technique.
- When preparing meatballs with minced sausage, remember that with a 450 g roll you can make about 6 servings; freeze the meat for 10-15 minutes before cutting it into slices just over 1 cm thick (about 60 g) and cook them as you would with regular meatballs.
