Sausage: Simmer Then Sear

Directions

• Boil sausage for 7 min.

• Sear over high heat, with oil, for ≈3 min on each side.

• Let rest for 5 min.

Notes

• The goal is to get the internal temperature of the sausages to 150°F.

• I thought it'd be better to boil the sausages for a fixed amount of time in already boiled water, since that should be more consistent. I measured the internal temperature at different times:

  • 5m30: 100°F
  • 9m00: 160°F, but tasted overcooked (after searing)

  I needed to leave the thermometer in longer, the temperature continued to rise for several minutes after removing from water:

  2021/01/23:

  • 7m00: 150°F - pretty good

  Note that both recipes referenced below call to add the sausage to room temperature water, then to bring the water to a boil.

• I tried broiling the sausage instead of searing it, to try to avoid generating so much smoke and splattered oil.

  Boil Time Broil Time Internal Temp Notes ========= ========== ============= ===== 7:00 10:00 220°F [1] 5:00 10:00 210°F [2]

  [1] I didn't preheat the broiler. I think that would've sped things up. [2] I did preheat the broiler; it maybe sped things up slightly.

• Above, I measured internal temperature after boiling, but not after searing.
  Note that sear time is cumulative, i.e. for both sides:

  Boil Time Boil Temp Sear time Sear Temp ========= ========= ========= ========= 7:00 ??? ??? 180°F 6:00 ??? 3 min 180°F 5:00 ??? 3 min 170°F

• 2023/08/17:

  • Tried boiling a frozen sausage for 10m (isntead of 7)

• 2024/12/21:

  • I developed this recipe with Trader Joe's sausages. Today I used 7/8"-diameter lamb sausages (from Sauvnor's). I reduced the boil time to 6 min and the saute time to 2 min per side, but the sausages still ended up with an internal temperature of 200°F. In the future, I think I would have to reduce the boil time even more.

Reference

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/how-to-cook-sausages https://www.seriouseats.com/2012/05/the-food-lab-the-best-way-to-grill-sausages.html