Cooking Pastured Sausage On the Grill or In the Kitchen

The significant difference between commodity sausage and pastured sausage comes down to the way the animals are raised, as well as the processing method of the farm. Our farm offers a range of sausages from six different species. Our sausages are slightly leaner, better seasoned, and made from higher-quality cuts than the average sausage you may find in the grocery store.

This means that making slight adjustments in the cooking process can help ensure you get a delicious, moist, satisfying sausage, whether you're cooking on the grill or in your kitchen. Here, we share our tried and true tips for the most common ways to prepare sausages.  

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• Cooking on the Grill
• Cooking in the Kitchen

Tips for outdoor cooking: how to cook pastured link sausages

Gas Grill:

1. Heat grill to 400°F.
2. Turn off burner on one end of grill (or center if available). Place sausages directly on the grate of the grill above the burner that’s been turned off. 
3. Close grill lid and cook for approximately 8 minutes.
4. Turn sausages over, close lid again, and cook for approximately 8 more minutes.
5. Open grill and place sausages directly over the flames for approximately 2 minutes per side. Move sausages away from flame if the flame directly comes into contact with sausage link. 
6. Cook to an internal temperature of 160°F for pork/beef and 165°F for poultry. 

Charcoal or Wood Burning Grill:

1. Place charcoal/wood on one end or side of the grill. Let burn down until white hot coals are present.
2. Close lid and heat grill to 400°F.
3. Place sausages directly on the grate, close to the coals but not closely enough for any dripping to come into contact with the coals. 
4. Close lid and cook for approximately 8 minutes.
5. Turn sausages over, close lid again, and cook for approximately 8 more minutes.
6. Open grill and place sausages directly over the flames for approximately 2 minutes per side. Move sausages away from flame if the flame directly comes into contact with sausage link. 
7. Cook to an internal temperature of 160°F for pork/beef and 165°F for poultry.  

Pellet Grill or Smoker:

1. Properly heat smoker to 225°F.
2. Place sausages directly on grate and smoke/cook for approximately 20 minutes with lid closed.
3. Turn smoker up to 325°F. Close lid and cook for approximately 10 minutes. 
4. Turn sausages over and cook for 10 more minutes.
5. If desired, turn grill up to highest setting and cook for an additional 2 minutes per side to brown the sausage. If available, this can be done on your infrared portion of the pellet grill or on a gas grill. 
6. Cook to an internal temperature of 160°F for pork/beef and 165°F for poultry.  

Cooking in your kitchen?

Pan Fry:

1. In order to have delicious, moist sausages, we recommend cooking them in a frying pan in water that comes 1/3 the way up the sausage. 
2. Prick sausages with a fork or knife. Bring them to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook until all the water has evaporated. 
3. To get some color, add a small amount of oil to the pan, or brush sausages with oil and add to a grill, until sausages are lightly browned on all sides.
4. Cook to an internal temperature of 160°F for pork/beef and 165°F for poultry.  

In The Oven:

1. Place sausages and water in a baking dish, with water that comes 1/3 the way up the sausage.
2. Prick the sausages with a fork or knife.
3. Bake sausages at 350°F until brown. Add oil if necessary. Rotate the sausages occasionally. 
4. Cook to an internal temperature of 160°F for pork/beef and 165°F for poultry.