I have yet to find a raw supermarket sausage I like. The flavor is generally disagreeable and the texture is course. Not to mention the plastic casings! On the other hand, the local deli has wonderful raw sausages. Garry’s has been on the same spot forever and next to a Safeway no less. Yesterday I brought home some pork and Italian bratwurst. The Italian had a slight kick to it and the pork bratwurst was mellow; both were wonderful.
The seemingly simple task, cooking raw sausages, can be a vexing experience. Aside from the lackluster appearance of a burst sausage, fat splattering can turn the oven into a mess. I am not sure the reason cooking blogs repeat the ‘400F for 30 minutes’ mantra without taking into consideration the type, the size or the collective volume of sausages. And that’s a big problem because eating partially cooked meat poses serious health risks. The other blunder is poking the sausage with a fork.
Roasting Raw Sausage
3 raw sausages
• Line a high walled baking pan with parchment paper.
• Lay the sausage on parchment, leaving space between. If crowded, sausage will stick together and burst.
• Add a small amount of water to the pan, about 1/2 cup so the sausage won't stick to the surface. The water will be cooked off by the time the sausage begins to sizzle.
• You can add a couple of tablespoons of lard to the pan, but good quality sausage does not require additional fat.
• Cover the pan with aluminum foil.
• Place the baking pan in a cold or lukewarm oven. You don’t want to shock the sausage with sudden heat; it will crack and burst.
• Now turn the heat to 325F and bake it for an hour from the time the indicator light is off.
• I don’t pierce raw sausage; I want the juice inside and not in the pan.
• Check after an hour. If the sausage needs it, remove the aluminum foil and turn the temperature up to 350F, checking it at 10 minute intervals until the sausage gets a slight color. Don’t let it dry out though.
• To make sure the sausage is fully cooked, insert a meat thermometer. The internal temperature should read between 155–165F.
