{ COOKING SAUSAGES } I’m sure you have been to at least a couple of those weekend warrior cookouts You know, the kind where the host builds a gigantic fire made up of 75-percent lighter fluid in the grill, barely waits for it to die down, and then throws on a few bratwursts to cook, haphazardly flipping them to and fro with a big fork and keeping a lazy eye on them as he attends to the more important matter of cold beer By the time the dessicated blackened carcasses come off the grill, the only consolation is that the beer has at the very least deadened your senses to the point that you can manage to choke them down with plenty of mustard and ketchup to lubricate them OK, maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but people seem to be under the impression that a sausage is less delicate, less prone to overcooking than, say, a good steak And this is true—to a degree Because it is cured with salt, a sausage essentially comes prebrined When cooked to a given temperature, it’ll retain more moisture than unsalted meat cooked to the same temperature But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat it with care How you cook your sausage depends on whether or not it’s stuffed into a casing or formed by hand Cooking Sausage Links Indoors Cooking sausages is just like cooking steaks or a whole turkey: the best way is to be gentle You want to bring them slowly up to around 150°F in the center Indoors, it’s possible to do this in a dry skillet with a lid over low heat or in the oven, but here’s the most foolproof method to cook your sausages: Place your sausages in a pan or a pot full of cold water and place it over a medium-high burner Allow the water come up to a bare simmer, then turn off the heat Let the sausages poach until they reach an internal temperature of 140° to 150°F Of course, you don’t have to cook your sausages in water If you plan on serving them with a flavorful sauce or other accompaniment—say, sauerkraut or a spicy tomato sauce—then you can simmer them directly in that liquid for better flavor exchange Now, you could eat the sausages as is, and they’d be totally delicious, but usually you want to get some good browning on the exterior If you’re indoors, do this in a hot ... sauce or other accompaniment—say, sauerkraut or a spicy tomato sauce—then you can simmer them directly in that liquid for better flavor exchange Now, you could eat the sausages as is, and they’d... the water come up to a bare simmer, then turn off the heat Let the sausages poach until they reach an internal temperature of 140° to 150°F Of course, you don’t have to cook your sausages in water If you plan on serving them.. .Cooking sausages is just like cooking steaks or a whole turkey: the best way is to be gentle You want to bring them slowly up to around 150°F in the center Indoors, it’s