Steam Before Frying: The One Simple Trick to Juicy, Evenly-Cooked Sausages
There is a nifty trick to make your sausages juicy and perfectly cooked when you fry them—and it starts before they hit the pan. Sausages are a quintessential British staple, whether in a full English, tucked into a sandwich, or enjoyed solo. Frying is popular, but achieving an even cook can be tricky: a golden exterior can hide an undercooked interior. Cookbook author Carla Lalli Music offers a simple solution: steam the sausages in a splash of water before they hit the frying pan. This pre-cook step helps them finish cooking inside their skins, so the outside doesn’t overcook before the inside gets its turn.
In This Article:
How It Works: Steam Keeps the Interior Wet and Ready to Finish
Steaming the sausages in a small amount of water makes them part-cooked within their skins, so heat can reach the interior without the casing burning. This approach helps preserve the sausage’s juices and keeps the flavours trapped inside. As the guidance puts it, the goal is to be "+part-cooked within their skins, preventing the outside from overcooking before the inside gets its turn." This step also helps the casing cling to the meaty interior and prevents flavours from escaping during frying.
Finish in the Pan: Brown on Medium Heat for Even Colour
After the steam, brown the sausages in the pan, turning them often until they have an all-over tan. The prep stage is crucial, and many cooks find that medium heat is the sweet spot for the tastiest results. This gentle finish helps the outside crisp up without overdoing the interior, delivering a satisfying bite from edge to centre.
Experts and Cookbooks Endorse the Hot-Water Method
Bon Appétit has also championed the hot-water approach. They recommend dropping your links into a pot of hot water and letting them simmer softly until they’re cooked through, about 6–7 minutes. This alignment across reputable food sources reinforces that a brief steam before frying can reliably deliver juicy, evenly cooked sausages.
Reddit Voices and Grandparents: The Community Rallies Around Steam
Reddit’s food communities echo the immersion approach. One user recalls: "I simmer in water in a skillet until they're cooked through, and brown them off on the same pan (in their own fat) after the water has evaporated. This is how my German grandparents taught me to cook sausage." Another commenter explains their method: "I always boil first to get as much grease out of them." Across home cooks and family traditions, the steam-before-fry idea has become a shared secret for locking in taste and moisture.
