How to Cook Breakfast Sausage Links in a Skillet
It is the perfect accompaniment to any breakfast, and I will show you how to cook breakfast sausage links in a skillet without any fuss!I have tried a few different methods of cooking breakfast sausage, but this one is my favorite cooking method of all since I love the texture the best!
Yield: 6 sausages
Cost: 10
Equipment
- Large skillet with lid or any deep frying pan, or nonstick skillet will work that has a lid
- Tongs or a wooden spoon
- Paper Towel Lined Plate
Materials
- 1/2 lb of breakfast sausages approximately 6-10 small links
- 2 tbsp oil of choice avocado oil, butter, bacon grease, olive oil
Instructions
- Turn your stovetop to a medium-high heat and place your skillet on to warm up.
- The best way to get the delicious sausage links we are after is to make sure your skillet is warmed on the stove top before dropping them in!
- Dropping them in a hot pan helps to get a good sear and carmalization started on the outside.
- Once the skillet is warmed enough that you can feel the heat when you place your hand over it, then swirl in a little oil.
- Now place sausages in a single layer in the skillet and cover them with a lid.
- Turn the heat down to medium.
- Cook sausage for 2-3 minutes then use tongs to roll them to a different side.
- You are slowly cooking the ground meat inside the casing AND also browning the casing to a lovely golden brown. Using the lid will help to steam the sausages as well as reducing the oil splatter which means easier clean-up!
- Depending on the thickness of your sausage,the time will change a bit.
- For thicker sausages like smoked sausage and brats, I increase the cook time to about 8-10 minutes per side at a medium low heat.
- To avoid food poisoning, you want to make sure to check with a meat thermometer the internal temperature of the meat is at least 155-165 degrees Fahrenheit (68-74C) according to the United States Food Safety Department.
- A great way to test and see is to cut one sausage through and if I see any pink raw meat, I put them back in the skillet a few extra minutes to finish cooking.
- This couple of minutes extra needs to be monitored and not left to cook too long. Over cooked sausages get tough and are not enjoyable!
- Once the sausage is browned all over, remove them to a paper towel lined pan to soak up any excess oil and let them rest for 5 minutes before eating.
To reheat them from the fridge or frozen:
- If you happen to have any leftover sausages, store them in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days or in the freezer up to 3 months.
- When you warm them up, just place in a hot skillet like before, but this time at a medium heat and a small amount of water.
Video
Notes
Now enjoy them with a stack of my Low Carb Whisked Pancakes and a cup of coffee on one of those lazy weekend mornings!
- After cooking your breakfast sausages, slice them up to go into some breakfast burritos. Scramble some eggs, top with cheese and chopped sausages and roll up!
- Need an easy meal for the weeknight? Slice up smoked sausages into coins and spread out onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet after you toss them with some oil and your favorite vegetables. This creates the easiest dinner on a weeknight that is also a complete meal. My favorite veggies to use are cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, onions and brussels sprouts.I spread it out onto the sheet pan and cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20-25 minutes, then remove foil and cook for an additional 10-12 minutes at 450F. Using parchment paper under the food reduces the exposure to the aluminum touching the food. Just make sure it is a shallow baking pan because the roasting at the higher temperature will release liquid you do not want to run out into your oven.