Ultimate Sausage Guide
Inspired by the spate of new sausage restaurants, F&W’s Grace Parisi creates easy condiments for the four major kinds of links.
Fresh or cured, mild or smoky, sausages are now adored by some of the country’s most creative restaurateurs. At New York City’s Dogmatic Gourmet Sausage System, the cooks nestle all-natural sausages inside fresh-baked baguettes like haute corn dogs. For the new gastropub DBGB Kitchen & Bar, also in Manhattan, Daniel Boulud has designed a global menu of a dozen house-made sausages. Joseph Pitruzzelli and Tyler Wilson of Los Angeles’s Wurstküche (“sausage kitchen” in German) offer an eclectic mix, from pork bratwurst to smoked alligator andouille. To distinguish bratwurst from bologna, we define four types of sausage and Grace Parisi provides ingenious toppings, each an homage to an iconic grilling condiment: mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise or pickles.
A Cook’s Sausage Fundamentals
© Tina Rupp
Fresh
Any sausage made with uncooked meat, from spicy Mexican chorizo to North African merguez.
How to Cook
Fresh sausages can be pan-seared, grilled or steamed. Prick the casings to release moisture; cook until no pink remains.
© Tina Rupp
German-Style
Wursts and frankfurters are most often made with blended, smooth fillings.
How to Cook
Most are precooked, but pan-searing and grilling boost their flavor; keep the heat moderate so the sausages stay tender.
© Tina Rupp
Smoked
Kielbasa, andouille and even some kinds of bologna spend time over hot coals.
How to Cook
These need no cooking but can be pan-seared over moderately high heat for flavor. Thickly sliced, they’re great on sandwiches.
© Tina Rupp
Cured
Spanish chorizo and most types of salumi are salted, then air-dried for weeks.
How to Cook
The curing process essentially cooks the sausages. They’re wonderful thinly sliced and stirred into eggs, or eaten on their own.
