Beer-Simmered Grilled Sausages
A needle or pin and a cork
3 pounds uncooked sausages, such as sweet or hot Italian sausages,
bratwurst, chorizo, linguica, or any other sausages you prefer
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 cups beer, as needed
About 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Mustard, for serving
Prick each sausage a half-dozen times with a needle or pin stuck in
a cork. Arrange the onion slices on the bottom of a saut� pan just
large enough to hold all the sausages. Place the sausages on top and
add beer and water to cover (the ratio should be about 3 parts beer
to 1 part water). Place the pan over medium heat and gradually bring
the liquid to a simmer, not a rapid boil. Poach the sausages until
half-cooked, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the sausages to a rack on a
baking sheet to drain or drain in a colander. Separate the sausages
into links.
Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to medium-high.
When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Lightly brush the
sausages on all sides with oil and place on the hot grate. Grill
until the casings are crisp and nicely browned and the sausages are
cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes per side. You may want to rotate the
sausages 90 degrees after 2 minutes on each side to create an
attractive crosshatch of grill marks. Should flare-ups arise, move
the sausages to a different section of the grill. Use a slender
metal skewer to test for doneness. Insert it into the center of one
of the sausages: It should come out hot to the touch.
Transfer the sausages to plates or a platter and let rest for 3
minutes. Serve with plenty of mustard.
Variations: Poaching is optional and not every grill jockey does it.
If you omit the poaching, you'll need to grill the sausages 7 to 10
minutes per side.
For absolutely foolproof sausage grilling, use the indirect method.
The sausages will be fully cooked in about 30 minutes. |