How to Cook Breakfast Sausage Links

Lazy weekend mornings and punched up busy weekday mornings are BOTH perfect for this herby pork taste and once you know how to cook breakfast sausage links, you’ll be enjoying them all the time. WARNING, you can’t eat just one!

Why This Recipe Works

• Easy to make
• No need to form patties, simply put them in the pan and cook them
• You’ll know how to cook them and how long!

Here’s How It’s Done

STEP 1. Oil the pan and allow the pan to heat (it is not necessary to use a pan like this, any frying pan will work)

STEP 2. Put the sausage links in the pan and cook the sausage. There is no need to slice the sausage links or cut the sausage before putting them in the pan.

STEP 3. Leave the sausage alone and allow them to continue to cook. Leave the sausage alone will prevent the sausage links from breaking when you try to move the prematurely.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

What is the Best Way to Cook Breakfast Sausage Links?

My favorite way is to cook them in a frying pan. This gives the sausage a nice crispy outside texture. You can cook them in a pan or baking sheet. 

How Do You Cook Raw Sausage Links? 

Add a little oil in a pan or baking sheet, and cook the sausage until there is no more pink color and the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

How Do You Cook These in a Cast Iron Skillet

Yes! Heat up a little oil in a cast iron skillet, and cook the sausage until there is no more pink color and the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

How Do You Know a Sausage is Cooked? 

You know that the sausage is fully cooked when there is no more pink color, and the internal temperature is 160 degrees. 

Is a Little Pink in a Sausage OK? 

No, sausage should be completely cooked through and should be at an internal temperature of 160 degrees to be safe to eat.

What Happens If You Eat Undercooked Sausage? 

Undercooked sausage can carry food borne pathogens that can lead to food poisoning.

Where’s the Best Place to Buy These? 

You can purchase yours at the grocery, but honestly, the price at Sams Club (and probably costco is about half the grocery price). 

Can I Freeze Breakfast Sausage Links? 

Yes! 

1. Freeze Raw – Simply put the raw product into freezer safe bags, squeeze out as much air as possible and place into the freezer for up to 6 months! 
2. Freeze after cooking– place the cooked links into a freezer safe container and press out the air and seal, put into the freezer for up to 3 months!

How Long Are These Good For? 

They last about 5 days in the fridge once they are cooked.

Do Not leave the refrigerator for more than 2 hours. 

What Do These Go With? 

• Biscuits and Gravy
• Pancakes
• Easy Sweet potato hash browns

Tips and Tricks

• Don’t move the sausage links until they are ready. If you try to force them they might break apart. They will move freely when they have cooked enough to move. 
• Cook on medium heat to prevent grease splatter. It would be faster to cook on high heat but higher heat causes grease to splatter everywhere. It makes a giant mess and you could burn yourself.
• Letting the grease drain off the sausage is very important. This makes the sausage much more palatable.
• Make sure that you are cooking the sausage links to the proper temperature. Here’s a great guide from the USDA. 

If You Enjoyed This Recipe, You Might Also Enjoy….

Sausage Gravy

Sausage Balls

Easy Sausage and Rice

Spicy Bean Sausage Stew

How to Cook Sausage Patties in the Oven

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How to Cook Breakfast Sausage Links

Lazy weekend mornings and punched up busy week day mornings are BOTH perfect for this herby pork taste and once you know how to cook breakfast sausage links, you’ll be enjoying them all the time. WARNING, you can’t eat just one!

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: how to cook sausage links

Prep Time: 1 minute

Cook Time: 10 minutes

0 minutes

Total Time: 11 minutes

Servings: 2 servings

Calories: 182kcal

Author: Wendi Spraker

Ingredients

• 1 Tbs vegetable oil
• 4 sausage links

Instructions

• Place a 9-10” frying pan onto the stove top and set the eye on medium heat. Pour in the vegetable Oil and allow the pan to come to temp. The pan is at the right temperature when the oil appears to glisten and shimmer on the surface.
• Add the sausage links to the frying pan and cook until there is no longer pink in the sausage link. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and allow to drain for 2 minutes before serving. Serve hot.

Notes

• The links tear easily, allow them to stay in one place for at least 3 minutes once you put them in the pan before you attempt to roll them to the other side. This allows the skin to cook and release from the pan. (or use a non stick pan).
• If you feel your link is not cooking as quickly as you like, sprinkle a small amount of water onto the hot pan (no more than 1 tsp) and quickly cover the links with a pan lid. This will steam the link and cause it to cook more quickly. WARNING: sprinkling the water on the pan will cause spatter. Do not burn yourself,.
• Plan for 3-4 links per person.
• When cooking sausage links, do not crowd the pan because then the links will steam rather than fry.
• If you are cooking a large number of links, set the oven on the lowest possible setting and put the links onto a paper towel lined oven proof tray once they are cooked to keep them warm.
• Usually you do not have to add salt and pepper to sausage links because they are already filled with enough, but you be the judge of that.

Substitutions:

• It's fine to substitute some other kind of oil, just choose something with an acceptable smoke point. Butter doesn’t work well for this recipe. Olive oil is fine.
• If you are using vegetarian sausage links, you’ll want to use the water sprinkling method mentioned above.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

How to Cook Breakfast Sausage Links

Amount Per Serving

Calories 182 Calories from Fat 162

% Daily Value*

Fat 18g28%

Saturated Fat 9g45%

Cholesterol 29mg10%

Sodium 254mg11%

Potassium 99mg3%

Protein 6g12%

Vitamin A 30IU1%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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