Juicy, savory sausage infused with smoky flavors, mingling with vibrant peppers and caramelized onions to create a symphony of colors and tastes. This is summer sausage like you've never had it before.
Have you ever seen these sausage logs that seem to be in the grocery store, but also in gift packs at Kohls and other non-food stores and wondered, "What the heck would I do with that?"
Well have no fear, you don't need to peel it like a banana and eat it cold (you could), but you don't have to. Let me teach you how to cook the best summer sausage. It is time to enjoy your first summer sausage cooking experience.
Ingredients
Summer Sausage - The meat mixture in summer sausage is usually seasoned well with curing salts, black pepper, and mustard seed, I use store-bought summer sausage, but if you are into homemade sausage making and want to make homemade summer sausage, here is a recipe that uses venison and pork to make venison summer sausage.
White Onions - Onions get sweet as they cook down and caramelize. They are the perfect addition to round out this dish.
Bell Peppers - Sweet peppers are a classic staple to cook with onions and sausage.
Butter - I find using butter to sautee the onions and peppers, gives a silky texture as the veggies caramelize. You don't need any more fats or oil than that. The summer sausage has enough fat and will release oil from the pork fat and beef fat during the cooking process.
How to cook Summer Sausage
Step One - Cut up the peppers and onions. Cut them into large slices, or just give them a rough chop. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat, and allow the pan to get hot. Once the pan is hot, add the butter to quickly coat the pan, then add your peppers and onions.
Top Tip
For best results, I recommend using a cast iron pan for meals like this. Cast Iron holds its temperature well. This allows for a very even cooking process. It also gives a nice sear to the food you are cooking. In this recipe, we are adding ingredients to the same cast iron pan, and with cast iron holding heat well, the temperature of the skillet doesn't plummet as we add new, cold ingredients, to the skillet.
Allow the peppers and onions to sautee for about five minutes. You want the onions to become limp and translucent, and the peppers to soften and get some color.
Step Two - Remove the summer sausage from its casing and cut it into large pieces. I like to slice it in half long ways, then cross-cut the two halves with ¾ inch thick slices. They will be small half-circles. Add them to the skillet.
I push the peppers and onions to the side and lay the sausage in the skillet in one layer. This allows the sausage to sear and brown nicely. Cook for about 2 minutes, then flip the sausage.
Continue to cook and stir occasionally to mix all the ingredients. The total cooking time for this dish is about 12-15 minutes. Cook until the internal temperature of the sausage is 140°F.
Step Three - Serve! Once you are done cooking, you are ready to serve. Cooking in a cast iron pan, also makes it easy to serve. The skillet is a great serving dish. Place it in the center of your table and allow everyone to dive right in. This is a great single-pan meal. As someone who does most of the "hand wash" dishes in our home. I love meals that only require one cooking vessel.
But if there is more to your meal, and other elements aren't ready when the summer sausage is, just leave the sausage in the cast iron skillet and cover loosely with aluminum foil. It will stay hot for at least 20 minutes. If there are leftovers, just place them in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. It is easy to heat up the next day for a quick meal.
Common Questions
What is summer sausage?
Summer sausage is made from ground meat, usually beef or pork. It is fermented, then smoked or cured and packaged. A great benefit of summer sausage is that you don't need to refrigerate it like you do fresh sausages, you can store it at room temperature.
It is great for camping and backpacking in the summer months since it does not need refrigeration. It also has a long shelf life.
I have found summer sausage in prepackaged cheese, meat, and crackers packs to be used on a charcuterie board. I am not a fan of eating summer sausage right out of the casing at room temperature.
How do I serve summer sausage?
You can serve summer sausage, peppers, and onions on its own, or add an easy side to round out the dish. White rice or fried rice are perfect accompaniments to this easy dish.
How much sausage do I need per person?
I recommend a quarter pound of meat per person when preparing this dish. So this one-pound recipe will serve four adults.
Do I need to season summer sausage?
Summer sausage is already seasoned with salt, garlic powder, and potentially many other seasoning blends based on the sausage maker. There are several different flavors and profiles you can select when you are buying summer sausage from grocery stores. The flavor you select is your personal preference.
Is summer sausage spicy?
Not in general. If you want to add some kick to this summer sausage recipe, go for it.
Check out a few of our other delicious sausage recipes like Wild Boar Sausage, Smoked Venison Breakfast Sausage, and Smoked Sausage.
Like what you see? Follow us on Facebook and Instagram! Love this recipe? Leave a comment & a 5-star rating right here! Make sure you don’t miss new recipes by getting email updates!
Recipe
Cooked Summer Sausage Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb summer sausage
- 1 cup onions sliced
- 1 cup peppers sliced
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
Instructions
- Slice sausage, onions, and peppers into thick slices.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is hot the butter, onions, and peppers. Saute the onions and peppers for about five minutes.
- Add the sliced sausage to the skillet and continue to cook, stirring occasionally. After about 8 to 10 minutes you are done. The meat is ready once it is heated through. I recommend cooking until at least 140℉.
- Once it is done, remove the skillet from the heat and serve.
Comments
No Comments