When it’s time to dust off your grill and get ready for barbecue season, there’s nothing better than a thick slab of your favorite protein freshly cooked over a rampant flame. Should you have a hankering for sausage, the grill is a natural place to turn; in fact, grilling brats over direct heat is the best way to cook them.
Of course, grilling imbues a sausage with a delightful smoky flavor — but flavor is only half of what makes for a great sausage. Texture is a whole different ball game, and getting the perfect texture on your sausage is just as important and having all the right flavors. So how can you achieve that perfect, crispy snap every time you bite into a sausage? Whatever you do, don’t go in blind. We consulted Sophie Sadler, German food expert over at Dirndl Kitchen, to glean some insight.
Sadler’s top tips are twofold. First, she advises cooking over charcoal, saying, “It gives the sausages that authentic grilled flavor and a nice char.” She also doesn’t go too crazy with the heat. We know it’s tempting to throw your sausages on the grill when the flames are at their highest, but Sadler says it’s best to hold off a bit. “Don’t grill over open flames, but wait until they die down and you end up with hot coals,” she advises.
What type of sausage is best?
Fortunately for the picky sausage consumers out there, Sadler refuses to assert any sausage brand as being superior over others — rather, she says, “Honestly, the best sausage is the one you love most!” Though there definitely isn’t a single “best” type of sausage out there, every sausage is unique in its own way, and each will be preferred by different palates. If you’re a sausage newbie looking for recommendations, Sadler let us in on her personal preferences. “If I had to choose, I prefer finely ground German-style sausages,” she says. “They’re more common in Germany and have every bit of flavor packed in every bite.”
But you don’t have to worry if you don’t live in Germany. Good sausage is by no means exclusive to the country; in fact, Sadler’s favorite brand can be found stateside, in New York City. She disclosed her favorite sausage maker to us, saying, “My favorite brand is Schaller & Weber, a New York City-based German-style butcher that makes incredible traditional sausages.” Sadler isn’t the only expert to endorse the brand — it’s also a favorite of such chefs as Martha Stewart and Anthony Bourdain.
What to know before you start grilling
So you’ve got your favorite sausage picked out — perhaps you, ever the over-achiever, have even gone so far as to make your own sausage — your grill is lit, and you’re ready to get cooking. Once the flame on your coals has died down, it’s time to toss on some sausages, and Sadler’s final tip can take your sausages from good to great.
If you want full control over the cooking process, Sadler says it’s wise to vary the heat on different parts of your grill: “I like to create different heat zones on the grill so I can move the sausages around, allowing them to cook through gently and develop that perfect charred crust.” This tip will also be helpful when cooking sausages for a crowd — you’ll be able to get that dark, crispy char preferred by Germans for some of your guests, while others can be served a sausage with a gentler crust.
