Juicy Beef Sausage - Healthy Recipes Blog (2024)

FAQs

What makes sausage juicy? ›

Fat lubricates the meat, acts as a binder and will make the sausage tender and juicy. Sausages that do not contain enough fat are typically dry and tasteless. Sausages should contain 25-30% fat.

Sausages are a nutrient dense protein option for the family as part of a weekly meal plan with other high iron sources. Where possible aim for high quality ones that ideally have around 75-85% meat or higher. Watch for fillers and additives, especially if there are certain dietary requirements for the family.

Here's how to do it. To start, drop your sausages into a large pot or saucepan and fill it with enough cold water to just cover the sausages. Put the vessel on the stove, turn the heat to medium-high, and cook just until the water reaches a gentle simmer—that should take about 6-8 minutes.

Cook gently and only to a max 145-150ºF over a low to moderate heat or with the simmer then brown method. The main benefit from either of the methods we recommend is that you will lose only about half of the moisture when compared to a fast high cook approach and this means immeasurably better results, every time.

You can use regular tap water to boil your sausages, but this can render the meat a bit flavourless. To add a bit more flavour, try boiling the sausages in chicken or vegetable stock or even water mixed with wine.

Extra-lean chicken or kangaroo sausages tend to be the healthiest sausage option. Leaner sausages are also often lower in calories and salt. Follow these guidelines to choose healthier sausages: Less than 5g saturated fat per 100g.

Type of meat: Opt for sausages made with chicken or turkey, which are better options for your health than beef or pork. Preservatives: Try to avoid options with nitrites and nitrates (check the ingredient list!) Casing: Choose sausages with a natural casing.

Beef has 250 calories when compared to the 242 calories of pork. Beef has 23% fat when compared to pork which has 21% fat. Compared in grams it's 15g and 14g. Protein-wise, beef has 26g compared to 27g of pork.

If you want to eat sausage often, however, consider choosing healthier types of sausage, such as those made with chicken or turkey. You can also make your own to get the freshest variety with none of the harmful additives or high-fat meat.

What is the unhealthiest meat? ›

Hot dogs, bacon, sausage, and regular ground beef should be avoided or consumed sparingly due to their high fat, calorie, and sodium content, and potential health risks. By using this ranking system, you can make informed choices about the meats you eat and maintain a healthy diet.

Processed meat refers to meat that has been preserved by smoking, curing, salting or adding preservatives. This includes sausages, bacon, ham, salami and pâtés. If you currently eat more than 90g (cooked weight) of red or processed meat a day, the Department of Health and Social Care advises that you cut down to 70g.

Baking is a great way to make your sausages nicely crispy and brown. First, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius or 356 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, bake the sausages in a pan for at least 16 to 20 minutes if they are small and for at least 30 to 40 minutes if they are large.

The secret of frying is to cook the sausages slowly over a low to medium heat, until just cooked through, while getting a nice brown on the outside.

Even though the sausage may be crispy on the outside, the inside may still be raw. To determine whether it's done, you can measure the internal temperature with a meat thermometer. Sausages should reach 155–165°F (68–74°C).

Even if the casing does break a bit, high-quality smoked sausage is so juicy that it'll be hard to dry it out. If grilling is outside your cooking capacity, then pan-frying your smoked sausage on the stove will still yield a moist, crispy product in a very manageable way.

The sausages without baking soda had a coarser, more burger-like texture, while those with the baking soda were more cohesive, with a springiness to the meat that I instantly recognized from the cevapi I sampled in restaurants.