Can You Cook Frozen Sausages?

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Sausages are great, but much like all meats, they can go off in the fridge relatively quickly. The good news, however, is that sausages can be frozen and easily last 12 months or more.

Many people think that the drawback to freezing sausages is that you have to defrost them before using them, however, that’s not the case.

You can cook frozen sausages straight from the freezer on the grill, BBQ, in the oven or even in the air fryer although the exact temperatures and cooking time varies depending on the appliance you’re using it’s usually twice as long as fresh / thawed sausages.

In this post I’ll be breaking down the benefits of cooking sausages directly from frozen, the exact process for each kitchen appliance as well as hints and tips to look out for during the cooking process.

Can You Cook Frozen Sausages on a Grill?

Yes, no matter if your sausages are fresh or frozen, you should easily be able to prepare them on a grill. Make sure that you pre-heat the grill for about 10 to 15 minutes before you put the sausages on. This way, you should be able to make them nice and juicy. 

You may also want to ensure that the temperature on the grill is low before you begin cooking the sausages. Otherwise, you may just end up burning the outside while the inside is still frozen. One efficient tip would be to boil the frozen sausages for about 10 minutes so that you can manage to cook the insides as well. 

Can You Cook Frozen Sausages On A BBQ?

The rules for cooking frozen sausages on a barbeque are pretty much the same as with cooking on a grill: you can, but you need to keep it at a low flame as well. The same scenario will happen here. 

If you don’t keep the temperature low, you will warm up and roast the exterior nicely, but the interior will be all frozen. If you can’t defrost or at least pre-simmer them slightly, then you might want to leave them on the grill for a bit longer. 

Can You Cook Frozen Sausages In The Oven?

Frozen sausages can be cooked in the oven, directly from frozen.

Make sure that the temperature is as low as possible. If you are cooking the sausages on a grill in the oven, be certain that there is a pan beneath it to catch any stray water melting. To give it a juicier taste, you might want to try cooking foil. This will keep the heat in and allow the inner side of the sausage to cook as well.  

Can You Cook Frozen Sausages In An Air Fryer?

Frozen sausages are suitable for the air fryer, however, you should aim to defrost them first.

Unlike defrosted sausages, you need to cook frozen sausages in the air fryer for a bit longer – and at two different temperatures. You will have to start up at low heat, and then continue with medium heat. It should take about 12 minutes: 6 minutes at 160 degrees C and 6 minutes at 180 degrees C.

How to Cook Frozen Sausages

You’ve been in this situation before: you’re hungry, you want to eat, but you have nothing that you can prepare or heat up right away. However, you remember that you have a couple of sausages in the freezer. The problem is that they’re frozen – but you still don’t want to let them go.

At the same time, you do not have the patience to allow them to defrost. But how can you cook them safely, even as they are frozen like that? How do you prepare them so that they do not lose their taste? Well, here are the steps that you may want to follow. 

Remove Frozen Sausages From The Freezer

Take your sausages out from the freezer. Read the label, and make sure that they can be cooked without being defrosted. Most sausages can, but in the event that you can’t, it will certainly appear on the label. 

Heat the Cooking Area

You may be cooking on a pan, a grill, a barbeque, or whatever tool you want to use. Regardless of your method of choice, you need to pre-heat it and set it on low heat.

The ideal temperature would be somewhere around 140 degrees Celsius or less, but the purpose here is not really to cook the food but to defrost it.

Place The Frozen Sausages In The Pan

Once the oven (or pan, etc.) begins to receive enough heat, you need to place the frozen sausages. Turn them evenly so that they get defrosted. This should be done throughout the entire cooking session, to make sure that the meat has been cooked evenly. Ideally, you should not place them directly into the oil, because it might not react well with the melting ice. 

Crank Up The Heat

Once the sausages have been cooking at low heat for a good 5-6 minutes, you may crank up the heat to around 160 degrees Celsius or so. At this point, you went past the thawing and you can go straight into the cooking. 

Monitor The Sausages

Before taking the sausages out, you need to check whether they are cooked properly or not. Take a thin knife and press it through the sausages. If it goes through smoothly and no meat sticks to it, then they are ready to be removed. You may also want to pierce with a thermometer to be sure. 

Remove The Sausages

If the thermometer catches an internal temperature of at least 74 degrees Celsius, then you may safely remove the sausages.

If you have multiple sausages cooking, check by removing one of them. Cut it through the middle, and if you see that it is no longer pink, you may take away all of them.

Best Types Of Sausages That You Can Cook While Frozen

There are several types of sausages that you may cook while frozen. That being said, while certain sausages are more efficient to cook while they are frozen, pretty much any sausage may be cooked that way as long as you respect the timing and the temperatures. Here is what you can choose:

Pre-Cooked Sausages

When you are worried that your sausages will be cooked on the outside and raw on the inside, you might want to go for a middle-option: sausages that have already been pre-cooked.

Even if you take them off the fire a bit too soon, these sausages will still be safely cooked for you to eat. You just need to make sure that you cook them enough for the insides to remain warm. 

Fresh Sausages

Fresh sausages may also be cooked while still frozen – but they will take a bit longer to cook, mainly because the meat in them is still raw.

No matter how you wish to prepare them, remember that you have to cook them at low flame first and only after should you raise the temperature. The first few minutes are practically for defrosting the sausage, whereas the rest are for cooking.

Smoked Sausages

Smoked sausages are also a great option for you to cook while they are frozen. You can go for uncooked versions or semi-cooked ones – the latter being a better choice if you are running low on patience. 

Salami

Salami is a cured sausage type that is made using air-dried or fermented meat. Depending on the area, it can be made from beef or pork. If you want your sausages to be a bit juicier and swimming in fat, then pork should be your choice. If not, go for beef instead.