# The reverse sear.  Not just for steak anymore!



## worktogthr (May 9, 2016)

Disclaimer.  This is not a post of a cook with pictures just a discussion starter I guess.  I am a year old at sausage making but have been grilling them forever.  Since I have been experimenting with sausage so often, I am frequently grilling my creations.  The natural casings I use provide that awesome snap that you don't always get from storebought sausage.  However, cooked incorrectly and that snappiness can turn into an unpleasant chewiness.  So after much reading here as well as other places and experimenting with cooking sausage I tried oven roasting them.  Seems like a boring way to do it but I have a lot of sausage to practice with haha.  So I popped some sausage in an oven on a rack and roasted them at about 400 degrees.  The verdict:  Juicy, perfect snappiness to the casing without any chewiness.  The only negative was the drab lifeless color.  So, today I had 8 brats to cook and since my weber 26 was used yesterday and uncovered I figured I'd try an indirect cook in the vain of the oven roasting but with just a little sear at the end much like I do most steaks and roasts on the kettle and elsewhere.   Lit a full chimney of KBB on and poured it as evenly as I could in the two weber charcoal bastards.  This much charcoal gets me in the 350-400 range with all the vents open.  Tossed on a couple of cherry chunks just because I can't help myself.   Placed  the brats down the middle of the grill in order to cook them indirectly.  Probed one that looked average in size and set my maverick for 150.  When it got to 150 I rolled them all around over he coal baskets for about 1-2 minutes.  

The verdict:  best sausage I ever cooked from a technical standpoint..  The snap was great.  There was some color but it wasn't charred.  I will definitely be reverse searing my sausage from now on. 

I know this is probably old news to a lot of you who have more experience than I do but for me it's a revelation that I'm excited about.  You learn something new every day.  

What are your favorite methods for grilling or cooking your homemade sausage?  Do you treat smoked or precooked sausage differently than fresh?  Take it easy!

-Chris


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## bauchjw (May 9, 2016)

Mm! This makes me want some sausage! 
I've been cooking sausage/brats on my Weber for 20 years and only done medium direct heat. If it's fresh or not pre-cooked I'll maybe do indirect after initial direct until IT hits 160. I especially like my brats with a little char though. I haven't purposefully tried the reverse sear before but will next time!  Thanks for the post!


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## driedstick (May 10, 2016)

Sounds really good,,, very nice,,, I am going to have to break out my smokey Joe here soon,,,, We have a cold smoked sausage (with Cure),, and Mom would always simmer them for a while, they were great when I was a kid,,,, When I got married and kids wanted something different from breakfast,, I did the same,,, Then I simmer them and throw them on a hot grill for marks and OMG way better,,, Just like doing a brat I guess,,,

A full smoker is a happy smoker 

DS


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## mr t 59874 (May 10, 2016)

Was planning on a couple Elk brats for tonight. Will give your method a shot on the kettle.

Thanks.

T


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## SmokinAl (May 10, 2016)

Sounds like a great way to cook sausages.

Wish you had some photos for us to see.

Al


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## worktogthr (May 10, 2016)

I really was excited by the texture and I did take one picture!  I made these for my colleagues at work and I forgot that I took a picture to remind them not to eat lunch tomorrow!













image.jpeg



__ worktogthr
__ May 10, 2016


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## mr t 59874 (May 11, 2016)

Mr T 59874 said:


> Was planning on a couple Elk brats for tonight. Will give your method a shot on the kettle.
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> T


They were very good, nice and crunchy. 

Thanks.

T


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## worktogthr (May 11, 2016)

Mr T 59874 said:


> They were very good, nice and crunchy.
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> T



I'm glad you tried it.  I love that snappy texture it gives the casings.


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## tropics (May 11, 2016)

worktogthr said:


> I really was excited by the texture and I did take one picture! I made these for my colleagues at work and I forgot that I took a picture to remind them not to eat lunch tomorrow!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Damn that makes me want to work with you,Looks good will give it a try.

Richie


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## worktogthr (May 11, 2016)

tropics said:


> Damn that makes me want to work with you,Looks good will give it a try.
> 
> Richie


Thanks for the points Richie.  Haha my wife and daughter are very picky eaters, so my co-workers reap the benefits of my experiments.


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## shoebe (May 12, 2016)

I gave this a try last night, works great, thanks


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## worktogthr (May 12, 2016)

Shoebe said:


> I gave this a try last night, works great, thanks



That's awesome!  Did you notice the casings were really snappy but not chewy.  The whole reason I tried this was because last weekend someone else cooked some my homemade kielbasa over direct medium  and the casing felt chewy


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## shoebe (May 12, 2016)

They had a great snap to them, not chewy at all


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