Jambalaya calls for either Andouille or Chorizo sausage.
Is this sausage meant to be fresh or smoked?
You could do both. Fresh, you already know. If it is smoked, sautee in a little oil, then remove. The oil took on the flavor, so then you can add back the sausage at the end.
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I never cooked "real" sausages before. Now I have several kinds of sausages: chorizo, merguez, and chicken. I have only a couple of each and a big electric pan.
How do I cook them? Should I add water? How long?
Sausages are pretty forgiving. As long as you don't burn them or leave the center raw, they should come out OK. Since they're pretty fatty (at least the good ones are) there's little chance of drying them out, so when in doubt, cook them a little longer. They'll feel firm, not squishy, when they're done.
The easiest way to cook raw sausages is in the oven (at 350-375 F or so). If you're doing it on the stove, I'd brown them first in a little (very little) oil, then add some water, or beer, or wine, or whatever you happen to have (not much - just enough to cover the bottom), cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until done. Feel free to cook some vegetables in the pan along with the sausage.
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I never cooked "real" sausages before...
Now I have several kinds of sausages: chorizo, merguez, and chicken.
I have only a couple of each and a big electric pan.
How do I cook them (should I add water etc...)? How long?
Sausages are pretty forgiving. As long as you don't burn them or leave the center raw, they should come out OK. Since they're pretty fatty (at least the good ones are) there's little chance of drying them out, so when in doubt, cook them a little longer. They'll feel firm, not squishy, when they're done.
The easiest way to cook raw sausages is in the oven (at 350-375 F or so). If you're doing it on the stove, I'd brown them first in a little (very little) oil, then add some water, or beer, or wine, or whatever you happen to have (not much - just enough to cover the bottom), cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until done. Feel free to cook some vegetables in the pan along with the sausage.
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What is boudin made from, and how is it made?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boudin
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I have no desire to spend hundreds of dollars on this specialized equipment to make sausage, which I may only use a few times a year.
There must be some other alternatives!
edit: no Kitchen Aid mixer (yes I know it makes this even more difficult)
Well, you don't need to spend hundreds of dollars, but you might need to put in more elbow grease. You can get a hand-crank meat grinder for about $30 or so and a manual sausage stuffer for about the same. You could save on the grinder if you have a food processor or blender that can have its way with the meat.
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Whenever I go to a BBQ and sausages are cooking, the chef will always prick the sausages while they are cooking. I have no idea what this does, I assume it's to get the fat out, however I recently read that you should never prick sausages as it results in them being dry inside?
So my question is, should I prick sausages with a fork or knife during cooking?
I'd say no never prick the sausages if you can help it. the fat inside helps to keep them succulent and moist, and if you have a problem with the splitting and are pricking them to release the pressure as was stated by @foodrules, then I'd say you are cooking them over too high a heat. Lower the heat, or if you are BBQing move them further from the source, then you will get to have unsplit, moist sausages. When pan frying I prefer a very low heat for a long time. This allows a delicious sticky crust to develop on the outside of the sausages. mmm...
If they were meant to be pricked why would they not come pre pricked?
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Do they refer to the same kind? Or is there a subtle difference?
And what essentially encapsulates the concept of a sausage being sweet? Is it typical sucrose driven sweetness inherent to the product...or the resultant chemical aftertaste on consuming it?
Cooking geeks unite! We have a problem.
Both sweet and mild refers to the sausages without hot red pepper flakes. The fact they are called sweet Italian sausages doesn't mean they contain sugar.
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I'm about to make some sausages and need a casing. What are the benefits of using natural casing when making sausages?
If you're planning to smoke your sausages, natural casings will allow for greater smoke penetration than many non-natural casings, and they won't impart any odd flavors of their own to the meat. That said, when you first open a container of natural casings, they may have a strong smell because of gas build-up; let them air out (in the fridge!) and they'll be fine.
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I bought some pork sausage and baked them in my oven. The taste was good but the sausage casing were a bit hard to chew.
Should I remove casings before I bake sausages?
I also find them hard to chew when baked, but they are edible. To make them easier to eat, you want to finish them up using a different method to get a crunch on the outside. I find you can either:
I usually boil or bake them first, or simmer them in some water in a pan on the stove (not enough to cover them, just enough to kind of steam them) and then finish them on the grill for best flavor and texture. I'd recommend finishing on the grill over any other method.
You can also completely cook them on the grill if preferred, but that can be a bit tricky if they're raw sausage and not pre-cooked, so keep an eye on them and make sure they're done completely throughout.
You can definitely remove the casings, and depending on what dish you're making that may be preferred. However I have had success making an appetizing whole sausage using the above methods.
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I think the title says it all. I'm about to make some sausages and need a casing.
If you're planning to smoke your sausages, natural casings will allow for greater smoke penetration than many non-natural casings, and they won't impart any odd flavors of their own to the meat. That said, when you first open a container of natural casings, they may have a strong smell because of gas build-up; let them air out (in the fridge!) and they'll be fine.
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Let me preface this by saying that I am basically a complete novice when it comes to cooking. So I apologize if this is a silly question.
I sometimes like to cook things using ground pork sausage, but much of the time it's nearly impossible to find in the local grocery stores. However, they always seem to have ground pork, which I've considered using as a substitute. I know it wouldn't cause my kitchen to explode or anything like that ;-) but I'm curious, what's the difference? What exactly am I putting in my food by using the sausage that I'd miss out on if I used regular ground pork?
Ground pork is simply that, pork. Pork sausage is ground pork that has been seasoned.
You can substitute, but you'll have to bring your own seasoning.
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Whenever I cook sausages in the oven, they cook evenly. The issue is that sausages take about forty minutes in the oven. However, whenever I use a pan, they do not take an age to be cooked but they never seem to be cooked thoroughly (some appear to be raw in the centre as well as not being evenly brown). So, how do I cook sausages in a pan?
EDIT: Adding water with the olive oil really does work.
Whenever I have cooked sausages in a pan, I have always added some water in the pan that way they cook through on the inside. Once they are cooked through and the water has evaporated, I keep them in the pan to crisp up the outside.
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