What Temp Should Pork Sausage Be? Experts Explain

Are you a fan of pork sausage?

Whether you’re cooking up breakfast patties or grilling traditional links, it’s important to ensure that your sausage is fully cooked through to avoid any potential food-borne illnesses.

But what exactly is the proper internal temperature for pork sausage?

In this article, we’ll dive into the guidelines set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and provide some tips for cooking sausage to perfection.

So grab your food thermometer and let’s get started!

What Temp Should Pork Sausage Be?

According to the USDA, raw pork sausage must be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 160°F to be considered safe to eat. This recommendation applies to all types of pork sausage, including links, patties, and ground sausage.

It’s important to note that this temperature is 15 degrees higher than the recommended internal temperature for pork chops or pork tenderloins. This is because the process of grinding the pork to make sausage creates more opportunities for harmful bacteria to form. Therefore, sausage needs to reach a higher internal temperature to ensure it’s safe to eat.

Why Proper Cooking Temperature Matters

Proper cooking temperature is crucial when it comes to pork sausage. Consuming undercooked or raw sausage can lead to food-borne illnesses caused by harmful bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria. These bacteria can cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever. In severe cases, they can even lead to hospitalization or death.

Cooking pork sausage to the recommended internal temperature of 160°F helps to kill these harmful bacteria and ensures that the meat is safe to eat. It’s important to note that the color of the meat is not a reliable indicator of doneness. Even if the sausage looks cooked on the outside, it may not be fully cooked on the inside.

Overcooking pork sausage can also have negative consequences. If the internal temperature goes higher than 160°F, the fat inside the sausage can melt and drip out, resulting in a dry and flavorless end product. Therefore, it’s essential to strike a balance and cook the sausage at the right temperature for the right amount of time.

Tips For Cooking Sausage To Perfection

Cooking sausage to perfection can be a bit tricky, but with a few tips and tricks, you can ensure that your sausage is juicy, tender, and cooked through. Here are some tips for cooking sausage to perfection:

1. Use the two-step method: Rather than simply cooking sausages over direct heat in a pan or on a grill, use the two-step method. This involves gently cooking the links in water first and then crisping them in a hot pan right before serving. This ensures that the sausages are cooked through without being dry or charred on the outside.

2. Gradually bring them up to heat: Cooking sausage too high, too fast, and unevenly can cause links to be too dark on the outside and still raw at the center or the skins to split and disintegrate. Gradually bringing them up to heat and turning them for even browning will allow for perfect sausages. To avoid them curling, you can skewer them lengthwise or place them in a barbecue clamp.

3. Choose the right temperature: While it’s important to cook sausages to an internal temperature of 160°F, it’s also important not to cook them at too high of a temperature. Keep the heat to medium as sausages contain a relatively high fat content and can burn on the outside before the heat has penetrated all the way through.

4. Bake instead of fry: If you’d like to reduce the fat content in your sausages, consider baking them instead of frying them. Prick them first with a skewer so that more fat can drain out during cooking. Once baked, they can be chopped and simmered in a sauce or stew which will put back a little of the moisture lost from baking.

5. Boil before barbecuing: Sausages are a barbecue favorite but as the heat on a barbecue can be tricky to judge, try boiling them first. That way you can maximize the barbecued flavor but still be sure they’re cooked through. Bring a large saucepan of water up to the simmer, pop in the sausages and cook for 8-10 mins. Drain and either barbecue straight away or spread them out on a tray to cool quickly and refrigerate until you’re ready to finish cooking them.

By following these tips, you can ensure that your sausage is cooked to perfection every time, with a juicy and tender texture that’s sure to please your taste buds.

How To Check The Internal Temperature Of Sausage

There are several ways to check the internal temperature of sausage to ensure it’s fully cooked and safe to eat. One of the most accurate methods is to use a meat thermometer. Here’s how:

1. Insert the thermometer horizontally: When using a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of sausage, it’s best to insert the probe horizontally instead of vertically. This will help you get a more accurate reading by hitting the center of the meat.

2. Give it time: Once you insert the thermometer, give it 2-3 seconds to accurately read the temperature. Avoid checking the temperature too often as this can create more holes in the sausage and cause juices to leak out, resulting in drier sausages.

3. Use an existing hole: If your sausage already has a hole on the side, use this instead of creating a new hole. This will prevent more juices from spilling out and keep your sausages moist.

4. Check for 160°F (71°C): The USDA recommends cooking pork sausage to an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C). When checking the sausage’s internal temperature with a thermometer, make sure you insert the probe in the same location as last time to minimize holes in the sausage.

5. Squish test: Another way to check if your sausage is done is by giving it a gentle squeeze. If it feels firm to the touch, then it’s likely done. If it feels soft and squishy, then it needs more time on the grill or stove.

By following these simple steps, you can ensure that your pork sausages are fully cooked and safe to eat while still retaining their juicy flavor. Remember, cooking sausages at the right internal temperature is not only important for taste but also for your health and safety.

Common Mistakes To Avoid When Cooking Pork Sausage

While cooking pork sausage, there are some common mistakes that people make that can result in a less-than-perfect meal. Here are some mistakes to avoid:

1. Overcrowding the pan or grill: One of the biggest mistakes people make when cooking sausage is packing them too closely together. This can cause the sausages to cook unevenly, and some may even become soggy. To avoid this, make sure there is enough space between each sausage while cooking.

2. Cooking at too high of a temperature: While some meats cook best on high heat, sausage is not one of them. Very high heat can cause the casing to burst, resulting in dry and overcooked sausage. To keep your sausages moist and delicious, cook them at low or medium-low temperatures.

3. Pricking the skins: Some people believe that pricking the skins of sausages will prevent them from bursting, but this is not true. When using quality sausages with high meat content and natural skins, pricking the sausages will cause the juices to run out, resulting in dry and tasteless sausage.

4. Deep frying: While deep frying may seem like a quick and easy way to cook sausage, it can actually make the skin tough and the sausage dry. It’s best to avoid deep frying sausage altogether.

5. Baking instead of pan-frying: While baking may seem like a healthier option, it doesn’t provide the same crispy exterior and umami flavor that pan-frying does. To get the best flavor and texture from your sausage, fry them in a pan instead of baking them in an oven.

By avoiding these common mistakes while cooking pork sausage, you can ensure that your meal turns out perfectly every time. Remember to always cook pork sausage to an internal temperature of 160°F to ensure that it’s safe to eat.