Is Oven-Baking Sausages Better Than Frying?

Think of sausages and you probably get a vision of them lined up in a pan sizzling away. Frying is a common way of cooking them, but if you've never tried oven baking sausages, you're missing a trick.

Compared to pan frying, oven baking sausages certainly has some advantages. The main one is that the sausages cook evenly throughout, ensuring a fully cooked interior without burning the exterior. It's also a hands-off method and great for cooking a whole lot of sausages in one go. Add some chopped vegetables to the tray before cooking and you have the basis of a sheet pan meal, like this mustardy sausage and apples recipe.

On the downside, it's not an efficient use of the oven if you're only making a couple of links at a time. And while oven baking uses less oil, which is great for fatty pork sausages, this makes it less suitable for lean options like chicken or turkey sausages, which can easily dry out.

Where pan frying has the edge is developing that nice sear and a crispy skin. It's also a quicker method than baking. And if you're already frying up a plate of bacon and eggs, it makes sense to add your breakfast sausage alongside it rather than cooking it separately in the oven. Pan frying is also the best option for smoked or precooked sausages such as andouille or kielbasa, or plant-based sausages. These only need warming through before serving.

Overall, oven baking sausages has the advantage of being easier, less greasy, better for batch cooking, and resulting in more evenly cooked sausages. But depending on what types of sausages you're working with, and how many you're cooking, pan frying can still be a better option.

Now that you've chosen your cooking method, it's time to learn some tips for getting the best tasting sausage on your plate, starting with the prep. Regardless of how you plan to cook your sausage, leave them at room temperature for 20 minutes, as this will help them cook more evenly.

Temperature is a big factor in how your sausages turn out, and the key is low and slow. For pan frying this means starting on medium low and turning it up at the end if needed. If your pan-fried sausages still end up crispy on the outside but raw in the middle, then you could consider poaching them gently first to ensure doneness, before adding to the pan just to brown the outside.

Baking in a preheated oven at around 350 degrees Fahrenheit will ensure even cooking, but if you're missing out on that sear that you get from pan frying, you can finish them under the broiler.

And if you care about juiciness (and you should), then keep that fork away from the casings. One of the biggest mistakes you can make when cooking sausages is to pierce them, as it lets out the fat and moisture, leaving you with a dry sausage. Similarly, leave sausages to rest for 5-10 minutes after cooking. This allows the juices to redistribute through the meat for a moister and more flavorful sausage.