Pilsner Poached German Sausages
By Our Chef, Phillip Schaaf
Eastern Europe is known for its sausages. Germany and Poland could arguably be considered to be the sausage capitals of the world. Fresh German style sausages are a bit sweet and garlicky with a good bit of pepper and herb to balance it out. Serve them up with fried eggs and toast for breakfast, throw them on a pretzel roll with some hot mustard and caramelized onion for a delicious lunch, or serve them with some braised cabbage and stewed potatoes at suppertime.
When cooking sausages poaching is an excellent way to help set the fat so the sausage link will stay moist and it also prevents bursting, which can happen in extreme heat situations like a hot charcoal grill. If you are unfamiliar with the poaching method, it is really very simple. Poaching is a submersion method that uses lower temperatures. Poaching takes place in liquid that is 160-180 degrees. Anything above that becomes a simmer, and anything above 212 is boiling.
For this recipe, we are going to use a poaching liquid comprised of a German pilsner style beer with some simple aromatics to boost the flavors.
What You'll Need
4-5 German style sausages
12 oz German pilsner style beer
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic
1 shallot, halved
6 peppercorns
1 T salt
The Recipe
In a shallow pot or skillet, combine all the ingredients except for the sausages and set to medium heat on the stove top. Once the liquid reaches a temperature of 165 degrees, place the sausages in the beer. Poach the sausages until they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees. This will take about 10-15 minutes. Once the links are cooked through. Remove them from the liquid and set aside to rest.
Discard the poaching liquid and dry the pan, taking care not to burn yourself. Return to the stove top on medium high heat and add a tablespoon of oil. Pat the sausages dry and return them to the hot pan. Brown the sausage on all sides. If the casing pulls away from the sausage a bit, that’s alright. Brown the links on all sides and then serve with your favorite accoutrements.
Alternately, the poached sausages can be browned on a hot grill, turning them often to cook evenly on all sides.