Guide to Grilling Meat
Summertime is just around the corner, and with it comes picnics, pool parties, barbeques and one of our favorite outdoor food-related activities: grilling! When you’re cooking up your favorite meals for the season — like delicious sausage grilling recipes, you want to make sure you’re paying attention to food safety to create fantastic meals that are safe, satisfying and perfect for the summer. Looking for useful grilling tips? From cooking temperatures and cleaning suggestions to information on the shelf life of leftovers and the best grilled sausage recipes, here’s your guide to grilling meat.
Suggested Cook Times
When it comes to sizzling sausage, we like our meals hot and golden-brown — but never burnt! Preparing your meat on the grill means paying particular attention to the condition and cooking time of your meals to ensure everything is cooked through, but not overcooked.
The time you should leave your meat roasting on the grill depends on its type, weight and thickness. Different meats will require different cooking times — so don’t assume you can grill multiple kinds of meat for the same period at the same time. For example, shrimp kebabs only need to be grilled for about two to five minutes to be fully cooked, while raw chicken breast with the bones can take up to 40 minutes to cook properly.
For chicken and pork sausage in three- to four-ounce links, a cooking time of 15 to 20 minutes should be sufficient to produce delicious, well-cooked sausage for all your recipes. Turn your sausage over every few minutes as you grill to ensure an even cook.
How to Know Your Meat Is Fully Cooked
Your sausage should be perfectly prepared if you follow the recommended cooking time, but just to be safe, check your meat before taking it off the grill to make sure it’s cooked through. The cooking quality of the meat will depend on the type and temperature of the grill.
If you don’t want to cut your sausage open before serving it, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. A temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit ensures the sausage is finished. You can also slice your sausage to check for any remaining traces of pink — a finished sausage will be golden brown on the outside and entirely brown on the inside. It should also spring back against your touch when you press down on it.
How Long to Keep Leftovers
After you’ve enjoyed your outdoor gathering or picnic barbeque, how long can you keep picking at your delicious grilled sausage dishes? For best leftover conditions, you should refrigerate your remaining sausage within two hours of cooking. Store them either in air-tight containers or tightly-wrapped aluminum foil for the best shelf life. When properly sealed and refrigerated, sausage will have a shelf-life of three to four days — if you want to extend that duration, freeze them!
What to Grill
Looking for delicious meats and recipes to apply your new grilling knowledge for the tastiest meals this summer? Check out Premio’s best grilling sausage recipes. Offering passionately-made, all-natural, low-fat Italian sausage and inspiring recipes to cook up every season, Premio is your number-one stop for fantastic quality and great taste. Find our sausage selections in a store near you or search for online coupons today. Happy grilling!
I live in the New York City Metropolitan area and sausage is one of my favorite fares. Being of Italian descent, my nother and grandmother’s sausage dishes were always a favorite. Since they are no longer with us, I became a fan of Premio sausage. I have reached an impasse in that I cannot seem to locate Premio sausage with Broccoli Rabe. Can someone assist me in where I may purchase this item. I tried it at a friend’s house in Pennsylvania and she bought me a few packages in New Jersey. Does the New York area sell this or do have to travel to New Jersey to locate it. Please help me! Thank you
Fair Lawn, NJ
Hi Francine – We’re so happy to hear that you’re a fan of our sausages! 🙂 Our Broccoli Rabe and Cheese variety is available at the Stop & Shop on 625 Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn. To see more locations, you can visit our Store Locator here: https://www.premiofoods.com/store-locator/, select Broccoli Rabe and Cheese under the “Italian Specialties” category, and search your address to find the locations that carry the product nearest you. Thank you!