8 Sausage Brands You Should Always Buy And 7 To Leave At The Store

I grew up in the Midwest, and my family's favorite football team is the Green Bay Packers. For a time, I lived only two hours from Lambeau, and we attended games frequently. On game days, our first order of business as soon as we entered the stadium? Get a brat. My dad always got his with sauerkraut, but I was more of a mustard fan. We would enjoy (and finish) our sausages even before the first kick off.

Now, I don't get to attend games as often as I once did, but I still love cooking up sausage. The challenge is knowing which brands to use. Grocery stores are flush with options for sausage, so I set out to choose the very best. And this is what I found: There are some that definitely belong in your shopping cart, while others should remain at the grocery store.

When it comes to sausages, Johnsonville is about as recognizable as they get, so I wondered how it would hang when paired against some pretty stiff competition. Since this is honestly the brand I default to the most, I hoped it would do well. I must say (though it's basic) it is definitely a brand you can count on.

I sampled the Johnsonville Beddar with Cheddar Smoked Sausage, which is a fully cooked sausage with cheese inside. The flavor quality was pretty simple, with the meat taking the primary focus away from the cheese. Although this one did have more of that finely ground meat to it, there was still enough texture to make it feel substantial. This fell in the middle of the pack with a casing snap that was more substantial than a soft bite down — but not quite like one I saw in some of the other sausages.

One of the big draws for Johnsonville is that it offers quite a few varieties of sausages. So, even if you're looking to purchase sausage for a large gathering with different tastes and preferences, there's a good chance you're going to find something that's a crowd-pleaser for most.

I've enjoyed quite a few food tastings and comparisons — and I've been impressed with Target's in-store grocery brand, Good & Gather. However, this wasn't the case for the sausage offerings.

With no smoked choices available at my store, I selected a hot Italian sausage link that was uncooked, so I prepared it at home and gave it a try. Typically, when I've used Italian sausage in this manner for recipes, I slice it up and add it to pasta or mix it in with a salad. For this tasting, I took a bite out of the link and tried it sliced — unfortunately, I found the flavor pretty lacking. Good & Gather claims that these are hot Italian sausages, but the hotness came from more of a cayenne pepper flavor than an actual spiciness from any type of pepper. Although the general texture and casing were on par with other Italian sausages I've had, the lack of flavor says one thing to me: Leave this brand on the shelf.

Conecuh has several sausage options. They come in longer links, making them ideal for including in a gumbo or jambalaya. I sampled the Cajun smoked sausage since I hoped it would remind me of an andouille.

I was unexpectedly impressed with the flavor and feel of the sausage. For the occasion, I enjoyed the zippy, slightly spicy flavor that I found with every bite. The sausage itself had a strong casing to it and it was probably the most snap I got from any of the others I sampled. This trait made the sausage feel like it would hold together well if cut and put into a recipe of choice. Although it had a nice texture, it also felt like it was solidly cohesive and didn't feel mealy.

As a kid, I loved grocery shopping with my dad early each Saturday morning. We'd be in and out in about an hour and had it down to a science. One of the aisles we always visited was the ground turkey section. My parents insisted on using turkey in lieu of beef because it was a healthy alternative. I can't say I've kept up with this tradition as an adult, but every time I see a turkey sausage, I'm taken back to those days when I had turkey instead of beef. Admittedly, this may have colored my opinion of this sausage brand overall, but if you're going for a sausage, and it has to be something lighter than beef or pork, go for chicken sausage rather than the Butterball turkey.

The flavor and texture were fine, but the taste just can't get there in terms of a sausage. With sausage being such an identifiable flavor, when the taste is far off the mark, it stands out from the crowd — and not in a good way. Biting into one of these turkey sausages brought me right back to sitting at the dinner table and wishing we were having beef rather than turkey. It simply feels like an inferior version of an item that is already great. Moral of the story: Grab your Butterball turkey for Thanksgiving, but leave the sausages in the store.

Gilbert's Craft Sausage was the first of the chicken offerings I sampled from the lot, so this is the one that I initially fell in love with. Gilbert's has a variety of chicken flavors, so if sweet pepper and onion aren't necessarily flavors you would enjoy, you'll find a whole bunch of options at your grocery store. Based on my experience with this chicken sausage, I'm willing to bet that the rest of the line is just as good.

In most dishes, chicken is such a nice base for flavoring, but if you've ever had a chicken meat deli sandwich, you know that it can quickly go awry — chicken can get that kind of funny, fake smell to it. Fortunately, this was never a problem with Gilbert's Craft Sausage or any of the chicken sausages sampled. And this one (along with the others) brought me back to a meal I enjoyed as a kid. For me, that was an onion, pepper, and sausage bake that would come together over several hours in a huge roasting pan. It was rich in basil and other Italian herbs, and it made the whole house smell fantastic for hours. This sweet pepper and onion sausage felt like an ode to that meal. Even though it was chicken sausage rather than pork, it doesn't make a difference — and all those familiar, rich, aromatic smells came wafting right back to me.

Unfortunately, it seems that the budget brands at the stores didn't perform as well as I hoped they would. While Good & Gather's sausages weren't at the top of my favorites, neither was Marketside from Walmart. I found the Cuban sandwich flavor the most interesting of the available choices, so I was very hopeful that Marketside would come through.

I dressed the sausage with pickle and mustard to enjoy something like a spin on a Cuban sandwich — upon the first bite, however, it was clear this sausage wasn't going to offer that delicious Cuban flavor. In fact, the only resemblance to a Cuban sandwich was from the dressing of the sausage, not the actual sausage itself. It's too bad because this could be a delightful flavor, but when you start to look at the ingredients — lime, for instance — you wonder what Marketside is thinking in this construction of a Cuban sandwich. There are other flavors available from Marketside that are just as adventurous (Chipotle and Monterey Jack Cheese Chicken Sausage, and Asian Style with Pork and Pineapple Smoked Sausage, for example) but given how off the mark this Cuban sandwich sausage is, I can't guarantee they'll taste anything like what you want them to.

It may not be advisable to judge a book by its cover, but I don't think the same can be said for sausages. Kiolbassa, for one, looked really promising on the shelf. Not to mention, I've found that if a food calls out the specific type of smoke, well, in general it tends to be an enjoyable product. And this was certainly true again with Kiolbassa.

With Kiolbassa, I was most impressed with the snap of the sausage casing. This one had a very pronounced break to it when I bit down, and for smoked meat, this is deeply satisfying. The flavor delivered exactly what it promised, and it tastes just like a sausage that had come directly off a smoker, bringing rich hickory smoke. This is an easy one to serve alongside other basic sausages to bring a little variety to your table — or even to a party. Point being: You can rely on this brand, so dig in with confidence. 

I was a vegan for about three years — the hardest part for me was giving up dairy, but it was never difficult to give up meat. I missed it, but with brands like Impossible, it wasn't something I desired enough to break the vegan cycle. As a vegan, I absolutely loved Impossible Foods. That's probably why the Impossible bratwurst sampling was so very disappointing. While the Impossible burger is great, do not expect the same performance from the Impossible bratwurst.

As soon as I finished cooking it (and looked at the sausage) I wondered what was wrong. Was that a loose sock draped over some kind of fake sausage? It was completely unappetizing. The bite was even worse. There was no snap to speak of — honestly, the meat missed the mark entirely. It tastes like someone's first attempt at making a vegan sausage at home, and not a company trying to change the tide in Americans' meat consumption. Impossible = Big thumbs down. 

I tried to sample a variety of sausages that would give me the full scope of what's available at the grocery store. Garcia was a new one to me, but the sausages themselves looked hearty and promising, so I was eager to give them a try. I'm happy to tell you that I think I have found my new favorite basic beef smoked sausage.

If you're looking for a straightforward sausage that's going to be an absolute hit at your next cookout, the Garcia smoked beef sausages are an excellent choice. These look like larger hot dogs, but they are definitely more in the sausage realm, especially given the texture and snap of the casing. It's always nice to witness a simple product done very well, and that's what you get with Garcia.

For me, texture is a huge deal when it comes to sausage. You don't always notice when texture is done well, but it's obvious when a texture is too finely milled. It'll feel more like a hot dog than a sausage, and although chorizo is different than, say, Italian sausage or other smoked meats, having too finely milled sausage leads to it being kind of pasty or fake.

But La Chona's sausage has a texture issue. Even though chorizo isn't typically enjoyed on a bun like a brat, it shouldn't remind you of a hot dog you would get at a ball game. Of the varieties I tried, this one missed the mark mainly for the mouth feel you get as you're eating the sausage. Maybe La Chona could do well if you de-cased it and then chopped it up very fine to try and mask some of the texture issues.

I've never been one to go for chicken sausage, but this tasting may have changed my mind. In fact, each chicken brand performed so well that I would definitely purchase them again.

The Aidells Italian style chicken sausage with mozzarella cheese had an enjoyable flavor that felt like a rich, seasoned deep dish pizza. With the mozzarella factor and herbs — and the general feel of the sausage — I was brought right back to sitting in a restaurant, taking that first bite of a meaty deep dish pizza. If that tends to be a flavor you enjoy, this chicken sausage may be a game changer. While I can't recommend Good & Gather — especially the hot Italian sausage — I heartily recommend this Italian style sausage, even though it is chicken. Do not let that designation fool you, as the texture, casing, and flavor all hit at a really high level. 

Roger Wood has several types of sausage offerings. It comes in boxes as well as longer, roped sausages. Tasting these alongside other sausages that are on the simple side really brings to light just how basic a sausage can be. Unfortunately, I found that the Roger Wood offering simply reminded me of a larger, longer hot dog.

While the Garcia brand and Roger Wood sausages look pretty similar to one another, the flavor distinction here is significant. What's even more interesting about this point is that I sampled the Texas Pete Edition, which was flavored with some additional hot sauce. With this flavoring, it should have been an even more interesting, enjoyable taste — but it was too boring to be something I would pick up again. If you're looking for more simply flavored sausages, there are much better options.

During the locked in days of the pandemic, my husband and I worked to support small businesses in our area since they experienced such a blow to their bottom line. Our favorite local business was a butcher who made excellent sausages. We've not found one in stores that felt like it came close, but I must admit, Uncle John's sausage seem to hit the mark.

Uncle John's has a small selection of sausages, but the items here are good, and it's really all you're going to need. I also like that the brand comes in the long links as well as the smaller, bun sized ones. I found the snap good, and the smoky flavor was present but not overwhelming in any way.

It's a rare occurrence that I find an item from Trader Joe's that I don't enjoy. Most everything there feels like it's crafted with such care and chosen so carefully, that when I do find something I don't like, it feels like an exception rather than the rule. Unfortunately, that has come to pass with this sausage tasting.

Though I hoped for a smoked sausage, the crew member I spoke with told me they didn't have any. So, I chose an Italian sausage. As a sweet sausage, I found it far too basic with not enough extra flavoring. Not to mention, the sausage itself had a dry element to it with a texture that wasn't at all pleasing. I wanted a more exciting take (like I expect from other Trader Joe's purchases) on a sweet Italian sausage, but that wasn't the case with the TJ's sausage.

Hillshire Farm has a large collection of sausages at most grocery stores. For my family, Hillshire Farm has our go-to andouille sausage when making jambalaya. As a result, I knew I had to try this sausage to see how it compared.

As an andouille sausage (and most smoked sausages should have) this sausage rope has a nice casing that held up to cooking well and made the transition from a fry pan to a long cook with rice and other ingredients well. I always find that the andouille sausage holds its own among the other elements of jambalaya without overwhelming anything but also being perfectly delectable on its own. There's a reason Hillshire is so popular — there's a good bet you're going to end up with a quality product.

Over the course of several days, my husband and I sampled each of these sausages, preparing them in a manner that best fit each type of sausage. For some of the sausages, this meant putting them on a bun, for others, we cut them up and tasted the smaller pieces. Along the way, I paid attention to the casing, texture, and flavor of the sausage.

In terms of casing, I typically look for something with a little bite to it. I didn't want to feel like I was chomping down on almost nothing. There should be a snap of some kind. For texture, I wanted it to feel ground without it being over ground. The flavor should be something enjoyable and exciting but not over the top. Since I sampled a variety of sausages, I wanted consistency over the different sausages I chose, and in situations I could, I chose a pre-cooked smoked sausage. This way, the element of preparing it had less variance, and we can ensure that cooking is mostly a warming process. When a smoked sausage wasn't available, I opted for Italian sausage.