For Perfectly Browned Sausage, Don't Skip An Essential Step

There are many sausage-cooking tips and tricks that aid in achieving a well-finished, perfectly browned link. If you're cooking this meat product, whether as part of a breakfast platter or for inclusion in a recipe, there's one essential step you should always follow before placing it in your hot pan: patting the sausage dry with paper towels.

It's a technique famously used by the French chef herself, Julia Child, to achieve properly browned meat. In fact, it's a tip she demonstrated on the very first episode of her renowned PBS television show, "The French Chef," during which she prepared the French stew boeuf bourguignon. Without the paper towel pat-down, she explained, moisture on the meat causes it to steam rather than brown. It's why you need paper towels every time you cook meat, and it's crucial for all types, including sausage.

The process is simple. Using an adequate number of paper towels for the amount of meat you're working with, press the towels against the sausage and pat it on all sides until no traces of liquid remain, ensuring all moisture is fully absorbed into the paper product.

Failing to dry the sausage in this way hinders the Maillard reaction, which is essential for proper cooking. The fundamentals of the Maillard reaction are that heat alters the sugars and proteins in the meat, causing various small chemical reactions to occur simultaneously. These reactions result in new smells, colors, and flavors. It's the reason your sausage browns in the pan and develops the delicious aroma and taste we associate with the product in its final, cooked condition.

The reaction begins when the meat's exterior reaches between 280 and 330 degrees Fahrenheit. If a piece of sausage isn't properly dried before being placed in a hot pan, it will still cook, but it won't brown because the moisture on its surface prevents the Maillard reaction. Surface moisture only reaches 212 degrees Fahrenheit, which is significantly below the minimum temperature needed for the reaction to begin. As a result, the heat in the pan must first evaporate the moisture instead of browning, flavoring, and crisping up the meat.

Properly dried sausage, on the other hand, is able to hit the cooking surface and immediately begin reaching the required temperature for a well-browned result. Removing excess moisture is a quick process that requires only a few paper towels and a minimal amount of time and effort. The end reward, however, is well worth it.