Smoked sausage is used either as a meat entrée or as an appetizer. Sometimes, people add them to pasta and soups. This is mainly due to the reason that smoked sausage is almost always fully cooked and therefore, it is added to the recipes at the end. You only need to warm it for a few minutes.
Thus, it can be said that yes, you can cook smoked sausage in the microwave. There are major brands like Hillshire in the United States that have fully cooked sausage which you can eat straight from the package.
Sausage gets flavor when smoked sausage is cooked with the ingredients.
On the other hand, there can be smoked sausage made from veal, lamb, beef, or pork which are uncooked and you need to cook them at a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Chicken sausage should be cooked at 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
If the package of smoked sausage is not opened, you can keep them for approximately 2 weeks in the refrigerator and two months in the freezer. But if the package is opened, it should be used within a week.
Apart from the microwave, smoked sausage can be cooked by the following methods:
- Stovetop
- Oven
- Slow Cooker
- Grill
Varieties of Smoked Sausage
There are many different kinds of sausage available in the United States and these are –
- Bratwurst – It is of German origin and made with pork and veal along with pepper, sage, and nutmeg.
- Kielbasa – It is made of beef and pork polish smoked sausage flavored with garlic and spices.
- Andouille – This type of sausage is mainly used in Cajun cooking which is made with pork, garlic, onion, and wine.
- Frankfurters and Knackwurst – It is also of German origin made either from beef or beef and pork. The sausage is seasoned with mustard, garlic, pepper, and salt.
How to cook smoked sausage in microwave?
You can get perfectly heated sausage in just 1-2 minutes.
To cook smoked sausage in the microwave, follow the instructions given below:
- Take the package of smoked sausage and remove the sausage from that.
- Use paper towels to wrap the sausage nicely.
- Take a microwave-safe dish and place wrapped smoked sausage on it.
- Run the microwave on high for 40-45 seconds to cook the sausage.
- Check if the sausage is warm enough. If required, microwave for another 15 seconds.
- Do not remove sausage immediately from the microwave. Let it stand for 1 minute.
- Once done, take the sausage out and serve hot or add to any dish of your choice.
How to defrost sausages without a microwave?
Frozen sausages should be defrosted and used immediately as bacteria may act on them fast. Apart from the microwave, sausages can be defrosted in the refrigerator or water.
Below are the methods to defrost sausages without a microwave:
In a Refrigerator
- Set the temperature of the fridge below 5 degrees Celsius because if the temperature is higher then it will cause bacteria to grow and multiply in the fridge.
- Put the sausages with the package in the refrigerator from the freezer. The sausages when refrigerated with packages helps in fast and even defrost of sausages.
- If the package is already removed, wrap it in another plastic wrap and then place them in the refrigerator.
- Leave the sausages in the fridge till they become soft which may take up to 24 hours.
- At this time, sausages are thawed and you can use them as and when required.
If you do not want to use them immediately, continue to keep them in the refrigerator. It can be kept there for 3-5 days.
In a Bowl of Water
- Take a large bowl full of lukewarm water.
- Remove plastic wrap of sausages and put them in the bowl of water.
- Put the bowl with sausages in a sink under a faucet with dripping water. This water should be cool to touch.
- Keep the bowl like this until the sausages are thawed completely.
- Time taken to thaw sausages by this method may take around 30-50 minutes depending on the number of sausages.
- Once the sausages are thawed, remove them from the bowl and clean the bowl and the sink thoroughly. If these are not cleaned, salmonella can thrive on them.
How to cook Vienna sausage in microwave?
Vienna sausage is pork or beef sausage that was first made in Vienna, Austria. In this, ground meat and onion are stuffed into casings which are then smoked for many hours on low heat with a very large amount of water so that sausages remain moist.
These sausages are pre-cooked and you only need to warm them, which can be done in the microwave.
To cook Vienna sausage in a microwave-
- Take a microwave-safe bowl and empty the can of Vienna sausages in it. The sausages along with the broth should be put in the bowl.
- Run the microwave on high for 1-2 minutes.
- Check if the sausages are warm enough. Once done, take them out of the microwave and serve.
Can you cook raw sausage in the microwave?
Yes, you can cook raw sausage in the microwave as they are perfectly safe when cooked in the microwave.
While cooking in the microwave, sausages do not get dark brown skin. Instead, the skin of the sausages known as casings, peel away.
Given below is the method to cook raw sausage in the microwave:
- Take raw sausages and separate them if they all are linked together.
- Put them in a microwave-safe dish and prick the sausages. Try to arrange them in a single layer.
- Use a lid, or cling film, or a kitchen towel to cover the sausages.
- Run the microwave on high for 1 ½ minutes, flip the sausages, and microwave again for 1 ½ minutes.
- There will be peeling of the skin of sausages. Peel them completely and throw the casings.
- Once sausages are cooked completely in the microwave, their color will change from light pink to light brown. Drain the fat and serve them.
If you want to have dark brown sausages, transfer them to the oven or grill till they get the color.
Can you microwave Italian sausage?
Yes, you can microwave Italian sausage. This is a 6-inch-long sausage made by stuffing ground pork into casing shells with the flavor of fennel seeds and red pepper flakes.
To microwave Italian sausages that are pre-cooked, place them on a microwave-safe dish and cover with a paper towel. Microwave on high for 40-50 seconds, if they are fresh or thawed. In case Italian sausages are frozen, microwave them for 1- 1 ½ minutes.
To cook raw Italian sausage, place them in a microwave-safe bowl and add ¼ cup of water. Use plastic wrap to cover the bowl and let it stand for 10 minutes.
Drain the water left and transfer the bowl to the microwave. Now, cook them in the microwave for 2 minutes and stir them in between.
Once done, let them stand in the microwave for 5 minutes. By this time, Italian sausages are cooked perfectly and so serve them hot.
How long to cook sausage in microwave?
The time required to cook sausage in the microwave depends on its variety. If it is cooked already, you need to warm them only. For this, it takes 60-90 seconds to cook sausage in the microwave. The method to cook sausage in the microwave is mentioned above in detail.
When the sausage is raw, you can still cook it in the microwave. The time taken to cook this sausage in the microwave depends on the quantity of sausage. Below is the cooking time of sausage in the microwave.
| Type of Sausage | Quantity | Time required | Total Cooking Time |
| Pork or beef sausages and weight of each sausage is around 50 grams | 2
4 8 |
1½ minutes
2 minutes 2½ minutes |
3 minutes
4 minutes 5 minutes |
| Chipolata sausage each of which weighs 25 grams | 2
4 8 |
45 seconds
1 minute 1½ minutes |
1½ minutes
2 minutes 3 minutes |
Conclusion
Smoked sausages are available readily in the market and are pre-cooked mostly. You just need to heat them and microwave is the most convenient and fast method to do so.
So, whenever you like to eat sausages but have no time to prepare them, bring smoked sausages and heat them in the microwave.