proteins8 min
Sausage Too Greasy
Greasy sausage that leaves an oily slick on the plate means too much fat rendered without draining — here's how to finish it cleanly and degrease the pan.
Part of proteins cooking fixes and greasy food fixes .
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Ingredients on hand
- sausages
- paper towels
Why it happened
Sausages with high fat content (above 25%) render a large volume of fat during cooking. If they sit in that rendered fat without draining, they re-absorb it, making the exterior greasy and the mouthfeel heavy. A rack finish removes the sausage from the fat pool while holding temperature.
The fix
- 1Transfer cooked sausages to a wire rack set over a baking sheet in a 200°F oven for 5 minutes — the rack lets fat drip away while keeping sausages warm
- 2Meanwhile, pour off all but 1 teaspoon of fat from the pan and deglaze with 2 tablespoons water or stock to create a light pan sauce
- 3Pat sausages dry with paper towels just before serving
- 4Slice on the bias so the cut surfaces don't pool grease against the plate
If it's still wrong
- Finish sausages in a 400°F oven on a wire rack for 5 minutes — the high dry heat evaporates surface grease quickly.
- Deglaze the pan with 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar and reduce by half to make an acidic glaze that cuts through the fat perception.
Prevent next time
- Choose sausages with 20% fat content or lower, or ask a butcher for a leaner grind.
- Cook sausages on a grill or grill pan where fat can drain away from the meat during cooking rather than pooling around it.
Substitutions
- water for deglazing→apple cider vinegar for a sharper counterpoint to the fat
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