We’ve all been there. You fire up the grill on a nice afternoon, cook up some sausages, and cut into one to take a bite. Then, you get hit by so much salt, your blood pressure rises faster than the price of beef jerky at a truck stop!
It’s a real disappointment, I know. Especially when you’ve worked so hard to grill those sausages just right. But fear not, friends. There are a few simple steps you can take to salvage those overly salty sausages and enjoy a nice meal with family, friends, and neighbors after all.
In this article, we’ll go over those ways so you can enjoy your cookout without that excess salt getting in the way.
Grab your tongs and taste buds and let’s dive right in!
How to Fix Salty Sausage
First things first. I want to make sure you’re coming into this with the right expectations. The methods we’re about to go over won’t completely remove the excess salt from the sausage. But they’ll help reduce the saltiness of the sausage, so at least you won’t have to chug a gallon of water after eating it.
Eat It on a Bun
You weren’t planning on making hot dogs today. But now that your sausages came out a little too salty to eat on their own, why not eat them on a bun topped with ketchup, mustard, and mayo?
The sweeter the bun, the better. If you can get your hands on brioche buns, that would be best. The toppings also play an important role. The mustard adds tang and bitterness; the ketchup and mayo add sweetness.
Simmer It in Beer
This technique is ideal for sausages that are ameliorated by a bit of bitterness, like bratwurst or andouille.
Rinse the sausage under cold running water to get rid of the surface salt. Put it in a pot, skillet, or saucepan. Pour in enough beer to cover it halfway. Add a teaspoon of mustard and a teaspoon of honey, maple syrup, or sugar.
Turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Simmer the sauce until it’s thick and sticky, turning the sausage every now and then. The salt will go into the sauce and flavor it. The sauce’s sweet bitterness, on the other hand, will mask the meat’s saltiness.
Plate the sausages and pour the sauce over them. Then, send them to the table.
Mix It With Eggs
Here’s a trick that helps with most salty sausage situations: Make a soft boil egg with a runny yolk and serve it with the sausage. Cut the sausage into pieces and dip them into the runny egg to tone down the saltiness.
Are you worried that the sausage’s a little too salty? Then chop it up and make scrambled eggs, or maybe an omelet with it. Heck, if you’re feeling adventurous, you could even cook up a frittata.
Use It as Pizza Topping
Pepperoni is too salty to eat alone. But if you slice it thin and put it on your pizza, you’ve got yourself a great meal. With that being said, why not try the same with that overly salty sausage?
The trick to making this work is to go easy on the salt with the rest of your pizza’s toppings. Open a can of whole peeled tomatoes, crush them by hand, and use them instead of store-bought pizza sauce. Top the pie with fresh mozzarella instead of salty cheddar cheese or parmesan.
Chop It Up in a Soup, Braise, Stew
Did I hear anyone say sausage jambalaya?
Listen, when your grilled or smoked sausages turn out too salty, arguably the best way to salvage them is to chop them up into a soup, braise, or stew. Ideally, in the company of starchy ingredients, like beans, cabbage, potatoes, or rice, and sweet vegetables, like carrots and onions.
If you have some cold cream soup leftover and sitting around in the fridge, slice sausages and make a soup with it for the summer.
What Are the Risks of Eating Salty Sausage?
I can tell you, perhaps out of more personal experience than I should have, that there’s nothing quite like a nice, salty sausage to fill you up after a long day of work on the backyard. But, as it often happens in life, too much of a good thing can sometimes turn out to be bad.
Salty sausages are no exception. Too much salt in your diet, the good folks at Harvard University’s The Nutrition Source explain in an article on their website, can cause your blood pressure to rise, which can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.
So, while a little bit of salt can be a good thing, it’s important to watch your intake and enjoy salty foods in moderation. Especially if you’re of age and you need to mind your intake.
Promise me you all will take good care of yourselves now!
In Conclusion
There’s more than one way to salvage sausage that came out too salty for its own good—and all ways involve mixing it with something starchy, something sweet, and something bitter to tone out the saltiness.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope this helped. If you came up with ways of your own after reading this, I invite you all to share them in the comments form below.
