Cook’s Illustrated. – July 2008
I took the cooks illustrated recipe for Sausage and onion and modified it to make the snakes. Red is my revisions (I also crossed off anything that didn’t apply to my version)
Why this recipe works:
We wanted a foolproof grilled sausage recipe that would produce nicely browned links with juicy interiors, accompanied by tender, well-cooked vegetables. As a first step, we started the vegetables, then layered the raw sausages over the hot vegetables in a disposable roasting pan. Cooking the sausages and vegetables together in the oven, covered, before browning the sausages directly on the grill and uncovering the pan to allow the vegetables to caramelize completed our perfect grilled sausage and vegetables recipe.
This recipe will work with any raw, uncooked sausage. Serve sausages as is or in toasted buns.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 large onions , halved and cut pole to pole into 1/4-inch-thick slices (I used ~1.25)
- 4 large red bell peppers
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2teaspoon table salt
- 1/4teaspoon ground black pepper
- 13- by 9-inch disposable aluminum roasting pan
- 2 pounds hot or sweet Italian sausages (8 to 12 links) (I used hot turkey)
- 2 – Italian dough (10 oz each)
Instructions
- 1. Turn all burners to medium-high and heating grill with lid down until very hot, about 15 minutes. Scrape grate clean with grill brush.
- Peel skin off sausage.
- Cut peppers into quarters (from top to bottom) – remove seeds and stuff
- Meanwhile, combine onions, thyme, salt, and pepper in medium microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high power until onions begin to soften and tips turn slightly translucent, 4 to 6 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking (be careful of steam). Transfer onions to disposable roasting pan. Place sausages in single layer over onions and wrap roasting pan tightly with foil.
- On the side next to onions and sausage (in the roasting pan) put the (as flat as possible.)
- Place roasting pan in center of grill, cover grill, and cook 15 minutes. Move pan to one side of grill and carefully remove foil cover.
Using tongs, place sausages directly on grate. Grill sausages, with grill lid down, turning every 1 to 2 minutes, until golden brown on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer sausages to platter and loosely tent with foil.
- Take peppers out of time to cook directly on grate until well browned.
- Crumble the sausage in the tin with the onions.
- Cover grill and continue cooking onions (and crumbled sausage), stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates and onions begin to brown, 5 to 10 minutes longer.
Serve sausages, passing onions separately. – I threw the tin into the broiler to brown the meat a little and dry the mixture
- Once slightly cooled chop everything up (add the peppers to the onion and sausage)
- Roll Italian dough into a long thin strip. Fill sausage, peppers and onions and close it up.
- Bake about 10 minutes about 500 until well browned.
