How to Cut Sausage Without It Falling Apart (Explained!)

The process of making sausages might seem easy, but there are several things you need to do to make sure your sausages are the perfect shape and texture and don’t fall apart during the process.

First, it’s essential to place your sausages in the fridge for at least 24 hours before cooking them. They need enough time to dry evenly. If you take them out of the fridge before they become completely dry, they’ll fall apart.

Also, be careful not to cut the casings, as this will make the filling fall out. Another helpful trick to keep them from falling apart is to place them in the freezer for about 15 minutes before you cook them.

In this article, I’ll tell you all you need to know about how to cut sausage without it falling apart. I’ll also explain why sausages can fall apart before and after the cooking process and how you can prevent this from happening.

Why Does My Sausage Fall Apart When Cutting?

There could be a couple of reasons why your sausages fall apart when you try to cut them.

The first possibility is that you may not have prepared the meat the right way. If your sausages are crumbly when you cut them, this could be a sign that you didn’t add enough fat or water to your mix.

Your mixture should consist of a maximum of 70% meat and 30% water. For this reason, finding the right balance is crucial for making sausages.

When you finish making your sausages, it’s important to place them in a cool space. This can either be a fridge or a freezer.

If you choose to keep them in your fridge, they need to stay there for at least 24 hours before cooking or frying them.

On the other hand, if you decide to freeze them, they can last for three more months.

When you take them out of the freezer, be sure to place them in the fridge for a couple of hours before you cook them.

In fact, it would be best if they stayed in the refrigerator overnight. If you don’t expose the sausages to the cool air in your refrigerator enough, they may fall apart when you try to cut them.

How to Cut Sausage Links Without Them Falling Apart

The process of making sausage links can impact how your sausages turn out.

For example, if you don’t leave enough air in the casing, it might burst when you start to cook them.

As mentioned before, when you’ve finished making the sausage links, it’s essential to place them in the fridge for at least 24 hours. This will allow the meat to dry out, which will prepare the texture for cooking.

You can place them on a baking sheet on the refrigerator shelf. To make sure they dry evenly, flip them to the other side after a couple of hours.

Better yet, if you have enough space in your fridge, you can also hang them. Doing this will make them dry faster and more evenly.

When you separate sausage links, be sure to do so before you cook the sausages. While you can do it after they’re cooked, it will be much more challenging to separate the sausage links without them falling apart.

It goes without saying that you need to be very careful when you cut the sausage links.

Use the tip of a kitchen knife or a pair of sharp scissors to do so. If you puncture the casing, then all the moisture will come out, thus ruining the flavor of the sausages.

Tips on How to Prevent Sausage From Falling Apart When Cutting

Place Them in the Freezer Before Cooking

A useful method to prevent your sausages from falling apart is placing them in the freezer before you cook them.

They don’t need to stay in there for long – 15 to 20 minutes should be enough. This also makes the sausages less sticky, which will allow you to remove the casings with less effort.

Cut Only the Casing, Not the Meat

When it’s time to cut the casing off, avoid cutting the meat as well. The best way to do this is to make a long cut along the entire length of the sausage.

Then, to remove the casing entirely, use your fingers to gently peel it off.

Remove the Casing After Cooking or Not at All

However, it’s generally recommended that you remove the casings after cooking the sausages, or not at all.

Sausage casings are edible, so whether you leave them on or not depends on personal preference.

On the other hand, if you choose to do so before you cook the sausage, it will ultimately lose shape and eventually fall apart in the frying pan.

Avoid Cooking on High Heat When Grilling

Sausages in casings can also fall apart when you fry them. To prevent this from happening, don’t fry them on maximum heat.

Instead, set your stove to low or medium temperature, and wait for your sausages to sizzle in the frying pan.

The casing can also burst due to the amount of water that the meat mixture contains. Once exposed to heat, the water inside simply boils, which causes the sausage casing to split or burst.

Aside from that, the casing itself shrinks due to the heat. Therefore, the casing splits quite frequently.

Another way to avoid this is by boiling the sausages before you fry or grill them. Once the water boils, take the sausages out of the pot and let them dry and cool down. Afterward, you can fry or grill the sausages without the risk of them falling apart.

Bake Them Instead

Sausages are less likely to fall apart if you cook them in your oven. This is an excellent option as the heat in the over is more evenly distributed.

Just like with the frying pan, turn the oven on to moderate heat. It’s better to take your time with making sausages than to rush everything.

In Summary

Now you know how to cut sausage without it falling apart. Many factors can influence how your sausages turn out.

If you aren’t careful, your sausages can fall apart before and after you cook them. However, once you figure out all the tips and tricks of sausage making, you’ll be able to overcome any issues.

The key to preparing sausages is keeping them cool until the moment you decide to cook them.