Grilled Italian Sausage
On February 06, 2023
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This grilled Italian sausage is beyond easy to make and ready in 10 minutes or less. Skip the boiling or simmering in a pan of water! Trust me when I say that grilling Italian sausage results in the ideal texture and flavor.
Grilled Italian Sausage
Classic Italian sausages are awesome any way you make them, but they’re really the best on the grill! These sausages have that char-grilled smoky flavor with a crispy snap to the skin. They’re perfect for serving on top of pasta and marinara or loaded up in a toasty bun with your favorite toppings.
You don’t need anything fancy to make these sausages. Simply place them on the grill, cook, and enjoy. I like to serve these on a submarine roll with sauteed onions, grilled pepper, or fresh sauerkraut.
How to Grill Italian Sausage
Believe me when I say it is extremely easy to grill Italian sausage. In fact, I prefer grilling them over pretty much any other cooking method because there’s no clean up and the flavor from the grill can’t be beaten. Here’s how to grill Italian sausage.
- Preheat. Fire up the grill (my preference for grilled Italian sausage is cooking these on a charcoal grill). Preheat the grill to high heat or around 450 degrees F.
- Grill. Place the sausages directly on the grill grates, close the lid, and cook for 4-5 minutes. Flip the sausages and grill for another 4-5 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees F. You can also add your buns to the grill for the last few minutes while the sausages are cooking to add a little crispy bite to your buns.
- Serve. Remove the sausage promptly from the grill and enjoy! You can eat these as they are alongside pasta or your favorite dish, or you can place them in buns with your favorite toppings for a tasty meal.
How Long to Grill Italian Sausage
It only takes 8-10 minutes to grill Italian sausage with the grill preheated to 450 degrees F.
You know your sausage is cooked all the way through when the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees F. Insert the thermometer into the end of the sausage (as opposed to sticking it somewhere at the top where the juices can spill out). Remove the meat from the grill as soon as it hits that final 165 degrees F temperature.
Tips for Grilling Italian Sausage
Hold up there for just a moment! I compiled a few tips for grilling Italian sausage that will help you achieve delicious results.
- Read the label. Pay attention to the Italian sausages you decide to buy, as there are several common varieties on your grocery store shelf. You’ll commonly see mild or hot Italian sausages, but there is also a sweet Italian sausage variety that is pretty awesome. What you buy depends on what you like to eat. The mild and hot are good options for people who have specific heat preferences and the sweet are my favorite for putting in a bun with grilled peppers and onions.
- Close your lid! With Italian sausages, the goal is to cook the inside through without splitting the casing too much. By closing the lid, you keep the heat in the grill (making it act more like an oven). This cooks your sausages throughout while giving you that signature grilled sausage crunch on the casing.
- Temp through the ends. This seems strange the first time, but I promise it works! Instead of sticking your thermometer right through the casing in the middle of the sausage (and having all of that yummy juice spurt out), slide your thermometer probe in through the slightly open end of the casing on your sausage. You can get an accurate reading from the center of the sausage this way, without losing any moisture inside.
More Grilled Sausage Recipes
If you just can’t get enough sausage, these grilled sausage recipes from Hey Grill Hey are all majorly flavorful and easy to make. Check them out below.
Best Grilled Italian Sausage Recipe
Follow the recipe, and let’s make some really good food! If you loved this recipe, please leave it a 5-star review and sound off in the comments section below!
For even easier access to our tutorials and recipes, be sure to download the Hey Grill Hey App! Browse the entire BBQ library of over 500 recipes with a new one added each week!
Grilled Italian Sausage
Ingredients
- 6 Italian sausages
- 6 submarine rolls
- assorted toppings as desired
Instructions
- Preheat. Preheat your grill to high heat (around 450 degrees F).
- Grill. Place the sausages on the grill grates, ensuring they aren’t touching or overlapping, close the lid, and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Finish cooking. Flip the sausages, close the lid again, and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes, or until an internal thermometer reads 165 degrees F. When taking the sausage temperature, avoid puncturing the sausage on the side (this can cause the casing to pop and hot juice to explode everywhere). Instead, slide your thermometer into the end of the sausage to get your reading.
- Toast the buns. If desired, you can toast your buns, cut side down, on the grates alongside your sausages.
- Enjoy. Top the toasty buns with the grilled sausages and serve with your favorite toppings.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hey Grilley,You didn’t say if you cook them over direct or indirect heat. Which is it?