What Is Garlic sausage and How Can I Use It?
Garlic sausage rewards a little know-how: how to choose it, cook it, store it, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 4 recipes to cook with it.
Key Points
- Cooked, garlic-forward pork sausage sold as a thick link or ring, sliced rather than fried from raw.
- Add it partway through a simmer; long boiling leaches its flavor and turns the texture rubbery.
- Swap with kielbasa, saucisson, or smoked sausage plus a clove of fresh garlic to close the gap.
What is garlic sausage?
Garlic sausage is a cooked, garlic-forward pork sausage, the kind sold in a thick pre-cooked link or ring at the deli counter. Think French saucisson a l'ail or a coarse, garlicky cold-cut sausage you slice rather than fry from raw.
It is already cooked, so it just needs warming through. That makes it a workhorse in slow-simmered dishes, where it lends deep garlic and pork flavor to the broth.
This is the sausage for rustic one-pots. It rounds out bean and cabbage stews like Black Bean Cassoulet Soup, German Kale & Potato Soup, and the French pork-and-vegetable braise La Potee Auvergnate.
Using and Swapping
Slice it into thick coins and add it partway through a simmer, not at the start. Long boiling leaches out its flavor and can turn the texture rubbery, so 15 to 20 minutes to heat through is plenty.
It also slices cold for a charcuterie board or a sandwich, where the garlic comes through clean and sharp.
For a swap, reach for kielbasa, a French saucisson, or any cooked smoked sausage, then add a clove of fresh garlic to the pot to close the gap. Andouille works too if you want more spice and smoke.
Quick facts
- In Chinese
- 大蒜香肠
- British (UK) term
- Garlic sausage
- en français
- saucisse d'ail
- en español
- chorizo
Recipes using garlic sausage
There are 4 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Black Beancassoulet Soup
Massive pot of black bean cassoulet soup with garlic sausage, Italian sausage, bratwurst, and a meaty ham bone. Simmered for 5 hours with sherry, brown sugar, and lemon. Feeds 16.
Black Bean Cassoulet Soup
Hearty black bean cassoulet soup loaded with three kinds of sausage, a meaty ham bone, cumin, oregano, and a splash of dry sherry. Feeds a crowd of 16 with a sour cream finish.
La Potee Auvergnate
Potée Auvergnate is the rustic French farmhouse stew of cabbage, beans, potatoes, and three kinds of pork (bacon, sausage, smoked chops) slow-braised together in one pot. Hearty mountain cooking from central France.
German Kale & Potato Soup
Traditional German kale and potato soup (Grünkohlsuppe) with garlic sausage. A hearty winter peasant soup of mashed potato broth, shredded kale, and smoky sausage rounds.
