What Are Smoked sausage links and How Can I Use Them?
Smoked sausage links is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store them, what to substitute, and 9 recipes to get you started.
Key Points
- Fully cooked smoked sausage in link form, sliced into coins for skillets, soups, and braises.
- You are heating and browning, not cooking from raw; see the smoked sausage page for curing and storage.
- Sear the cut faces to render flavor, and go easy on salt since the links are already cured.
What are smoked sausage links?
Smoked sausage links are simply smoked sausage in the familiar link shape, usually pork or a pork-and-beef blend, cured and smoked until fully cooked. They are firm and sliceable, ready to eat after a quick reheat.
This is the format you cut into coins for skillets and one-pots: bean dishes like Sausage Bean Quickie, hearty braises like Irish Hot Pot, and Cajun classics like Queen Ida's Chicken & Sausage Gumbo.
Because the links are precooked and smoked, you are heating and browning, not cooking from raw. For the curing, the styles, and storage, see the smoked sausage page.
A Few Quick Tips
Slice on the bias and sear the cut faces. Smoked sausage browns fast and the rendered fat carries flavor into the rest of the pan, the trick behind a good gumbo roux base or a Double Sausage Hearty Breakfast Pizza.
Go easy on added salt. These links are already cured and seasoned, so taste the dish before reaching for the shaker, especially in reduced soups and stews.
Quick facts
- In Chinese
- 熏香肠
- British (UK) term
- Smoked sausage links
- en français
- saucisses fumées
- en español
- salchichas ahumadas
Recipes using smoked sausage links
There are 9 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Double Sausage Hearty Breakfast Pizza
Loaded breakfast pizza with Italian sausage in the sauce and smoked sausage links on top, blanketed in melted mozzarella and Monterey Jack. Two meaty, cheesy pies that'll fuel your whole morning.
Frogmore Stew
Frogmore stew is the classic Lowcountry boil: red potatoes, smoked sausage, corn, and shrimp simmered in one Old Bay-spiced pot. Staggered timing means everything finishes just right for a dump-and-feast spread.
Paella-Stuffed Snapper
Whole red snapper stuffed with saffron rice paella filling made with smoked sausage, shrimp, serrano chiles, and almonds. A Tex-Mex showpiece baked with lime butter.
Sausage Bread***
Italian sausage bread stuffed with sausage, mozzarella, onion, and bell pepper rolled into pizza dough. Bakery-style sliced bread that doubles as a meal.
Sausage Bean Quickie
Slow cooker sausage and bean casserole with pineapple chunks, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar. Dump it in, set it, and forget it for 7-10 hours.
Favourite Italian Quiche
Italian-style quiche with crumbled smoked sausage, ricotta, and grated parmesan baked into a creamy egg custard. Five ingredients and no cream or milk needed in the filling.
Irish Hot Pot
Irish hot pot casserole layered with sliced potatoes, onions, carrots, peas, rice, and smoked sausage baked in tomato soup. A hearty one-dish dinner that feeds a crowd.
Breakfast Sausage Apple Pie
Breakfast sausage apple pie, a sweet-savory hand-me-down brunch pie of smoked sausage layered with apple pie filling, sharp cheddar, and a brown sugar streusel crust. Five ingredients, one skillet, one pie plate.
Queen Ida's Chicken & Sausage Gumbo
This traditional Cajun gumbo, inspired by Queen Ida’s Louisiana roots, combines tender chicken, smoky sausage, and a dark, flavorful roux for a soul-warming dish. The holy trinity of onion, celery, and parsley, along with bold seasonings, creates a complex, spicy broth that’s perfect served over rice. Ideal for family dinners or festive gatherings, this gumbo is a labor of love that rewards with deep, authentic flavors.
