Smoked Sausage In Air Fryer

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This Smoked Sausage In Air Fryer recipe is the easiest way to cook sausages. No more fat sputtering and no pan fires. Cooking in an air fryer takes the guesswork out of cooking sausages, and makes cleaning a breeze. So quick and easy, dinner is ready in 10 minutes.

See our Air Fryer Recipes section for more quick and easy meals.

Frying sausages in a pan sometimes meant not being able to cook them through or having to first cook them with a bit of water to raise the internal temperature. This always ended up with fat sputtering, which never ends well! Fat fires, anyone? After cooking chicken and plenty of vegetables in my air fryer, I decided to try sausages as well.

The biggest advantage of cooking sausages in an air fryer is the even air heating of the entire air fryer basket, resulting in evenly fried sausages, and zero sputtering. Just serve with a hot dog bun with some saurkraut or air fryer potatoes or go low carb with some gourmet mixed green salad.

For some more delicious air fried vegetables, see our recipes below.

Why We Love This Smoked Sausage In Air Fryer Recipe

• Evenly cooked sausages – no burnt skin
• Delicious smoke flavored sausages that pair with almost any carbs and vegetables.
• No need for additional oil
• Easy, simple recipe that travels well in lunch boxes, or as snacks too.
• Great low-carb food in a hurry

What are smoked sausages?

Sausages made mainly from pork (but also beef and other meats) and cooked by smoke are called smoked sausages. Apart from lowering storage temperature, the shelf life of meats and other foods can be extended by drying, curing, and smoking them.

But not all processes are equally effective. Hot smoking the dried and cured sausages make them safe to be consumed without cooking. Cold smoking imparts beautiful smokey flavor, but cannot cook the sausages enough to be eaten safely.

To keep this decision simple, always read the label to check if the sausages are ‘ready to eat’ or ‘need to be cooked before consuming’. When in doubt you can always ask the butcher.

Some cured deli meats that are ready to eat include pepperoni, salami, and prosciutto.

Some smoked sausage varieties which are ready to eat include Andouille sausage, Keilbasa (Polish sausages), and Spanish Chorizo.

Other smoked varieties like Mexican Chorizos are fresh, and need to be cooked. Italian sausages are raw as well.

To keep it simple, always check the label to see if the sausages are safe to eat or need cooking. If in doubt, check with your butcher.

Can you put smoked sausage in air fryer?

Absolutely! Although sausages are cooked by the smoking and curing process, they are stored at cold temperatures, and can be cooked in an air fryer to heat up.

I have used Spanish Chorizos. I wanted them heated as hot finger food. As you can see these are hard and dry, (cured) and do not need full cooking. I did confirm with my butcher as they were sold lose and had no packaging. However following the food safety rule of heating food, I am going to follow the internal temperature test of 165 F or at least 71 C. This same rule applies to raw sausages as well.

How to make smoked sausage in air fryer

1. Cut the sausages into slices of about 1 inch thickness.

2. Arrange sliced sausages in one layer of your air fryer basket. There is no need to pre-heat the air fryer. Spread them around, so there is some gap between them.

• If the air fryer basket is too small, air fry in multiple batches.
• Air Fry for 360 F / 180 C for 8 to 10 minutes. At around half way point (5 minutes) pull out the basket, shake the sliced sausages around and continue air frying for the remaining 3-5 minutes.
• Using a meat thermometer, check that the temperature has reached 165 F

• Serve with tooth picks for grease-free handling.
• Add a side of our easy Homemade No-Cook BBQ Sauce, sauerkraut, and mustard.

How to prevent air fryers from smoking?

Air fryers have a heating element and a fan at the top. The downward facing fan forces hot air which circulates through the air fryer basket. If there is grease accumulated at the bottom of the air fryer bowl, it will heat up and start smoking at a certain temperature. This smoke is then sent out through the air fryer exhaust vent, thus fogging up your kitchen. There are a few things you can do to prevent this. 

1. Clean out the grease: Remove the air fryer bowl, and take out all the layers inside. Pour out the grease in your trash can (please do not pour grease down the kitchen sink). With a kitchen towel, wipe down the air fryer bowl, and clean other parts. If you have time, wash the air fryer basket and bowl with soap and warm water and wiped clean. 
2. Soak grease with bread slices: If you do not have time to clean the fat, just remove the air fryer basket, and place one layer of bread slices over the fat in the air fryer bowl. The bread will soak up all the fat and have less oil available to smoke up. 
3. Kitchen Exhaust: Keep the kitchen exhaust on high, and place the air fryer closer to the exhaust (away from the gas stove heating elements). The kitchen exhaust can absorb some of that smoke and circulate that away. Although somewhat helpful, this method is not as efficient as the first one.

How long does it take to cook smoked sausage in an air fryer?

You will need to air fry sausages for about 8-10 minutes. Just shake the basket once half way through (at 4-5 minutes) to move the pieces around, and continue cooking.

What temperature do you smoke sausage in an airfryer?

Air Fry at 350 F / 180 C. You do not need to pre-heat your air fryer. Can you cook frozen smoked sausage in air fryer?

You will need to cook frozen sausages for longer than thawed sausages. Air Fry them for 12-15 minutes, and check internal temperature with a meant thermometer. This will be the same for cooking Italian sausage in air fryer, since it is fresh and not cooked.

What to serve with smoked sausages?

Here are some suggestions

• BBQ Sauce, Ketchup, Cheesy dips, Sour Cream or your favorite dip
• Roast Potatoes
• Hot Dog Buns, Mustard, and Sauerkraut
• Green Salad
• Air Fryer Vegetables
• Air Fryer Smoked Sausage and Vegetables

How do you store smoked sausages?

These sausages can stay for 3-4 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.

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Disclaimer:

Information given here is for general purposes only. Please check with your doctor particular ingredient or way of eating is suitable for you. Our nutritional values are calculated by Spooncular API. While we try our best to ensure these values are correct, please confirm these independently.