How to Oven Cook Sausages

Prepping the Sausages

Pull the sausages out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking and cut them at the link if they’re still attached. About 20 minutes before you plan to put them in the oven, take the sausages out of the fridge and set them on the counter. This will take the chill off of them so that they cook more evenly. If the sausages are still linked together, they won't be spaced apart properly and won't cook as evenly as they should. Use scissors to cut them all apart at the links.

Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C). If your oven takes a long time to heat up, you may want to turn it on before pulling the sausages out of the fridge.

Line a baking pan with a piece of foil and place a wire rack on top of the pan to cut down on grease. Cut a piece of aluminum foil that’s a little longer than the baking pan you want to use. Wrap the ends of the foil over the edges of the pan so that it’s loosely gripping the pan. Adding foil will make for easier cleanup and will ensure the sausages don't stick to the pan. If you want your sausages to be less greasy, put a wire rack on top of the pan. It should be a rack that fits securely inside the pan and won’t slide around when you’re handling the pan. Using a rack will allow the excess grease to drip away from the sausages rather than let the meat cook in the grease.

Spread the sausages evenly across the pan. Place the sausages on the pan, spacing them evenly apart. Try to allow about 2 inches (5.1 cm) between them in case one rolls while it’s baking.

Baking the Sausages

Cook the sausages in the oven for 20 minutes. Place the sausages in the oven on the middle rack. Cook them for about 20 minutes if they are of average size. Make sure you roast raw sausages whole. You can, however, cut up smoked sausage before putting it in your oven to shorten your cook time.

Turn the sausages halfway through the cooking time. After 10 minutes, slide the oven rack out and use a fork to turn the sausages. Rotate each one until the side that was facing up is now facing down.

Cook larger or thicker sausages for 40 minutes. Twenty minutes may not be enough to cook sausages that are particularly large or thick. If you're cooking your sausages for 40 minutes, then turn them after 20 minutes of baking.

Make a small cut into one sausage to test it. After 20 minutes (or 40 minutes for larger sausages), pull the pan out of the oven and set it on the stovetop. Hold the sausage still with a fork and cut into it about halfway down with a sharp knife. Cut only deep enough to see the color in the middle of the sausage.

Add 10 minutes if the inside is still pink. The sausage should be brown all the way through. If it’s still pink in the center, stick the pan back in the oven for 10 additional minutes.

Test another sausage and add more time if necessary. Choose another sausage and make another small cut in the middle. If the center is still pink, continue adding five-minute increments until you see that the sausages are brown in the middle.

Use a meat thermometer if you’re concerned about meat safety. If you want to be sure the sausages are safe to eat, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. Push the thermometer into the center of one of the sausages and check to see if the temperature rises to 160 °F (71 °C) or higher. If the temperature is too low, add five to ten minutes of cook time until the sausages reach 160 °F (71 °C).