To keep sausage moist when cooking it, cook the sausage gently using the simmer and sear method and poach the sausage in simmering water, broth or beer until they are cooked through, then you can quickly sear them in a hot skillet or on a grill until the casing is crisp and are browned beautifully.
For the gentle poach, place the sausage in a skillet and then add just enough liquid, like water, beer or broth to cover the sausage halfway.
Then bring this liquid to a gentle simmer of around 160 F to 190 F and allow your sausage to cook covered for 6 minutes to 10 minutes.
This will cook the inside of the sausage gently without rendering out too much of the fat.
Once the sausages are done, remove the sausages from the liquid and then pat the sausages completely dry using a paper towel.
Removing the excess moisture from your sausage is essential to get that crispy skin on the sausage.
For the crispy sear of the sausage, add a light drizzle of oil or a pat of butter to a clean skillet over medium-high heat.
Then add your sausages and sear them, rolling the sausages frequently with tongs until the sausages are deeply browned and caramelized on the outside, which takes around 3 minutes to 5 minutes.
Allow the sausages to rest.
Remove the sausages from the pan and allow the sausages to rest for 3 minutes to 5 minutes before slicing them.
Resting the sausages gives the meat of the sausage enough time to reabsorb any juices that were rendered.
To ensure that the sausages lock in the moisture, monitor the temperature, avoid the prick and cook the sausages low and slow.
Overcooking the sausage is the #1 main cause of dry sausage.
Pull the sausage from the heat when the sausage reaches an internal temperature of 145 F to 150 F, as the residual heat will carry the sausages to a safe and perfectly juicy 160 F while they rest.
And never poke the sausages with a fork as puncturing the casing of the sausage releases the flavorful, molten fat to liquefy and burst out of the sausage casing too rapidly.
When cooking your sausage on the grill, cook the sausage over moderate heat.