Blackstone Sausage Recipes

Sausage is one of the easier things to cook on a griddle because most of the seasoning is already done for you. You’re just managing heat and figuring out what to put next to it. This covers Italian, bratwurst, smoked, chorizo, andouille, breakfast sausage, and hot dogs — different types, different meals, all flat top.

1. Italian Sausage and Peppers

Sweet or hot Italian sausages — whole links — on the griddle over medium heat. They need about 15-20 minutes total, turning every few minutes, until the casing is browned all the way around and the inside is cooked through. Cut into one to check if you’re not sure. Unlike chicken or steak, you can’t really go by feel with a thick sausage.

While the sausages cook, slice bell peppers and onions into strips. Cook them on the other side of the griddle with a little olive oil, salt, pepper. They need about 10 minutes to soften and get some char on the edges.

Serve on hoagie rolls or over pasta. Or just on a plate — this works as a full dinner without the bread. The peppers and onions are sweet enough once they’re charred that you don’t really need a sauce.

2. Bratwurst with Beer-Caramelized Onions

The griddle handles brats differently than a grill. On a grill you get char lines. On the flat top you get an even brown crust across the whole surface, which is arguably better for brats because the casing crisps more evenly.

Slice two large onions thin. Cook them on the griddle with butter over medium heat. After a few minutes, pour about half a cup of beer over them — a lager or something light, not an IPA. The beer deglazes the surface and steams the onions. Keep cooking, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates and the onions are deep golden and sweet. This takes about 15 minutes.

Cook the brats alongside the onions. Medium heat, turning every few minutes, about 15-18 minutes total. The timing works out — the onions finish around the same time.

Brat in a bun, pile of beer onions on top, spicy brown mustard. Sauerkraut too if you’re into it.

3. Smoked Sausage and Potato Hash

Kielbasa or any smoked sausage sliced into coins or half-moons, cooked alongside cubed potatoes on the griddle. This is more of a one-surface meal than a sausage recipe — the potatoes are doing as much work as the sausage.

The potatoes take the longest, so start them first. Dice them small — about 1/2 inch. Toss with oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika. Spread in a single layer on the griddle over medium-high heat. Leave them alone for 4-5 minutes so the bottom gets crispy. Flip in sections, repeat. They need about 15 minutes total to get crispy on the outside and cooked through.

Add the sliced sausage for the last 5-6 minutes — it’s already cooked so you’re just getting a sear and heating it through. The rendered fat from the sausage soaks into the potatoes, which is a bonus.

Diced onions and peppers are good additions. An egg on top makes it breakfast.

4. Chorizo and Eggs

Squeeze raw Mexican chorizo out of the casing onto the griddle over medium heat. It crumbles as it cooks — break it up into small pieces and let it get crispy in spots. About 5-6 minutes.

The chorizo renders a lot of orange-red fat. You can drain some if you want, but leaving a little is what flavors the eggs. Crack eggs onto the griddle right next to the chorizo — scramble them or leave them whole, your call. If scrambling, mix the chorizo in once the eggs are almost set. The seasoned fat from the chorizo tints the eggs and flavors everything.

Warm flour tortillas on the griddle. Fill with the chorizo-egg mixture. Avocado, salsa, hot sauce, crumbled queso fresco if you have it.

If you can’t find Mexican chorizo, ground pork seasoned with paprika, cumin, chili powder, garlic, oregano, and a splash of vinegar gets you close.

5. Sausage Smash Burgers

Ground Italian sausage — sweet or hot — formed into loose balls and smashed flat on the griddle, same technique as a beef smash burger. The sausage is already seasoned so you don’t need to add anything before smashing.

The difference is the sausage has more fat and more flavor than plain ground beef, so the crust gets especially crispy and the edges lace up more aggressively. About 2-3 minutes on the first side, flip, add provolone or mozzarella, one more minute.

Serve on a toasted bun or Italian roll with marinara and sautéed peppers for an Italian sausage burger. Or go simpler — arugula, a little mayo, pickled peppers.

These also work well as sliders if you use smaller balls and slider buns.

6. Andouille with Cajun Vegetables

Andouille is smoked, spicy, and firm — it holds up well to being sliced and seared on a flat top. Cut it into coins at an angle for more surface area.

Cook the andouille slices on high heat for about 2 minutes per side until the cut surfaces are charred and the casing has some snap. Push to the side.

Dice bell peppers (the cajun trinity is green pepper, but any color works), onion, and celery. Cook on the griddle with oil and cajun seasoning — paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, thyme, black pepper. A few minutes until the vegetables are tender but still have some bite.

Toss the andouille back in with the vegetables. Serve over rice. It’s a simplified version of a cajun skillet situation without the roux or the 45-minute simmer. Not authentic jambalaya, but it scratches the same itch on a weeknight.

7. Breakfast Sausage Patties and Pancakes

The reason griddles exist. Sausage, pancakes, and eggs all at the same time on one surface — zone it out like a short-order cook.

Store-bought breakfast sausage patties or make your own from ground pork with sage, thyme, maple syrup, salt, pepper, a pinch of cayenne. Form into thin patties. They go on the griddle first over medium heat since they take the longest — about 4-5 minutes per side.

Pancake batter goes on a buttered section of the griddle at medium-low. Eggs go on last since they cook fastest. If you’re doing hash browns too, start those at the same time as the sausage and give them their own zone.

The sequencing is the only thing that requires thought. Once you figure out what goes on first and where, everything comes off at roughly the same time.

8. Hot Dog Burnt Ends

Hot dogs cut into bite-sized pieces, cooked on the griddle in a sticky sweet-and-savory glaze until the edges caramelize and char. These look nothing like a regular hot dog and people always want to know what they are.

Cut hot dogs into 1-inch pieces. Sear them cut-side down on a hot griddle — the flat cut surfaces get more browning than the rounded casing. About 2-3 minutes per side.

The glaze: butter, brown sugar, BBQ sauce, a splash of hot sauce. Add it to the griddle and toss the hot dog pieces in it. Keep tossing for another 2-3 minutes as the glaze reduces and gets sticky and coats everything.

Serve with toothpicks as an appetizer, or pile them on a plate as a snack. They’re sweet, salty, smoky, and sticky. Good game day food or something to throw on the griddle while you’re waiting for the main course to cook.

Sausage on the Griddle

Pre-cooked vs. raw matters. Smoked sausage, kielbasa, andouille, and hot dogs are already cooked — you’re just searing and heating. Italian sausage, brats, and raw chorizo need to cook through to a safe internal temp. Don’t treat them the same.

Medium heat for raw sausage links. High heat chars the casing before the inside is done. Give them time on medium with regular turning.

Let the fat work for you. Chorizo and Italian sausage render a lot of fat. Instead of wiping it away, cook your eggs, potatoes, or vegetables in it.