This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
If you want perfectly cooked sausage every time, this Beer Braised Sausages on the Big Green Egg recipe is the move. Grilling sausages straight over the fire sounds simple, but it is also the fastest way to end up with split casings, uneven cooking, and dry sausage. Braising first changes everything.
By gently cooking the sausages in a flavorful beer bath with onions and stone ground mustard, they stay juicy and cook evenly from the inside out. A quick finish over direct heat gives them that perfect char, smoky flavor, and satisfying snap when you bite in. Whether you are cooking bratwurst, Italian sausage, wild boar sausage, or your local butcher’s best links, this Big Green Egg method flat-out works.
Table of Contents
Get My NEW Book
The Ultimate Big Green Egg Cookbook
Choosing Your Sausages
The beauty of this recipe is that it works with just about any fresh sausage you love. Bratwurst is the obvious choice and works incredibly well here. Italian sausage, cheddar brats, spicy jalapeño sausage, kielbasa-style links, or other fresh butcher sausages are also great options.
The key is choosing raw fresh sausage links, not fully cooked sausages. The beer braising method gently cooks them through while keeping them juicy, then the final sear over direct heat gives you that perfect charred exterior.
If you are feeding a crowd, mix a few different varieties to keep things interesting. Mild and spicy combinations always play well together.
Big Green Egg Setup and Preheating
Set up your Big Green Egg for direct cooking and preheat the dome temperature to 350°F. This cook uses a simple two-step method that delivers juicy sausages every time. First, you braise the sausages in beer. Then, you finish them over direct heat for color and snap. No fancy setup needed here. Just a steady fire and a grill-safe disposable aluminum pan.
Braising the Sausages
In a disposable aluminum pan, combine 3 session IPAs, 1 sliced yellow onion, and 2 tablespoons of stone ground mustard. Add the raw sausage links directly to the beer mixture and place the pan on the cooking grate over the lit coals.
The gentle beer braise cooks the sausages evenly from the inside out. This helps keep them juicy and prevents split casings during the final sear. Let the sausages braise until they reach about 135°F internal temperature. This usually takes around 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the links. If you are serving these with BBQ red cabbage, now is a great time to get that cooking alongside the sausages.
Finishing the Sausages Over Direct Heat
Once the sausages reach 135°F internal temperature, carefully remove them from the beer braise and place them directly on the grill grate over the fire. At this point, the sausages are mostly cooked through. Now you are just building color, texture, and that perfect grilled finish.
Grill the sausages for a few minutes per side, turning as needed, until the casings are nicely browned and lightly charred. Cook until the internal temperature reaches your target doneness and the sausages have that beautiful snap when you bite into them.
Finishing and Serving Suggestions
Serve these beer braised sausages hot off the Big Green Egg with plenty of stone ground mustard on the side. For a full meal, pair them with BBQ red cabbage, grilled vegetables, roasted potatoes, or toasted buns if you want to go the brat route.
The beauty of this method is the texture. The beer braise keeps the sausages juicy, while the final sear gives you that smoky char and satisfying snap.
Whether you are cooking bratwurst, spicy sausage, or your favorite butcher links, this is one of the most reliable ways to cook sausage on the Big Green Egg. Fair warning: one sausage probably will not be enough.
Beer Braised Sausages on the Big Green Egg
Equipment
- aluminum pan
Ingredients
For the Sausages:
- 8 fresh bratwurst or fresh pork sausage links
- 3 session IPA beers, 12 ounces each
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 2 tbsp stone ground mustard
For Serving:
- Stone ground mustard
- BBQ red cabbage
- Grilled vegetables
- Toasted buns
Instructions
- Set up your Big Green Egg for direct cooking. Preheat the dome temperature to 350°F.
- Slice the yellow onion.
- Place a disposable aluminum pan directly on the cooking grate.
- Add the beers to the pan. Add the sliced onion. Add the stone ground mustard. Stir to combine.
- Add the raw sausage links to the beer mixture.
- Let the sausages gently braise over direct heat.
- If serving BBQ red cabbage, start cooking it alongside the sausages now.
- Monitor the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer.
- Once the sausages reach 135°F internal temperature, remove them from the beer braise.
- Place the sausages directly on the grill grate over the fire.
- Grill for a few minutes per side, turning as needed.
- Continue cooking until the sausages reach 160°F internal temperature.
- Remove from the Big Green Egg.
- Serve hot with stone ground mustard.
- Add BBQ red cabbage, grilled vegetables, or toasted buns if desired.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
1 Question… What’s your address?!?! I know who’s Superbowl party I’m going to!!
Your spreads are incredible. And, I had never heard of flattop grilling until I saw you do it.
By the way you – your Instagram & Twitter pages should be banned as porn! Incredible porn! Some of the best food channels I’ve seen!
Keep up the good work guys!
Now that is the kind of comment I can endorse! Thanks for the kind words and you are welcome here any time!