Do you need to precook sausage before putting it on your Pizza?

[husker3in4]

I want to start adding other toppings besides pepperoni. My question is do I need to precook the sausage before topping it on my pizza? Or just break off raw chunks and put them on the raw pizza, and it will cook in the oven with the pizza?

I really like Papa John's regular sausage. I am not a fan of italian sausage, but the regular pork sausage PJ's uses is flavorful and sweet at the same time. Any idea what brand they use?

[Fio]

My opinion:

Yes, you should par cook your sausage if you are making a flat pizza that will cook in 10 minutes or less.  If you are making a Chicago-style pizza that will be in the oven for 20 minutes or more, you can put it on raw if it is on top of the pie and if it is broken into small pieces.  Even then, you can par cook it, crumble it and it will be easier to handle and will not be over cooked.

Pepperoni and other cured sausages are not par-cooked because they are so thin.  But if you want you can nuke them on paper towels for 20 seconds to leach out some of the grease, if you want.

[ELeight]

I have experimented with using raw sausage on pies made in my home oven @550 degrees for around 7 minutes.  The results seem quite good to me.  I use grocery store italian sausage in casings and just squish out bits of the ground meat from the casings and put them on the pie.  The meat seems to be cooked through with no problem.  For safe pork I think the critical temperature to reach is 137degrees which will kill trichonosis.  With this time and temperature I don't see how this would not be reached unless the meat was in really big pieces, partially frozen or insulated really well by some other topping.  There is the grease given off by the sausage this way but using a light hand with the meat seems to be acceptable to me.  But I like fat!  My favorite all-time pie is purple onion and sausage like this. 

Just my two cents,

Erik

[OZZIEPIE]

never done this,as sausage realises alot of fatty oils=flavour onto your dough...speaking on a commercial basis..your oven at home may be not up to the task of perfect cooking..

[DNA Dan]

I do this all the time. The suggestions by Fio are a good rule of thumb. If I might add, what I usually do is sort of flatten out my sausage out of the casing so it's thin on the pizza, something like a coin.  Where you run into problems with this is when you have a thick piece which is cooked on the outside but raw in the middle. You won't know it until biting into it.

Also, any raw meats I ALWAYS put on the pizza LAST. This way they get direct heat on them from the oven. No matter how long you cook your pizza, I would definitely NOT put raw meats down first. It's just too risky.

[Buffalo]

In Lou Malnati's deep dish; he puts the cheese down first and then covers the cheese entirely with RAW sausage, then puts the other items on top of the sausage.  He then places it in the oven and cooks it........I would think the sausage is completely cooked
Buffalo

[DNA Dan]

That pizza must be cooked for a long time. I just don't think it's good practice considering the kinds of critters you can get from uncooked pork or beef.

I wasn't saying it won't ever cook if you lay it down first. As most things, this needs to be tested with the cooking time and adjusted appropriately. I personally just don't think it's good practice. Especially if you load the pizza up with toppings or water rich vegetables. The cooking time will vary and give you inconsistent temperature killing.

[Peggy Fair]

I just started making my own pizza and I buy sweet Italian sausage and add anise spice to it and cook it just enough to brown it, then I put it on the pizza and it comes out great.

[anthony2173]

I have been laying small pieces of raw sausage right on top of the pizza. I think the flavor and texture of the sausage are much better if cooked while baking. I do have a large stone below and above the pizza.

I think the radiant heat from the upper stone does aid in cooking the toppings but I have never tried it any other way so I can't be certain.

[Park.Pizza]

I par cook thumb sized fresh pork sausage with a little Classico  olive oil, basil, fennel seed, and sea salt. Just to the point where there is no pink meat left. But don't let it dry out by over cooking it. I take it out of the pan and place it on some paper towel. After cooling a bit, I put it in freezer zip lock bag. Then I throw it in the freezer until I need it.

Yes, I've put frozen sausage on my pizza.  I have a Bakers Pride P18S and cook at 575°.  6-8 minutes to cook a New York pizza and the sausage is hot and tasty.