Former royal chef Darren McGrady, who served as head chef to Queen Elizabeth II, has shared his expert opinion on the best method for cooking sausages. His advice comes at the height of barbecue season, when many people choose to cook sausages outdoors rather than in the oven or air fryer.
Stove-Top Method Preferred Over High Heat
McGrady explained the problem with cooking sausages on a high heat barbecue: “When it comes to barbecues, sausages have the casing on them, which, if you put them at too high a temperature, the sausage skin can split. What happens then is that the sausage can get liquid inside them, so the juices start spitting out into the flames and you get the flare-ups. Again, don’t cook the sausages on a high heat.”
Instead, he recommends a simple stove-top technique using an ingredient everyone has at home. “The best way to cook sausages is on the stove with a little water in the pan, then let them cook and steam a little bit. The steam will help to cook the sausages a little bit. You then turn the grill down, get it down low, then cook the sausages and keep turning them. Put them to one side and let them finish cooking. That way, you get a beautiful sear and get that char all the way around them, but when you’ve got fatty food on there, you don’t want to get those flare-ups,” he said.
Insights on Queen Elizabeth II's Preferences
McGrady also shared memories of cooking for the late Queen. He revealed that one of her favourite desserts was a version of the viral Japanese ‘cheesecake’ made with Greek yoghurt and Biscoff biscuits. However, the Queen preferred a more elaborate recipe. “I'm sure you have seen all over TikTok, Instagram and Facebook the viral Japanese cheesecake with Greek yoghurt and Biscoff cookies. Well when I was at Buckingham Palace, I used to prepare a very similar dish that used ginger biscuits. This is probably one of my easiest recipes to prepare, but it was always served at the royal table. At Buckingham Palace, we'd often serve this dish called gingernut cream and the chefs loved to serve it, the Queen loved ordering it and loved eating it!” he said on his YouTube channel.
The Queen’s version included cream and whisky, and was served as a dessert rather than a breakfast dish.
