Cast-Iron Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions
Brown raw Italian sausage in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium coals or a medium camp stove flame, then cook sliced peppers and onions in the drippings. Tuck the sausages back in, add a splash of water, cover and steam until they hit 160°F. Total time is about 40 minutes.
Three ingredients and one pan. The sausage gives up its own fat and seasoning, so the peppers and onions cook in the drippings and need almost nothing else.
It's a good first-night dinner, when the cooler is still cold and the raw sausage is safe to cook. Eat it straight from the skillet with a fork, or pile it on whatever bread you have.
Cast-Iron Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Heat
- Medium coals or medium stove flame
- Pack weight
- 3.5 lb
- Campfire
- Camp stove
- Backpacking
- Cooler required
- One burner
- Low water
- A few dishes
- Prep ahead
Ingredients
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Gear you'll need
- 12-inch cast-iron skillet
- lid or heavy-duty foil
- tongs
- cutting board and knife
- instant-read thermometer
- heat-proof glove
Steps
-
Prep the vegetables
Slice the peppers and onions on a clean cutting board. Keep the raw sausage in the cooler until the pan is hot, and wash your hands and the board after touching it.
-
Heat the skillet
Set a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium coals or a medium stove flame. Add 1 Tbsp of the oil and let it heat for 2 minutes.
-
Brown the sausages
Add the sausages in a single layer. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, turning every couple of minutes, until browned on all sides. They won't be cooked through yet.
-
Cook the vegetables
Push the sausages to the edge of the pan. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp oil, the peppers and the onions, and season with salt and pepper. Stir often for 8 to 10 minutes, scraping up the browned bits, until the onions soften.
-
Steam to done
Nestle the sausages back into the vegetables and pour in the water. Cover with a lid or heavy foil and cook 8 to 10 minutes.
-
Check the temperature
Push an instant-read thermometer into the thickest sausage. It must read 160°F. If not, re-cover and cook 3 minutes more, then check again.
-
Rest and serve
Pull the pan off the heat and let it sit 3 minutes. Taste the vegetables, add salt if needed, and serve from the skillet.
Trail Notes
Slice the peppers and onions at home and pack them in a zip bag in the cooler. They keep for 2 days and save you camp prep.
Keep raw sausage at 40°F or below until you cook it, in a sealed bag on the coldest part of the cooler. Cook it the first or second night, and don't let leftovers sit out more than 2 hours.
Swap in fully cooked smoked sausage. Brown it and heat it through in the same way. The vegetables still need the full cooking time, so shorten the steam step to 3 minutes.
Wipe grease from the pan with a paper towel and pack it out. Strain dishwater through a mesh strainer, pack out the food bits, and scatter the water at least 200 feet from streams, lakes and camp.
Campers ask
What internal temperature should Italian sausage reach?
Raw pork sausage is done at 160°F in the thickest part. Check it with an instant-read thermometer rather than going by color.
Can I cook sausage and peppers over a campfire?
Yes. Cook over medium coals instead of open flames, which flare up from the sausage fat. Rotate the skillet if one side runs hotter.
How do I keep the sausage from splitting in the pan?
Use medium heat, not high, and turn the links gently with tongs. Don't poke them with a fork, which lets the juices run out.
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