What Is Difference Betweem Smoked Sausage & Italian Sausage?

Italian sausage stars in several regional favorites from Italy.

If you've ever perused the meat counter in your local grocery store trying to decide on which sausage to buy, you likely encountered several different labels that might have confused you. There is good reason for the many options available. Sausages vary from how they are cooked to how they are spiced, what purpose they serve and their regional origin. What type of sausage it is also indicates whether you have to cook it prior to eating. Does this Spark an idea?

Print this article

Cooked vs. Raw
- Sausage requires special handling due to its pork content. Partially cooking any pork product could result in the dangerous growth of bacteria. As the name would suggest, smoked sausage has been smoked in its preparation. Generally you need only to heat up this sausage when adding it to your meal. Italian sausage, on the other hand, is raw pork sausage in a casing. In order to safely eat this type of sausage, you need to cook it completely before you serve it.
Convenience
- Because it is already smoked, smoked sausages do not take as much time when preparing it for a meal. This can make it a more convenient alternative than Italian sausage, which will have to be cooked fully. When using Italian sausage for pizza, especially, take the additional time into consideration. Break up the sausage into smaller pieces before you add it raw on top of your pizza, so it will have the chance cook thoroughly prior to serving.
Spices
- Italian sausage is especially spiced for Italian cooking. Flavoring includes fennel seeds and garlic. It generally comes in sweet or mild flavors, and hot Italian sausage includes chilies. Whether you choose this sausage depends on the recipe in which it will be used. On the other hand, smoked sausage refers to its cooking process, and can include several types of sausage, such as Polish kielbasa (Polish sausage) and bratwurst.
Variety
- Unlike Italian sausage, which is rather limited in its variety, smoked sausage is often made available with more exotic flavoring. Not only are spices more varied but other ingredients like cheese may be included. There are also other types of meats that may be used in smoked sausage, such as turkey or chicken, which provides a leaner alternative to the heavier, fattier pork traditionally used in Italian sausage.