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Slow Cooker Sausage with Sriracha Honey Glaze

Pork sausage links are seared, cooked low and slow, then coated in a sticky glaze made by reducing the cooking juices with honey and sriracha. The slow cooker does the hands-off work, and a quick saucepan finish gives the glaze its shine.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 380
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • For the sausages
  • 6 fresh raw pork sausage links, about 4 oz (113 g) each, 1 1/2 lb (680 g) in total
  • 1 tbsp 15 ml neutral oil, for searing
  • 1 large yellow onion about 200 g, sliced into half-moons
  • 1/4 cup 60 ml chicken stock or water
  • For the sriracha honey glaze
  • 1/3 cup 113 g honey
  • 3 tbsp 45 ml sriracha
  • 1 tbsp 15 ml soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp 15 ml rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • To finish
  • 2 tbsp 12 g sliced green onions
  • 1 tsp 3 g sesame seeds, optional

Method
 

  1. Sear the sausages (6 to 8 minutes). Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the links in a single layer and turn them every minute or two. They should sizzle steadily and turn a deep golden brown on most sides. They don’t need to be cooked through.
  2. Layer the slow cooker. Spread the onion slices on the bottom of the slow cooker, pour in the stock, and lay the seared sausages on top.
  3. Mix the glaze. In a bowl, whisk the honey, sriracha, soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic. Pour about two thirds of it over the sausages and save the rest in the refrigerator for the finish.
  4. Cook on low (about 3 hours). Cover and cook on low. Start checking at 3 hours with an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of one link. Raw pork sausage is safe at 71°C (160°F). Thick links may need up to 4 hours. I haven’t tested every slow cooker, which run hotter or cooler, so trust the thermometer over the clock.
  5. Reduce the glaze (about 8 minutes). Move the sausages to a plate. Strain the juices into a saucepan, skim off the fat, and add the reserved glaze. Boil gently over medium heat until the sauce looks glossy and coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it holds for a second or two.
  6. Coat the sausages (2 to 3 minutes). Return the sausages to the skillet or saucepan and turn them in the glaze over medium heat until they look shiny and sticky. For a lightly charred finish, put them under a hot broiler for 3 minutes, watching closely, since honey burns fast.
  7. Serve. Spoon any remaining glaze over the top, then sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds.