There is something mighty comforting about a slow cooker supper that asks so little of you and still comes out tasting like an old-fashioned family meal. These vintage summer links are the sort of practical dish many Midwestern home cooks have leaned on for years, using pantry staples and a bag of frozen sausage links to make a sweet-and-savory main dish with hardly any fuss. It is a fine choice for hot-weather cooking too, since the crock does the work without heating up the whole kitchen.
Serve these tender sausage links over mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or fluffy white rice to catch every bit of the sauce. They are also right at home beside green beans, sweet corn, a simple cucumber salad, or a scoop of creamy coleslaw. If you are feeding a hearty crowd, set out soft dinner rolls so folks can mop up the juices.
5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Vintage Summer Links
Servings: 6
Ingredients
1 bag frozen pork sausage links, about 24 to 28 ounces
1 cup ketchup
1 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
Directions
1. Place the frozen pork sausage links in the bottom of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, spreading them into an even layer as best you can.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the ketchup, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, and yellow mustard until smooth and well blended.
3. Pour the sauce over the sausage links, turning the links a little if needed so they are coated as evenly as possible.
4. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours, until the sausage links are cooked through and tender. Give everything a gentle stir once or twice during cooking if you are nearby.
5. Spoon the sausage links and sauce onto plates or a serving platter and serve hot with your favorite side dishes.
Variations & Tips
For a tangier sauce: Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or a spoonful of dill pickle juice to the sauce mixture. That little sharp note balances the sweetness and gives the dish an old supper-club feel.
For a sweeter vintage flavor: Stir in a tablespoon or two of grape jelly along with the other sauce ingredients. It melts right in and gives the links that classic party-sausage taste many of us remember from potlucks and church basements.
To stretch the meal: Tuck in sliced onions or green bell pepper before cooking, or serve the finished sausage over rice or noodles. It is an easy way to feed a few extra folks without much more expense.
Cooking tip: Since slow cookers can vary, always check that the sausage links are fully cooked before serving. If the sauce seems thinner than you like at the end, leave the lid off for 15 to 20 minutes on high so it can tighten up a bit.