How to Make Sausage with Coca Cola

Co-authored by Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: December 18, 2020 References Tested

If you love the mix of salty and sweet flavors, heat sausages in Coca-Cola. The soda sweetens the sausages and makes a thick, syrupy sauce that coats the meat. You can cook them on the stove, in the oven, or in the crockpot. Then, decide if you'll serve the sausages with Coca-Cola as an appetizer or if you want to round out the meal with sides like veggies or rice.

Ingredients

Stovetop Kielbasa with Coca-Cola

³⁄₄ pound (340 g) of cooked kielbasa
³⁄₄ cup (180 ml) of Coca-Cola
1 cup (200 g) of brown sugar

Makes about 4 servings

Crockpot Cocktail Wieners with Coca-Cola

2 12-ounce (340 g) packages of cooked cocktail wieners
1 18-ounce (510 g) bottle of barbecue sauce
³⁄₄ cup (180 ml) of Coca-Cola

Makes 4 to 8 servings

Braised Sausages with Coca-Cola Onions

1 tablespoon (15 ml) of extra-virgin olive oil
2 sweet onions, sliced thin
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup (240 ml) of Coca-Cola
2 tablespoons (24 g) of honey
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
4 to 8 cooked sausages like smoked chicken sausages or kielbasa

Makes 4 to 8 servings

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:
Making Kielbasa with Coca-Cola on the Stove

1
Cut ³⁄₄ pound (340 g) of cooked kielbasa into ¹⁄₂ in (1.3 cm) thick slices. Get out a package of cooked kielbasa and put the sausages on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to carefully cut each link into ¹⁄₂ inch (1.3 cm) thick circles.^{[1]
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- Feel free to use any type of cooked sausage for this recipe. Try smoked chicken sausage or smoked turkey sausage, for instance.
2
Heat the sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Put the sausage slices into a skillet and set it on the stove. Turn the burner to medium-high and leave the sausages alone for a few minutes. Once you hear sizzling, stir the meat with a spoon or spatula so they brown on both sides.^{[2]
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- Browning the kielbasa gives the meat a rich, caramelized flavor.
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3
Stir in Coca-Cola and brown sugar and bring it to a boil. Pour in ³⁄₄ cup (180 ml) of Coca-Cola and add 1 cup (200 g) of brown sugar. Stir until the brown sugar dissolves and the Coca-Cola begins to boil.^{[3]
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- Don't use Diet Coke for this recipe, since the sweeteners can become bitter when you heat them.
4
Simmer the sausages over medium-low heat until the liquid becomes syrupy. Turn the burner down so the Coca-Cola bubbles gently and keep the lid off of the skillet. This lets moisture evaporate so the liquid turns into a syrup. Stir the sausages occasionally as they simmer. It should take between 10 minutes and 40 minutes for the syrup to thicken and coat the sausages.^{[4]
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5
Cool the sausages for 10 minutes before you serve them. Turn off the burner and leave the sausages to cool in the syrup for 10 minutes so the hot syrup doesn't burn you. Then, spoon the sausages with the syrup into a serving dish. Set out cocktail skewers if you're serving the kielbasa as an appetizer or serve the meat with steamed rice and veggies for a complete meal.^{[5]
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- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:
Crockpot Cocktail Wieners with Coca-Cola

1
Put 2 packages of cooked cocktail wieners into a crockpot. Open a couple of 12-ounce (340 g) sausage packages and dump the wieners right into your crockpot. If you want to save time cleaning up, put a crockpot liner in before you add the sausages.^{[6]
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- This recipe works with any type of cooked cocktail wiener, like beef, pork, or turkey.
2
Mix 1 bottle of barbecue sauce with Coca-Cola in a bowl. Squirt a whole 18-ounce (510 g) bottle of barbecue sauce into a mixing bowl and pour in ³⁄₄ cup (180 ml) of Coca-Cola. Stir slowly to dissolve the barbecue sauce in the soda.^{[7]
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- If you stir quickly, the Coca-Cola will fizz a lot, which makes it harder to see if you've dissolved the sauce.
3
Pour the mixture onto the sausages and stir them well. Once you've poured the barbecue-cola mixture into the crockpot, stir the sausages so they're coated. Then, put the lid on the crockpot.
4
Cook the sausages on "High" for 2 hours. Stir the sausages a few times while they're cooking so they all absorb the sauce. Heat them until the sauce thickens and the sausages are hot throughout. Then, set out cocktail skewers and let your guests help themselves!^{[8]
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- If you want them to take longer to cook, turn your crockpot to "Low" and heat them for 4 hours.
- To store leftovers, cool the sausages to room temperature in the crockpot. Then, refrigerate them in the crockpot or another airtight container for up to 4 days.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:
Braising Sausage with Coca-Cola Onions

1
Preheat the oven to 375 °F (191 °C) and heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Set a dutch oven or large pot on the stove and pour in 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of extra-virgin olive oil. Turn the burner to medium and heat the oil for about 1 minute.^{[9]
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- The oil should shimmer once it's hot.
- Use a pot that's oven-safe since you'll be transferring it to the oven later.
2
Cut 2 sweet onions into ¹⁄₄ in (0.64 cm) thick slices and add them to the pot. Peel 2 big sweet onions or Vidalia onions and carefully cut them as thin as you can. Then, scoop up the slices and put them in the pot with the olive oil.^{[10]
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- If it's tricky for you to slice the onions thinly, use a mandoline to make quick, even slices.
3
Cook the onions in the skillet until they soften. Stir the onions frequently and cook them over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Sauté them until they become translucent and tender.^{[11]
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- If you forget to stir the onions, they may stick to the bottom of the pot.
4
Stir Coca-Cola, honey, and thyme into the onions. Pour in 1 cup (240 ml) of Coca-Cola and mix in 2 tablespoons (24 g) of honey along with 4 sprigs of fresh thyme. The honey and thyme add extra sweetness and deeper flavor to the onions.^{[12]
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- If you don't have fresh thyme, substitute 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 g) of dried thyme or leave it out altogether.
5
Sauté the onion mixture for 5 minutes. Keep the lid off of the pot so some of the Coca-Cola evaporates and stir the onions occasionally. Cook the onions until they soften even more and soak up some of the Coca-Cola. Then, turn off the burner.^{[13]
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6
Lay 4 to 8 cooked sausages on the onions and transfer the pot to the oven. Get out a package of cooked sausages. If they're large, lay 4 of them on the onions in the pot. If you're using small, thin sausages, place up to 8 on the onions. Then, set the lid on the pot and put it in the preheated oven.^{[14]
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- Use any type of cooked sausage you like. For example, you could use smoked beef sausage, pork sausage, or turkey sausage.
7
Bake the covered sausages and onions for 20 to 25 minutes. Cook the Coca-Cola sausages and onions until the sausages are hot throughout and the onions caramelize in the pot. Then, serve the meal with crusty bread, mashed potatoes, or roasted sweet potatoes.^{[15]
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- Put the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate them for up to 4 days.
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