53
votes
Accepted
Flammable gas emitted by sausage
Cured meat should not be emitting methane- or any other flammable gas. That would be an indicator of advanced spoilage and you would notice the smell.
A more likely culprit, in my opinion, would be ...
- 47.5k
14
votes
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What is a non-pork substitute for Italian sausage?
By "Italian Sausage" I think you mean the seasoned pork sausage available in many supermarkets throughout the US.
I've found that a 30-70 mix of beef and turkey/chicken works reasonably well as a ...
- 74.2k
12
votes
Accepted
Air bubbles in sausage
It is most likely just a void. It is hard to pack a casing 100%. There will be voids.
Could it be (toxic) bacterial gas? Maybe but not likely.
- 6,400
12
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Flammable gas emitted by sausage
It's spitting hot fat - still a liquid rather than a gas. This then touches the element and ignites. Sometimes more ignites than other times. You get the same effect when frying, even without added ...
- 43.1k
10
votes
How does the meat in Weisswurst get so white?
The real question should be "what makes sausages pink" - but more later.
All meat turns greyish-white or brown when cooked. This is due to the myoglobin, which makes raw meat look pink or red, being ...
- 57.8k
10
votes
Air bubbles in sausage
To avoid it, you'd need to pack them in a way that makes them more like hot dogs than sausages. Hot dogs are a smooth emulsion of (usually) reclaimed meat, fat and spices. Sausages are mince that's ...
- 4,084
10
votes
How acidic does a mixture have to be for milk to curdle?
Milk's natural pH is about 6.5, just slightly acidic. If it approaches a pH of 5.5, the casein proteins lose their negative charge and the micelles no longer repel each other, meaning they start to ...
- 859
9
votes
How acidic does a mixture have to be for milk to curdle?
This article by Bean Scene magazine describes an experiment they carried out to determine just that:
When we adjust the pH in smaller steps, we start to get a picture of the conditions that cause ...
- 11.7k
8
votes
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Are salamis/pepperonis in the USA truly fermented?
The short answer is yes, salumi produced in the US is a fermented product. The process is different from salumi produced in Europe, but it is still a fermented product. In the US, producers rely on ...
- 73.2k
7
votes
Do pickled sausages need to be refrigerated?
I have a jar of "Big John's" pickled sausages and right on the bottom it says "NEVER NEEDS REFRIGERATION"! They sit at stores and bars for for many days if not weeks and are sold by the sausage.
I ...
- 71
7
votes
Accepted
Should I pre-cook sausages before scrambling into eggs?
It takes more heat/time to safely cook sausage than it does to fully cook eggs. This would be especially true for omelettes, where the egg is in contact with the hot pan, and the filling only warms ...
- 1,729
7
votes
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Gritty White Globules in Precooked Grocery Store Sausage?
Largish white bits like that will be either fat, cartilage, or (other) connective tissue. Once cooked, if they can be squished apart with your fingers they're fat; if they're crunchy when you bite ...
- 26.1k
6
votes
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Why are Italian sausages so different from those in the UK?
I agree with your assessment of the sausages between the UK and Italy, getting decent sausages in the UK is harder, but not impossible. Commercial sausages in the UK tend to be very finely ground, and ...
- 74.2k
6
votes
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How To BBQ Sausages
Those are what you would refer to as "Hot Dogs" in American parlance.
They can be heated by any means you deem suitable, including boiling, microwaving, baking, frying etc. They do however need to be ...
- 13.3k
5
votes
Is there an edible, vegetarian substitute for sausage casings?
Your local asian supermarket might have vegetarian intestine, which is probably made from alginate. But if it's frankfurters/hot dogs you're trying to make, you don't actually need the casings to be ...
- 51
5
votes
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Skinless Sausages why they disintegrate?
They disintegrate simply because the skin of normal sausages is what holds them together, and that's not there. Cooking them in the oven using non-stick sheet (this is one brand but there are others) ...
- 43.1k
5
votes
Accepted
How do I reheat previously-cooked frozen sausage?
One option: reheat slowly in the microwave and until it is barely unfrozen enough to break apart. Then break it down into meal-sized portions, take the part you want for now and wrap the remaining ...
- 166
4
votes
When curing sausage, which is more important temperature or humidity?
I am using a frost-free freezer (large) and at the moment am drying 7kg. I have a temp controller which works perfectly, but as the weather changes I get a lot of variation. A humidistat controls a ...
- 41
4
votes
What is a non-pork substitute for Italian sausage?
If you have not already looked, check the vegetarian section of where-ever you get groceries. At least here in the USA there are several varieties of Italian "sausage" that are entirely meat free and ...
- 149
4
votes
Air bubbles in sausage
The casing on a fresh sausage needs to be left somewhat loose because the casing will contract when it's cooked. If it were stuffed as tightly as possible, it would be almost certain to split open in ...
- 3,221
4
votes
Accepted
How do you properly sear a sausage?
If you are frying sausages on a hot pan then it's very hard to brown them on all sides for a couple of reasons:
the curved shape will cause it to flop along the curve, they are hard to stand up
if ...
- 74.2k
4
votes
Why are Italian sausages so different from those in the UK?
Not true answer, but long for a comment:
In US, most sausages tend to be ground multiple times and a course grind in the US is what many others might call a fine grind, and I think most UK sausage ...
- 8,673
4
votes
How do I reheat previously-cooked frozen sausage?
I would do my best to break off a good-sized lump, and defrost that in the fridge (which might take a couple of days but the outer parts should be usable before that). Then plan on eating that over a ...
- 43.1k
4
votes
Why do Irish & British sausages have soft casings?
There are many potential variables here, particularly if the sausages are made with natural casings. More likely it has to do with the actual casing source. Casings from beef are different ...
- 1,554
4
votes
What would happen if I dehydrated fresh sausages for a couple hours?
You would potentially grow bacteria that would make you sick. The production of cured sausage has to follow a specific process that makes use of the correct balance of salt, water activity, and ...
- 73.2k
4
votes
Accepted
What is the milk in Bratwurst for?
None of the DIY-Bratwurst recipes I know over here (Germany) contains milk or cream (although in general we love milk and add it almost everywhere :-) ).
The general composition is always meat (lean + ...
4
votes
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Grainy Sausages, no idea why!
You can go a bit higher on your fat percent. Traditional recipes are up around 30%. No need for any binders...and no reason to go crazy on the ice. First, chilling and working with cold grinder ...
- 73.2k
3
votes
Accepted
Slicing bratwurst for quicker, more even grilling
Boil or steam them using beer (for a traditional flavor combination) or water before grilling. Grill for flavor, not as the sole means of heating them.
This is more about cooking faster (or more ...
- 15.1k
3
votes
Sausage discolouration - is it safe to eat?
My question is: what causes this discolouration
Many meats are dyed to make them look fresher. They add red, cause meat is red right? Well no. Most meat will "brown" or "gray" as it is exposed to ...
- 481
3
votes
Coating/skin on Quorn Sausage - is it edible?
They are edible I eat them all the time they are the same ones on the regular Quorn sausages.
I prefer to microwave mine though it keeps the skin on and cooks quicker, also it keeps in more of the ...
- 31
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