Worried

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johnp

Newbie
Original poster
Jan 5, 2013
26
11
Louisiana,Livonia
I made some smoked sausage and I am worried that I dint let the cure sit enough.I used five pounds of meat to 1 tsp of #1 insta cure and I only let it mellow in the fridge for one hour.I then put it in the smoker for 3 hours at a temp 140 and pulled them at 120 and into a water bath and brought them to 145.

Did I let the cure set long enough?
 
When making sausage, it is necessary for the meat to sit with cure in it for 12 or 24 hours for the cure to work...(I can't remember) OR ascorbic acid can be added to speed up the curing process..... then there is no wait time.. I usually let ;meat sit for 24-48 hours... that's why I can't remember...
 
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Dave I guess it's ok I have eaten a fair amount already with no side effects.

Rgauthier I get it from our fields.
 
Dave I guess it's ok I have eaten a fair amount already with no side effects.

Rgauthier I get it from our fields.
I wonder how hard/costly it would be to send me some 
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Wow....sweet looking sausage....beautiful color. On the cure.....I've always understood the minimum time for the cure to work it;s magic through the whole 5 pounds was 4 hours. That being said, I personally usually let mine sit in the fridge overnight, then stuff and proceed. In reading your post I initially thought cure was borderline not needed...you got it up to 120 within three hours and then into a water bath to finish. My only concern was with the pork in there....I was always told 165 IT for any sausage using ground pork. Regardless, no ill effects is a good thing and I'm sure you're grilling or poaching them past the 165 mark before downing one......Just my 2 centavos, again....beautiful looking sausage and having sugar cane available outside your back door is awesome......Willie
 
I take two pieces of cane about six inches long and peel them then I lay them on my coals with the pecan wood for the first hour.The old timers in my family used cane and pecan exclusively when smoking bacon and andouille.It gives the meat a very unique flavor but not sweet as you would think.
 
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I'm with Chef Willie on this one... Boykjo, (sausage moderator) has told me 4 hrs for cure to do it's thing in ground meat... that sausage looks fantastic... good job ... Thumbs Up
 
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When making sausage, it is necessary for the meat to sit with cure in it for 12 or 24 hours for the cure to work...(I can't remember) OR ascorbic acid can be added to speed up the curing process..... then there is no wait time.. I usually let ;meat sit for 24-48 hours... that's why I can't remember...

I cant remember where the 4 hrs came from but from experience 4 hrs have been enough time. I was reading up on the 12 to 24 hrs and I thought they were talking about injected or brined whole meats at 12-24 hrs. I'll keep digging to find out where I found 4 hrs cure time for ground meat came from....... The older I get the more I forget......
 
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Contact time depends on.... size of meat chunks.... size of grinder plate.... holding temperature while cure etc. is applied to the meat......


http://www.meatsandsausages.com/sausage-making/curing/sausages

The dry method of curing is used to cure meat for sausages. Meat should be cut into smaller pieces, about 2 inches (5-6 cm) and not heavier than 0. 5 lb (250 g). Meat should be thoroughly mixed with salt, Cure #1 (salt, nitrite), sugar (if used) and packed tightly in a container, not higher than 8 inches (20 cm). Going higher increases pressure and slows down curing. Then the meat is covered with a clean cloth and stored in a refrigerator. There are chemical reactions taking place inside meat and the cloth allows the gases to evaporate through. It also prevents the surface of the meat from reacting with oxygen which sometimes creates gray color areas on the surface. This is normal, the meat is fine and there is nothing to worry about. The container does not need to be covered as there are not any unpleasant odors present.

The curing times at 40° F (4° C) (refrigerator temperature) are as follows:
•Meat pieces size 2” - 72 hours.
•Ground meat - 24 - 36 hours, depending on a plate size.



Alternative Curing Methods

Method 1. Grind each meat through a proper plate (as dictated by the recipe). The reason that we grind now and not cut meat into pieces for curing is that salt and sodium nitrite will penetrate a tiny piece of ground meat much faster than a 5 cm (2”) cube. Mix meat with salt and Cure #1. Pack tightly (to remove air) and separately, place each type of ground meat in a container and cover with a cloth to allow breathing. Let it “set” for 3-4 hours at room temperature 20-22°C (68-71°F). Chemical reactions proceed much faster at higher temperatures and so does curing. Add spices, mix all together and stuff casings.

Method 2. Grind each meat through a proper plate (as dictated by the recipe). Mix meat with salt, Cure #1 and other ingredients. Stuff sausages and place in a cooler for 12-24 hours before smoking. When removed from a cooler they have to be conditioned at room temperature for a few hours to remove moisture from the surface.

Method 3. Grind each meat through a proper plate (as dictated by the recipe). Mix meat with salt, Cure #1 and other ingredients. Stuff sausages and hang at room temperature for 2 hours. Transfer to a smokehouse.

When making less than 5 pounds of sausage it is perfectly acceptable to make curing a part of the mixing and conditioning process. This way the sausage is stuffed and ready to go into the smoker and all equipment can be washed and put away. When making large amounts of sausage, you may use a few pork butts or picnics and trimming this meat will take a while. Then you have to grind, mix, stuff and smoke sausages. This operation will take many hours. It is feasible to make sausages on two separate occasions:
1.The first day - meat selection and trimming. The skin and bones are removed, all sinews, gristle and glands are discarded. Meat is cut into small pieces, mixed with salt and nitrite and placed in a refrigerator for 24 hours. Except the knife no equipment was needed.
2.The second day - cured meat goes into the grinder and the sausage making process continues.
 
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I think that sausage looks great as well.  I dont know about the 4 hour cure time either.  I've always let my sausage with cure overnight and then stuff and smoke the next day.  I think that is the best route but that is my method. Reinhard
 
Hello John.  GREAT looking sausage.  BUT!! This just isn't fair.  You La. boys have andouille sausage, crawfish breeding wild in the ditches, home grown wild and white rice growing on your doorstep, file and polk salad growing wild, some of the best shrimp and crabs in the world, great music, a great tradition of cooking fine home made foods and now sugar cane for the smoker growing in your fields???  Just where do I go to complain??  
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  There MUST be some department who takes these complaints!  
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  Fine job!  Keep Smokin!


Danny
 
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