Hopefully not a stupid question about sausage...

[ol sparky]

So here is a question I ask mostly out of curiousity but also wondering if I am doing something wrong.

I bought some fresh sausage Friday and smoked it for about 5 hours starting this morning. I have done many brisket and chicken/turkey smokes but this was my first sausage.

I started it at about 150 deg. and bumped to 170 after an hour then 215 after a couple hours for the final 3 hours. Those temps came from mis-reading cured vs fresh instructions and bumped it up after realizing I had fresh and needed to hot smoke.

When I pulled it out it was a darkish brown. Now I noted on here that many said to put it in an ice bath to stop the cooking process so I did that.

I put it in an electric cooler that I have that will both heat or cool on the heat setting to keep the meats warm for a couple hours.

When I served it the color was still a darkish brown.... not that I expected a color shift or anything.

So to my question. Whenever I am served smoked sausages or buy it in the store the color is a pretty nice deep red. In fact I bought some of the same sausage I bought fresh, but was cooked and it was that color too. How is that achieved?

Thanks.

 

[pineywoods]

What temp did you smoke the sausage at and was it cured?

 

[ol sparky]

I realized I should have put that info in and editted the above post. I should also add that it tasted fantastic so I am not dissapointed just wondering...

 

[pineywoods]

I would guess that if it was sold as "fresh sausage" it did not have cure added and should not be cold smoked. The cure allows the meat to remain in the "danger zone" where bacteria and stuff can multiply and become a problem. Another thing that the cure does is give it that color that you are talking about.

 

[pops6927]

Probably had some cure in it, that's what gives all cured meat that nice pink tint.

 

[ol sparky]

Ok, yeah next time hot smoke all the way and good to know I didnt do something wrong there it just wasnt cured.

 

[pineywoods]

Yea if it isn't cured throw it in a smoker running about 200-225 with a probe in one link and when it hits 155-160 start checking the others and you should have some good eating I don't have my notes in front of me but I think it usually takes about 2 hours give or take for me to hot smoke them. They are still pretty dang tasty even without the color of the cured ones

 

[scpatterson]

Only stupid question is the one not asked....