Cured Chicken sausage... how pink should it look?

[worktogthr]

This might be an impossible question to answer but I always like to ask for the sake of safety. I made a 2.5 pound batch of this recipe

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/248602/pepperoni

Only thing I did differently was used ground chicken thighs and half the ingredients and used 1/2 teaspoon of cure #1 since it was - 2.5 batch. Here's my process:

1.5 hours in the smoker to dry (100 degrees)
4 hours of hickory smoke at around 150 (IT at around 125-130 after this stage)
Finished in a water bath until IT was 165.
Hung to bloom for about an hour and a half.
Threw in the fridge overnight.


Cut into some this morning and it looked like this:

IMG_2897.JPG

• worktogthr
• Jan 21, 2017

IMG_2898.JPG

• worktogthr
• Jan 21, 2017

I tried a piece and it definitely had that familiar cured taste. Just looks more orange to me than pink like the other cured sausages I make. It could be the following factors:

1. Ingredients such as wine, paprika that are causing th more orange hue
2. Cured chicken may take on a slightly different t color?

I am not really sure so that's why I was wondering if anyone can advise me. Anyone have any pics of cured chicken sausage? Is it the abundance of reddish ingredients mixed with everything else that makes it appear more orange? Or am I crazy and does pepperoni just look orange? Hahah thanks all!

-Chris

 

[crankybuzzard]

You're correct with both 1 and 2.

If you used breast meat it would look a bit different that this.

Looks like it's a good sausage!

 

[worktogthr]

You're correct with both 1 and 2.

If you used breast meat it would look a bit different that this.

Looks like it's a good sausage!

Thanks so much for the reassurance Charlie (and the help along the way). It's definitely a tasty recipe, just wanted to make sure I'm not topping my pizzas with botulism haha. I'll post the process later on today!

-Chris

 

[crankybuzzard]

If you used cure and mixed it like you need to, then cooked it to greater that 160 (as stated), no critters survived.

Now, go make a pizza!

 

[driedstick]

looks awesome,, ya when I did my pepperoni snack sticks,, they were really orange even just using beef,, I think it is in the mix 

Nice snausages 

 

[SmokinAl]

Those are some good looking sausages Chris!

I don't think you should eat them.

I'll send you my address & I'll try them out for you!

Al

 

[worktogthr]

If you used cure and mixed it like you need to, then cooked it to greater that 160 (as stated), no critters survived.

Now, go make a pizza!

Thanks again! I'll be making pizza tomorrow if the weather cooperates

 

[worktogthr]

looks awesome,, ya when I did my pepperoni snack sticks,, they were really orange even just using beef,, I think it is in the mix 


Nice snausages 

Thanks so much! Made sense to me that all the reddish orange ingredients would lead to that kinda look.

 

[worktogthr]

Those are some good looking sausages Chris!

I don't think you should eat them.

I'll send you my address & I'll try them out for you!

Al

Hahaha thanks Al! Not sure if they would survive the trip with that warm weather you all have down there!

 

[BGKYSmoker]

no no no

dont eat it.

the color is not right so i will send you my addy so i can take care of the chicken sausage.

JK

Looks good.

 

[ray sauter]

Pepperoni is orange because of the Paprika that makes the spice mix. Think of this as colors. If you are using a white meat like chicken and you add Paprika to the mix which is a dark red then you are going to get an orange color when you grind, emulsify and cook the meat. One, its more for flavor but second the fat in your sausage carries the color you are seeing. Think of it as the red from the paprika ground with the fat is bleeding its color into the meat(protein). When its cooked they all marry together. 

Lets talk Cures. #1 is for quick curing, this means a fresh sausage that you plan to cook after making (short term). #2 is for DRY AGING. Dry aging is when you make a sausage with cure #2 and allow it to hang at about 60-65 Fahrenheit and proper humidity for 2-4 weeks depending on the thickness of your casings. THIS MEANS YOU ARE NOW TRYING TO MAKE SALAMI NOT SAUSAGE. 

I have never made DRY AGED chicken sausages, but plenty of Duck, Pork, Venison, Lamb and Beef. Chicken is a very lean meat which also carries Salmonella which is for the most part killed from the cooking process as long as you hit the right temp. In dry aging you are not cooking the meat but allowing it to basically dry out. With chicken that means go rancid. Mind you this is all happening at a low 60-65 Fahrenheit over time. The reason you would use a dehydrator for chicken is to make sure that you are cooking and drying at the same time. Thats why you can make chicken jerky but not dry aged chicken SALAMI..

Also…. When making any kind of sausage, lean or fatty, pork fat is the proven way to go.

Chicken fat is greasy and breaks your emulsion

Duck fat is for rendering because it gets the most flavor, best used for Confit recipes

Venison!!! Lets be real, Deer don't have fat

Lamb fat is funky in a good way, you can use a little bit mixed with pork fat for sausage but too much will give you an undesired flavor

Beef fat is like Lamb fat. a little goes a long way. BUT… Be mindful what cut of meat the fat is coming from. Too firm and there is not enough moisture to allow the emulsification.

PORK FAT!!!!!!!!!! GODS GIFT TO SAUSAGE MAKERS!!!! you can mix it with any meat you want to make a proper sausage. fresh or dry aging….

Hope this helped…