Using cure #1 right away?

[hondabbq]

I was bored and doing some reading and saw a few online pages that said that when making sausages that contain cure #1, that you could mix, stuff and cook immediately?

When I make my kielbasa or meat sticks, I mix, stuff and let rest overnight then cook the following day. Have I been =wasting a day by not cooking right away?

 

[Steve H]

I've seen that from time to time as well. The instructions for my last batch of snack sticks said the same thing. Stuff and smoke right away. But, I've always let my summer sausage sit over night before smoking.

 

[bradger]

When I make my kielbasa or meat sticks, I mix, stuff and let rest overnight then cook the following day. Have I been =wasting a day by not cooking right away?

You could always do an experiment. next time you make them, let half sit over night and smoke half right away. that is of cores you have the time. since i have an electric smoker it is not as hard to fire it up.

 

[PolishDeli]

Meat cut into 2inch pieces: cure 72 hours in refrigerator.
Ground meat: 12-36 hours in refrigerator (depending on size of grind plate used), or hang at room temperature for 30-60 min.

Flavor and texture are probably better if you let it rest overnight; but doing it all right away is certainly a valid and safe option.

 

[daveomak]

You can add ingredients to the ground meat and stuff right away, I recommend that, then let sit in the refer overnight or longer for a quality sausage...
Speed in processing affects quality...
The reason we advocate the curing procedure is that this book is about making quality products and quality takes time. Meat for quality smoked sausage should be cured. Curing imparts a certain peculiar flavor which is in demand by the consumer and if we cure hams, bacon, chops, butts, and fish because they taste better, so why not cure meat for sausages? The fact that we grind meat makes it only easier on our teeth to chew it - it does not improve the color, texture or the flavor of the sausage. Someone might say: but I’ve mixed nitrite and spices with ground meat before stuffing so that’s OK. Well, it’s not ok, the problem is that not enough time was allocated and the sausage is only partially cured. The dry method of curing is used to cure meat for sausages. The curing time depends on:(what PolishDeli said)

Marianski, Stanley. Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages (Kindle Locations 3464-3471). Bookmagic LLC. Kindle Edition.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Facts are, with ground meat, the acts immediately and you can go to the smoker right after stuffing. But, once the cooking starts and flavor melding or development stops! So as these respected Gentlemen have pointed out, highest quality and best Flavor needs time to develop...JJ

 

[smokerjim]

I usually grind, season and let sit overnight, it's just a personal preference but I think the flavors blend better that way, then stuff the next day hang in smoker to dry for an hour and then smoke.

 

[Polka]

Also, my two cents -- the old European ways, and many instructions say to take your cut up meat, add all the salt, and the cure, and let this cure in the fridge for two or three days, and this will greatly improve your final bind, because the salt and cure affect the myosin development from the muscle tissue...I think.

R

 

[fivetricks]

Agree with everyone here

You gotta let that cure bloom. Whether it be overnight chilled or a couple hours at room temp (70 ish) after stuffing.

If you were to do a stuff and cook you're talking maybe an hour before your sausages cross the 131 ish mark? That's when the S.N. breaks down, so what have you really accomplished?

Fresh sausages can/should be treated like fresh sausage.

Cured sausage should NOT be treated like fresh sausage. I mean you can. But what did you take the time trouble and expense of adding cure to it for then is my point.