Drying uncured fresh sausage

Drying uncured fresh sausage - From above yummy steaks and meat sausages roasting on grill grid near organic capsicum during picnic

I make fresh sausage that I won't smoke. I don't add any cure. How do I dry them without the cure in them?



Best Answer

This is going to be tricky.
The problem is the fat. Cured and/or smoked meat is filled with delicious flavors and preservatives. In particular, smoke has antioxidants that keep fat from going rancid:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoking_%28cooking%29#Preservation

Jerky is generally made with as lean meat as possible because the quantity of air and time to dry meat is a perfect recipe for rancid fat. The salt in the jerky will not help prevent the fat going off.

Sausage, on the other hand, is designed to be cured- or to be refrigerated and eaten fresh. It is made with quite a lot of fat. Drying sausage like you would jerky will result in a lot of nasty, oxidized fat. Not tasty and not good for you either.

You could use very lean ground meat and sausage spices, shape into thin strips, and dry the meat like jerky. It would not be like sausage but would dry to a meat stick style jerky that can be quite tasty.

Additionally, the shape of the meat will be an issue. Jerky is sliced thinly so that it can dry before bacteria have an opportunity to take hold. Sausages are thicker and would take a long time to dry. The salt in the recipe might be enough to inhibit bacteria while it dries but the recipe isn't intended for this purpose and it might be risky.

If you want your sausage to be similar to actual sausage then you will need to use traditional recipes which add cure and/or smoke and dry and/or ferment. This is really the only option if you want normal, thick, high fat, sausage.




Pictures about "Drying uncured fresh sausage"

Drying uncured fresh sausage - Salami with onion rings and nuggets near french fries
Drying uncured fresh sausage - From above unrecognizable women taking slice of pizza with cheese and salami using spatula and cutting with pizza cutter
Drying uncured fresh sausage - Close-Up Photo of Skewered Sausage on Tray



How do you dry fresh sausage?

Dry the sausages. Hang the sausages in the chamber and slowly allow them to dry. The ideal temperature and humidity varies from source to source, but we generally set our chamber at 55F and 70% humidity.

How long does it take to air dry sausage?

After about three days, the bacteria will have consumed all the sugar in the sausage and the acidity will be at a stable level. At this point, the sausage is ready to dry. The temperature should be dropped to about 55\xb0 F and humidity dropped to around 80 to 85%.

Can you dehydrate fresh sausage?

Dehydrators wick the moisture out of sausage by cooking the meat at a low temperature in a dry environment for an extended period of time. Although a lengthy process, dehydrating sausages in a dehydrator is simple and easy to do.

Can you dry out sausage in a fridge?

There are many ways to preserve sausages, but the most effective is to put them in the fridge. It is an ideal artificial version that is very close to what was once the pantry. In the fridge the healing process is slowed down and you will have the sausage in the ideal drying point longer.



Drying Sausage - old fashioned way and many important tips




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Dids, Alena Shekhovtcova, Katerina Holmes, Luis Quintero