Italian Sausage still a little pink?
So im a little scared, I was cooking some italian sausage links on my cast iron skillet.
I cooked them 8-10 min a side on medium , then turned to low and cooked 7-8 minutes a side.
I checked the temp on the very middle and they all registered about 170 degrees (This was after they had been on low, at the very end)
Anyways I ate them, tasted fine etc...
But upon eating another one later, I discovered that there was still a pinkish color in the middle. (More towards the edges). It wasn't a lot....but the thing is I know this thermometer is accurate and I always use it.....Plus I cook them like this all the time. So I didn't understand why it was still a little pink on the inside.
Just for reference I stuck the thermometer on the inner most part, I made doubly sure. And they were all checked and all were 170-180 after they had been cooking on low (So it was prolly a high temp earlier when they were on medium)
Any ideas? Im kinda scared. For reference these were Sweet Italian Sausages (not sure if that would matter)
Best Answer
The salt treatment in sausage can cause it to retain a pinker color for a given temperature than would normal ground meat. The fact that you used a trusted thermometer, and that the sausages were well in the safe zone (even conservatively 165 F is more than enough) indicates that the sausage was perfectly safe.
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Quick Answer about "Italian Sausage still a little pink?"
The salt treatment in sausage can cause it to retain a pinker color for a given temperature than would normal ground meat. The fact that you used a trusted thermometer, and that the sausages were well in the safe zone (even conservatively 165 F is more than enough) indicates that the sausage was perfectly safe.Why is my Italian sausage pink?
It isn't "some preservatives" which keep meat pink, it is nitrite salt. Buying in an organic store doesn't mean that the food doesn't contain nitrite salt or other additives. I am sure your sausage contains nitrites, else it would have turned gray long before you started cooking it.Is a little pink in sausage OK?
A Little Pink Is OK: USDA Revises Cooking Temperature For Pork : The Two-Way The U.S. Department of Agriculture lowered the recommended cooking temperature of pork to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. That, it says, may leave some pork looking pink, but the meat is still safe to eat.Why is my cooked sausage still pink?
Pink sausage is only oaky to eat if fully cooked and the pinkness is due to either the meat being salt-treated and/or the sausage filling contains red food seasonings such as paprika.Peppa Pig Jumping on the Pool - Nursery Rhymes - Five little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
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Answer 2
I agree with the response regarding the salt content. Salt preserves and cures the meat and helps it keep it's color. That's why bacon is reddish and not grey when cooked. I recently made a batch of loose breakfast sausage and had the same experience. I then placed a 1/4# in a Ziplock and poached it to 160 and one to 175 degrees and when I broke it open it was still pinkish.
Answer 3
You mention that the pink was more toward the edges. Could it have been a smoke ring?
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