Why are my (italian Whole foods) sausages still pink inside?
I bought some italian pork and garlic sausages from Whole foods. I cooked them on a low heat, they were in the pan for probably an hour but the middle remained slightly pink. To be precise, by middle I mean if you cut the sausage the inner 2/4 would be slightly but noticably pink. I checked with a thermometer (which I checked as accurate) and the temperature was at in the 180s, although I could just be measuring wrongly (I cut the sausage open and stuck the thermometer straight into the pinkish park). I tried them still and they taste kind of dry and overcooked.
I understand sometimes preservatives are used which makes things pink but 1) These were from wholefoods and there is nothing in them except for salt, garlic, pepper and sugar 2) The outer area near the skin was gray and not pink.
Any ideas?
Best Answer
Checking for redness is not a good indicator of doneness. For instance, freezer burned chicken tends to look less red or pink--taking on white spots and a grayish color. Some meats will also stay red no matter what. Think back to every time you saw real pork bacon. Were the meat strips ever any color except red, even when fried to a crisp?
The most advised way to check for doneness is to use a meat thermometer, inserted into the deepest part of the meat. Once it reaches a temperature you're comfortable with, that should be sufficient. The FDA publishes a table, which was revised in 2011 here. For some of their meats, I go off of other sources that actually suggest lower temperatures for more desired textures--but some people want a higher guarantee and that's fine.
For me, the main reason to heat meat is to eliminate bacteria. This chart illustrates how long it takes to sterilize cook chicken at various temperatures. The bacteria-death-rate chart will look similar for other meats, but might have different temperatures because of different natural bacterias. Often times when I cook, meats come out reddish or pinkish in the middle, and I enjoy that.
Edit: This link provides a detailed bio-chemical explanation for why meat will turn brown or not during cooking. Nitrites and nitric oxide are one explanation, but in general a lack of oxygen, presence of carbon monoxide, or certain pH levels in the meat will cause cooked-pinkness as well.
Some presence of carbon monoxide is common when cooking in a gas or charcoal oven. Furthermore, a sausage cooked in its casing fully intact will have very little oxygen available to the meat--meaning the iron inside will not oxidize and brown.
Pictures about "Why are my (italian Whole foods) sausages still pink inside?"
Quick Answer about "Why are my (italian Whole foods) sausages still pink inside?"
Nitrites and nitric oxide are one explanation, but in general a lack of oxygen, presence of carbon monoxide, or certain pH levels in the meat will cause cooked-pinkness as well.Is it OK for Italian sausage to be pink?
It's ok to be a little pink in the middle but it shouldn't look raw. If you've cooked it for the time & method it says on the packet it should be alright. Oh that's good richmonds was what i had :P. A sausage with a pink tint is probably not undercooked but may be indicative of thrush.Can you eat sausages if they are pink in the middle?
However, sausages can be pink due to being undercooked. Equally though if the meat inside has been salted treated or contains red or pink seasoning ingredients such as paprika a perfectly safe and cooked sausage may still appear red.Gino's Italian Sausage | This Morning
More answers regarding why are my (italian Whole foods) sausages still pink inside?
Answer 2
why is my sausage pink? the answer is due to the myoglobin. When pork is minced the myoglobin has a chemical reaction with oxygen which can produce a different colour when exposed to heat and can create three different forms: deoxymyoglonin purple, oxymyglobin red and metmyoglobin brown. This won’t happen with joints, chops etc as the centre has not been oxidised like mince. Therefore meat with more myoglobin, once minced can stay pink when cooked or brown before its done! Just remember this doesn’t happen with all sausages. http://www.topsausages.com/blog/is-pink-in-cooked-sausages-safe/
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Karolina Grabowska, Any Lane, Any Lane, Any Lane