Why don't dry aged/hung sausages go bad?
I was just watching this program on the food network here and they were talking about the Spanish fermented pork sausages. It made me think of sausages that are hung to dry and even though its raw meat (which would go bad very very quickly if not refrigerated properly), it doesn't go bad. Why is that? Is it because no air touches the meat inside the casings?
Best Answer
It is due to a combination of several factor, depending on how the particular sausage was made:
Dry cured sausages contain curing salts, a mixture of regular salt and sodium nitrate (which breaks down into sodium nitrite), which prevents the growth of botulism while the sausage cures.
Meat for dry cures sausage is also often frozen to specific temperatures for prescribed periods of time to kill any trichinosis which may be present.
As the sausage cures, it becomes too dry and concentrated in salt to foster pathogens, as well as too acidic from the action of friendly bacteria, and thus is relatively shelf stable. It may also simply have acid ingredients as part of the initial recipe.
Modern cured sausages may also be subjected to irradiation, cooking, or another "kill step" to satisfy the needs of regulatory agencies, according to the New York Times.
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Quick Answer about "Why don't dry aged/hung sausages go bad?"
As the sausage cures, it becomes too dry and concentrated in salt to foster pathogens, as well as too acidic from the action of friendly bacteria, and thus is relatively shelf stable.How long does dry aged sausage last?
Opened dry sausage will maintain best quality for about 3 weeks in the refrigerator. To further extend the shelf life of dry sausage, freeze; when freezing, place dry sausage in the freezer before the number of days shown for refrigerator storage has elapsed.Can dried sausage go bad?
Unopened dry sausage will maintain best quality for about 6 months in the refrigerator. How long does unopened dry sausage last in the freezer? Properly stored, unopened dry sausage will maintain best quality for about 10 months, but will remain safe beyond that time.Is dry sausage shelf stable?
Meat products that can be stored at room temperature without the risk of microbial spoilage are considered to be shelf stable products. They include canned meats such as ham, tuna and chicken, jerky, dry sausages, snack sticks, summer sausage and freeze dried meat.Why does cured meat not go bad?
The Solution: Cured Meat To cure meat, salts or smoke are used to draw out the moisture in the product. Through the process of dehydration, the meat becomes less suitable for molds and bacteria to grow. Thereby, the shelf life of the meat is extended.Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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