Saturday, October 21, 2017

Know Your Sausage


During the month of October, I will be participating in the Write 31 Days hosted by Crystal Stine. My category is Food, Health & Wellness and my theme is "Into The Kitchen". 



Sausage may be a love it or hate it food. I love it and always have some in my freezer. I seldom think about what type it is beyond whether it is spicy or mild and whether I need to really cook it or just pop it on the grill until it is browned and sizzling.

There is more to sausage than initially meets the eye. It is basically ground meat, usually but not always, pork, mixed with seasonings. It may be stuffed into casings, formed into patties or sold in bulk by the pound. Following are some of the different types of sausages and a little information and examples for each one.

Four main types of sausage:

Fresh. These need to be refrigerated or frozen if not used immediately. Fresh sausage must be fully cooked before eating. When cooking, prick the skins so they don't explode because that spurt of hot grease when you turn them is impressive. Also, fresh link sausage can be removed from the casing to be crumbled and cooked for other dishes.

  • Breakfast links and patties
  • Italian
  • Bratwurst
  • Mexican Chorizo

Pre-cooked.  All pre-cooked sausage start with a smooth pureed filling, which may be partially cooked before stuffing, but all are cooked after stuffing. You still want to cook these or at least heat thoroughly to bring out the flavor. Many deli meats fall into this category.

  • Hot dogs
  • Bologna
  • Mortadella
  • German Wursts

Smoked. These are cooked over a cool fire which produces a lot of smoke. This provides
flavor and preserves the meat. These can be eaten as is or cut up and used in other dishes. Like the pre-cooked, you often find these in the deli.

  • Andouille
  • Kielbasa

Cured. This type of sausage is made fresh then salted and air dried. These make great appetizers and snacks. Slice thinly and serve at room temperature.

  • Spanish Chorizo
  • Coppa
  • Genoa Salami

Tell me which sausage you like and how you prepare or serve it.



If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Linda - I don't like the pre-cooked ones. I have chipolata sausages, when I buy them ... the thin ones ... and I'm particularly partial to the smoked, but more so the cured ... which are treats. Cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I pretty much love all sausages, but know that not all sausage is interchangeable. Glad for all the differences which make for many interesting dishes.

      Delete

Hi, thanks for visiting my humble abode. All comments are read and appreciated.