Sausage preservation?

[Rancherstriker]

Hi!

I've been doing some sausages experiments (cheddar+jalapeño, rosemary, etc), and I'm a little worried on how to store raw sausages safely, as it's too much hassle to do small quantities for my family of 4, and want to keep a stock of a few ones.

So far, my plan is to add a little amount of curing salt #1, do the casing keeping the ingredients and utensils cold, pack them raw in vacuum bag (foodsaver or similar) and freeze.

Any input you guys can provide is very appreciated. I've seen some youtube videos suggesting doing a low-temp smoking first and then vac-pack them and freeze.

Thanks!

[mnavarre]

If you're going to vacuum seal and freeze there's no need for the curing salt. As long as they're sealed well fresh sausage will be just fine in the freezer. I just pulled some chorizo links I made last september out of the freezer and they were perfectly fine.

[Dick Anderson]

I would say if you smoke them,take them up to 150f. Too long at a low temp is risky. freeze them raw, then smoke, or smoke fully, then freeze.
My 2 cents.

[johnec00]

Like mnavarre said above, fresh sausage can be vacuum bagged and frozen for several months without any loss of quality. We usually make 5 pound or so batches (about 20 links), vacuum bag in packages of 3 or 4 and freeze. Cure not needed unless it is part of the recipe for flavor. Non-frost free freezer preferable.

[Rancherstriker]

Thank you all for the advice!

[Strat50]

You can keep fresh sausage for a week at below 40F , but for longer, freeze it. It will be fine.

Many people don't completely understand how curing salts work, or when to use which one and how to use it. As a home charcuterist, and a professional chef, here's what I have learned and the techniques involved.

Nitrite salts such as Insta-Cure #1 and such, are only effective(in any meaningful way) for 30 days. This is fine for ham, hot dogs, corned beef, etc. This, however is predicated to a curing/drying temp below 60F. For cold smoked stuff, you can keep it above 60 for no more than a few hours, but that is usually more than enough time to get smoke into them without issue. I use this idea frequently, and it works well.

Nitrate salts such as Insta-Cure #2 are meant for more than a 30 day cure/drying time. This is used for solid muscle meat such as pancetta, Parma ham, and prosciutto.This is also the stuff for salami, and certain pepperonis. #2 has nitrite salt, for the first 30 days of curing, and nitrate salt for longer term cures.

So, as you can see, these curing agents will only keep the meat safe for a few hours at higher temperatures. You still can't leave it out on the table for a couple days...lol

I hope this helps. If I can be of any help, feel free to drop a line to say hello..

[SheilaAnn]

+1

[Rancherstriker]

Thank you! I wasn't sure if adding the Cure #1 would help preservation or if it was mainly for curing at low temps (and flavor). Thank you for the input!

[SheilaAnn]

Rancherstriker before you vac (seal a meal/food saver) them, partially freeze, so they keep their shape. That’s what I used to do at my old job when I ran a butcher shop. We had about 10-20 sausages in rotation.

[Rancherstriker]

Thanks for the advice, will do!

[Murdy]

When I worked in a sausage kitchen, we stored brats and other similar fresh sausages in a 10 pound cardboard box inside a plastic bag that was not vacuum sealed (I think it was just folded over) with wax paper between the layers of brats. Then froze them. They kept fine this way. Not sure what the industry standard is these days; that was 20 years ago, but we were inspected initially by the state and later the USDA, so I'm sure it was acceptable.

[bbqLuv]

Cooked/smoked then frozen seem to be the safest method, IMHO.

[rickgregory]

it's meat. We all freeze fresh, uncooked meat all the time. This is no different. The only time you'd want to add PP #2 is if you're curing the sausage for some kind of charcuterie.