sausage centers are dark

Johnnyo · Posted: Jul 10 2007 Post subject: sausage centers are dark

I made 2 batches of sausage.. yesterday was 80% beef & 20% pork, with Collagen casings, & today it was Pork with hog casings.. Both sausages taste excellent, but in both cases the sausage has dark center running the length of the sausage ring.. it's the same with all sausage I make.. What causes this, & am I doing something wrong?? .. I smoked both batches in my GOSM propane smoker using Mesquite wood for smoke..
Thanks in advance
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JimH · Posted: Jul 10 2007 Post subject:

Did you use cure when you mixed the meat?

Johnnyo · Posted: Jul 10 2007 Post subject:

Harry Nutczak · Posted: Jul 10 2007 Post subject:

How long are you letting these sausages rest before cooking? are you cooking them within hours of making them?

Maybe they need to sit for a day to cure a little bit?

or, it could be a smoke-ring on the outer edges making the center look darker.

Cook one in a pan on the stove and see what happens.
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Johnnyo · Posted: Jul 10 2007 Post subject:

Hi, actually, they're not resting very long.. maybe an hour or two.. They do taste real good, except for the looks.. Kind of like when you buy hamburger in a pack in cello, & if you split the burger in half, it's got that dark meat inside...
I will get a sausage & put it in a pan as soon as I get home, at my daughters for the next couple of hours.. but it is smoked already..

I never had this happen before, but I made it at my friend's place, & he has an outdoor homemade wood smoker, & just builds a fire out of maple on the dirt floor, & we usually smoked them as soon as we made them, no rest period at all.

Also I see where some hose the sausages down with cold water as soon as they come out of the smoker.. Is that so they don't wrinkle up, or is there another purpose for this? mine do wrinkle.
thanks
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gil · Newbie Joined: 17 Dec 2006 Posts: 92 Location: iowa

with cure in them i'd let them bloom in fridge for at least 6 to 10 hours before smoke. Just my opinion & how i do it.

JimH · Posted: Jul 11 2007 Post subject:

The cure will give you a nice red color in the sausage and protect you from food poisoning if you are cold smoking them.

Johnnyo · Posted: Jul 11 2007 Post subject:

Thanks for the replies.. I'll try cure with my next batch..
Why is it that with the home made wood smoker I don't get the darkness in the middle??
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JimH · Posted: Jul 11 2007 Post subject:

I don't know, maybe it has to do with the spices you used?

Johnnyo · Posted: Jul 11 2007 Post subject:

JimH · Posted: Jul 11 2007 Post subject:

I do know that iodized salt can cause a color change, though I've never seen that myself.

Johnnyo · Posted: Jul 11 2007 Post subject:

What kind of salt do you prefer to use??

Got a question that has nothing to do with this post.. I log in with my user name & password, & I check the box that says remember me, & log me in autoomatically every time I visit, yet every day or two, I have to log in again. This happens with quite a few forums.. Why is this??
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JimH · Posted: Jul 12 2007 Post subject:

I use kosher salt or canning salt. You might have a program that toss' your cookies, which IIRC, allow you to come back to the website without logging in.