The Two "C"s

First and foremost, are the two “C”s that should always be followed.

Clean and Cold.

Clean:

The very last thing that you want to do while making your home sausage is to make up a batch that makes you and your family sick. So, before you start, be sure that your work area and all tools are Clean. Wash them with dish soap, preferably with anti-bacterial properties. Rinse them well. The counter tops should be cleaned with a disinfectant spray. You can add a small amount of laundry bleach to your favorite spray cleaner. Keep the work surface clean as you go. Use paper towels, lots of paper towels, and frequently discard them as you go. A cloth towel will pick up bacteria and possibly just spread it around, even tho the surface may look clean. Paper towels will carry your bad bugs away to the trash can. They are much, much cheaper than a late night visit to your local emergency room.

Cold:

Keep the meats Cold. Usually your meat will be purchased and frozen until you get enough time to run your batch of sausage. Take the meat from the freezer a day or two in advance of your run. Thaw in your regular refrigerator, not out on the counter tops. The meat works best if it is still slightly frozen when you begin working with it. If you must stop working during a run, place the meat back into your refrigerator until you can re-start. You can’t be too careful. Low temperatures will retard the growth of those bad bugs.

Important: This tutorial is designed to show you how to make Fresh, Perishable Sausage Food. These sausages must be fully cooked before consumption. You should refrigerate your sausages after you make them. They will keep well for a few days under normal refrigeration. But, if you don't plan to cook and use them within a few days, you must freeze them for longer term storage. Some people have expressed concern about freezing the sausages made from previously frozen meat. Here's a link to the USDA web site where they discuss re-freezing meats.

What the USDA says about meat safety and re-freezing meats

Please use your own judgment about freezing your sausages. If in doubt, fully cook them before you package and freeze them.

-=- Jerry -=-

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