If you are a big lover of smoked sausages, you may wonder if the smoked sausages come pre-cooked and if they are safe to eat directly from the package. Let’s find out!
What can be better than a few delicious smoked sausages? They even look marvelous. All you will need to add near to the smoked sausages are a few fresh/baked vegetables, a fresh salad, or some roasted potatoes.
The taste will be unforgettable.
Are the Smoked Sausages Fully Cooked?
Before I will get a response to this question, we should know that there are two ways to smoke sausages:
- Hot smoked sausages, usually at a temperature of 140-180°F. These smoked sausages are fully cooked and you can eat them directly from the package.
- Cold-smoked sausages. The cold-smoked sausages are usually smoked below 85°F. That means that they have only the taste and smell of smoked sausage, but they are not fully cooked. If you see the text “cold smoked” on your package with sausages, that means that you should cook them before eating.
Can You Eat Smoked Sausage Out of the Package?
As I said earlier, smoked sausages can be smoked in two ways.
If you see a mention on the package that the smoked sausages are hot cooked, that means that you can eat them directly out of the package.
If you see that they are cold smoked, these smoked sausages need to be cooked before you will eat them.
Varieties of Smoked Sausages
There are lots of types of sausages available in stores across the USA. Nevertheless, some are especially popular.
- Kielbasa. This is one of the most widespread products. It is made of a mix of beef and pork with an addition of garlic and some spices.
- Beef sausages. It is clear what type of meat is used here. Some flavorings are being added here.
- Andouille. They are made of pork and garlic. Besides these basic ingredients, you will find that often onions and wine are used for making the andouille sausages.
- Bratwurst. This is a German naming of the sausages. The most common they are made from pork meat, but you can also find some variations with beef or veal in their composition.
The list is not limited to these types of sausages. There can be some others in big department stores or markets.
A Few Ideas on How to Cook Smoked Sausages
Generally, there are several ways of cooking smoked sausages. In fact, there are two of them: frying or boiling. Let’s see how to cook tasty smoked sausages.
Boiling Sausages
The easiest way to cook the boiling sausages is to boil them. You can add some lemon, pepper, and peppermint to them. The spices will raise the smoked sausages to another level.
The imagination is your limit.
Grilling Sausages
Firstly, you need to preheat the grill. If it is electric, it will be much easier. You need to place the temperature between 325-375F. It is a safe temperature to cook sausages.
If you have a coal grill, warm it and feel the temperature with your hand. You can hold your hand above the surface for about 3-5 seconds before it gets extremely hot.
It is time to put sausages on the heated surface. Place them in a way to leave some space between them. ½” in will be quite enough. Roll them from one side to another until the smoked sausages are fully cooked.
The grilling time depends on the heat intensity of your grill. Just make sure that you will not cook them for too long as they will dry out.
Baked Sausages
Another popular way of cooking smoked sausages is to bake them in the oven. You can even cut them into smaller pieces and put them together near some diced potatoes or other fresh vegetables.
How to Store Smoked Sausages?
Storing sausages is as easy as any other product. If the box with smoked sausages is sealed, you can keep them in the fridge for up to 10 days. If you have already opened the box with sausages, then you can keep them safe in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
Can You Refrigerate Smoked Sausages?
Yes. Put them in an air-tight container and keep them in the freezer for up to a few months.
Can You Refreeze Smoked Sausages?
No. It is not recommended to refreeze products several times as they will change their texture and taste, and most importantly, you may risk forming different bacteria on them.
How Long Can Smoked Sausages Stay Out?
Any product has a period when it is tasty and safe to eat. Meat products are even more dangerous than other products.
I will recommend minimizing the time that the smoked sausages will sit out as this is a meat product and it may turn out bad very quickly.
To avoid forming bacteria, I will say that you should avoid leaving the smoked sausages at room temperature for more than 2-3 hours.
How Do You Know if Smoked Sausage Is Bad?
The main factor that speaks about the quality of the product is the smell. If you notice that the smoked sausages changed their smell, that means that they started to go bad.
If you notice a smell change, I will recommend avoiding eating them.
The second sign is consistency. If they are slimy or dry, it also says that such sausages are spoiled or the process started already. Color is not less important. Fresh meat products are a little pink.
If the color is brighter or close to brown, it is recommended not to eat such sausages.
Pay also attention to the date of production. If the period lasts, it will be better to throw such sausages away and not risk your health.
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