9
plates to keep food hot while serving. Use ice water baths to keep cold foods cold. Never let any
food sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours - 1 hour if the ambient temperature is 90°F
(32°C) or above. When packing for a picnic, make sure the foods are already chilled when they go
into the insulated hamper. The hamper won't chill food - it just keeps food cold when properly
packed with ice. Hot cooked foods should be placed in shallow containers and immediately
refrigerated so they cool rapidly. Make sure to cover foods after they are cool.
NOTE:
Special considerations must be made when using venison or other wild game, since it can
become heavily contaminated during field dressing. Venison is often held at temperatures that
could potentially allow bacteria to grow, such as when it is being transported. Refer to the USDA
Meat and Poultry Department for further questions or information on meat and food safety.
SAUSAGE INFORMATION
MEAT SELECTION FOR SAUSAGE MAKING
Sausage making has evolved over years and generations, and as a result there are countless types
of sausage you can make using the basic ingredients of meat, fat and a few carefully blended
spices. Following are a few simple guidelines that will help you make the best tasting sausage
possible
Any type of meat can be used for making sausage: pork, beef, bison, moose and caribou, even
antelope make great sausage. It is important when preparing venison or other red game meats to
trim all the fat from the meat, as red game tallow will turn rancid in as few as five days. Replace
the fat with either pork or beef fat depending on the type of product you are making at a ratio of 1
pounds(0.5kg) of fat for every 4 pounds (1.8kg) of game meat.
The fat content of your sausage will affect the taste, texture, cooking characteristics and shelf life
of you product. Most commercially made sausage has a fat content of about 20 % .Using less than
12 % fat will result in a very dry tasting sausage while using more than 20% may result in a sticky
flavorless sausage that will be difficult to cook.
CURING
It is important to properly cure meats to preserve meat and poultry, and to destroy undesirable
microorganisms on the meat surfaces that cause spoilage and food born illnesses. There are many
steps that help in this process, including smoking, cooking, drying, chilling and the addition of cure
ingredients. The oldest means of accomplishing this is by introducing salt into the meat the
resistance of bacteria to salt into the meat. The resistance of bacteria to salt varies widely among
different types of bacteria. The growth of some bacteria is inhibited by salt concentrations as 3%
e.g., Salmonella, whereas other types are able to survive in much higher sat concentrations, e.g.,
Staphylococcus. Fortunately, the growth of many undesirable organisms normally found in cured
meat and poultry products is inhibited at low concentrations of salt.
