How to Fix Dry Sausage (And Methods for Preventing It)

Preparing homemade sausages is exciting since you have full control of the preparation process as well as flavor. However, sometimes it is possible for your sausages to become too dry than expected. The process of making sausages is long and requires enough time and it’s very disappointing to end up with dry sausages.

If you are among those who get too dry homemade sausages as the end result, then I want to tell you that it’s possible to fix it. If you are reading this article then you should count yourself lucky since we will serve you what you deserve. There are various actions that you can employ to prevent dry sausages.

Continue reading our article because it carries only useful information for you to have soft sausages. You will understand various methods to prevent you from ending up with dry sausages. We shall also take you through some steps to curb moisture loss in your sausages.

Reasons for dry homemade sausages

Under this section, we shall discuss reasons for dry homemade sausages and suggest reliable tricks to end such a nightmare. Some of these reasons include;

Wrong meat to fat ratio. This might be what is causing you to have dry sausages. You should be in a good position to balance between fats and meat when preparing sausages. For this reason, we advise you to utilize something like 30% fat. This percentage is significant, mostly when using a bony meat like that of a lamb and chicken, when you would wish to top up your meat with pork fat since it contains excellent flavour and fat content. Therefore, you need to be careful about the fat quantity you should use when preparing sausages.

Another reason for dry sausages could be the amount and type of liquid you are utilizing in the meat mixture. Some experts claim that wine and vinegar can result in dry homemade sausages. Therefore, if you have been using either of the two, it’s time to replace it with water.

Grinding technique might be another reason you are having dry sausages. Before kicking off the preparation process, you should ensure that both the grinder and the meat mixture are cold. Doing so is necessary since the grinding process makes frictions, which enhances heat. When meat and the fat are subjected to heat, they will soften.

Failure to mix the sausage meat properly can be another reason you are having dry sausage as the end product. After grinding your meat and of course applied spices, you should remember to mix it to make it sticky. For instance, you pick a small meat ball and stick it on either of your hands. Turn the hand upside-down and observe its behavior. It shouldn’t fall off; knead your meat until it is sticky. Don’t bother about time.

The meat will lose fats, leaving you with a soppy texture. Therefore, when initiating the cooking process, most fat will get lost, giving you dry sausages as the final result. The fat will stay solid on occasions where the grinder and meat are chilled correctly. You will remain with suspended fat and will be speeded in your meat uniformly.

How to moisturize dry sausage

Rehydrating dry sausage shouldn’t stress you because here is a guide to achieve this. There are several considerations that you can put into consideration and everything will run smoothly as per your desire. These considerations include;

Add fat back or ground bacon to your sausage meat. This is the first method that you can employ to ensure your sausage doesn’t get dry. Bacon is usually a super fatty portion that works incredibly to reverse the dryness. On the other hand, fat back can act as a great alternative to Bacon since it comes from pig backs; it usually has excellent fat content. With fat back, your sausage will be enriched with exciting flavour, moisture, and juiciness.

However, this method isn’t suitable when you have already cooked dry sausages. It won’t do anything to your dry sausages as it won’t rehydrate it.  

Applying gelatin powder. If you have not stuffed your meat and yet it looks dry, add small gelatin powder in the mixture. This chemical is essential in holding the available liquid while the sausage undergoes the cooking process. Such a technique will prevent loss of moisture. Therefore, your meat will be moisturized, preventing it from getting fried.

There are also other reliable solutions that work incredibly when you have cured sausages like salami rather than fresh sausage. However, this won’t hurt you if you have the intention to save your sausages; you have put more effort on the sausages and also you’ve spent a lot of time on them. These solutions include;

Steam the sausage. This approach requires you to steam your sausage for something like 30 minutes. Confirm its softness and moisture regularly to achieve your favorite. This method gives you full control over the sausage until you get your desired one.

Cover the sausage with a moist towel. Look around in your kitchen for a moist towel; wrap the sausage before placing it in your fridge. Leave it there for some days to soften and moisten enough. However, you may be forced to change the towel daily to be sure it is damp enough.

Use of reliable liquids. This option involves dipping your dry sausage to liquids like beer, meat stock, wine, or typical water. Below are some simple steps to follow under this approach;

1. Heat the mixture of wine and stock (use ratio 1:1). You can either decide to use a saucepan or a small pot; choose whatever is available.

2. Heat should be minimized to the medium low, simmering the mixture before adding the sausage.

3. Cover the mixture with an available lid. Give it something like 15 minutes to simmer.

4. Remover the sausage from the saucepan and observe its hardness and moisture. If it still tastes dry, continue with the simmering process, but this time for at least 25 or 30 minutes.

5. After your sausage is most, chill it in your fridge or take it while warm.

Since there are a few options to moisten dry sausage, repurposing the dry sausage can be a great idea since you have spent time and effort in preparing it. There’s no need to throw it in the dustbin. How about consuming it with other foods? Try the following options;

• Take it as a curry

• Incorporate it with other liquid recipes like gumbo, stews, chili, and soups.

• Put it in the Bolognese sausage to be served with pasta.

• Prepare and consume it with rice dishes like jambalaya.

Now you see, there’s no need to throw your sausage, yet you’ve undergone hassles while preparing it.

Tips for maintaining the coldness of both your grinder and meat

From the above discussion, you can realize that operating with a cold grinder and meat is highly recommendable. Failure to follow these tricks can land you to dry homemade sausages. Have a look and use them;

• Place both the meat and the grinder neck in your freezer for something like 25 minutes. Your meat should have fridge temperature, partially frozen. You can also opt to work with the meat better than two temperature states.
• Place the meat bowl in your freeze for something like 30 minutes. This action is essential when you plan to grind your meat several times. Alternatively, you are allowed to place your ground meat bowl in a large bowl, full of ice to cool it.

• Place a stuffer in your freezer before stuffing. This applies to grinders with removable stuffers.

• While grinding, you should always start with coarse grinds, then advance to smaller grinds for incorporated and good texture fat.

FAQs:

• How can I prepare dry sausage?

Place your sausage in the water and boil it slightly for something like 15 minutes to be thoroughly cooked. Alternatively, you can dry it through frying or grilling; cook all sides until it becomes golden brown.

• Why am I having mushy sausage?

This situation happens when the meat overheats; getting separated from the available fat which results in a mealy sausage as the end product. You can beat your ground meat and spice using a paddle blade to achieve a bind with a firm sausage.

• Can I eat uncooked dry sausage?

Not really due to foodborne illness. Uncooked sausage tends to have contents like ground beef, lamb, veal or pork that should be subjected to 160 °F temperature. On the other hand, sausages with ground chicken or turkey must be subjected to 165 °F temperature. Remember, sausages can either be ready for consumption or cooked.

Final words

Hopefully, you are satisfied with the above discussions. This article touches all corners, educating you on various techniques to fix a dry sausage. Since we don’t have multiple approaches to rescue a dry sausage, there are options to repurpose the meat, giving it a taste.

Additionally, the article covers various steps one can take to prevent sausage from getting dehydrated. Therefore, you should stick on and carefully go through our article if you are tired of having dry sausage. The above tips can even solve crumbly sausage.