Undercooked sausage???

[Collinsky]

Tonight my Dh and the kids had Italian sausages on buns with mustard ... I don't eat that, so I had a quesadilla. Anyhow, I'm totally freaked out because I noticed as I was clearing up that the sausages that my 2 yo and 3.5 yo had been eating were pink in the middle. I think Dh's was also underdone, but I am not as worried about him getting any food poisoning as much - his body can handle more. (My 5yos sausage seemed to be cooked through.)

Anyone have any info on food poisoning from sausage? Is it pretty unlikely, and I can sleep easy tonight? Or so likely that I should just get them to the hospital for pre-emptive treatment?

I probably wouldn't care so much but I don't eat pork, no one in my family (of origin) eats pork... so I'm not familiar with it. Obviously can't COOK it! I will be looking for any signs of illness, we're 5 minutes from the hospital... I guess I'm just wanting some reassurance.

[cristeen]

I would not "pre-emptively" go to the hospital... they'll just roll their eyes at you. Was the sausage raw to begin with? Most sausages are precooked nowadays and only need heating up. Being pink could just be due to nitrates. However, pork is safe to be eaten cooked medium nowadays, although that is very slow to catch on. I wouldn't worry about it unless someone starts showing symptoms of food poisoning (diarrhea, vomiting, fever, etc.).

[Collinsky]

Originally Posted by cristeen

I would not "pre-emptively" go to the hospital... they'll just roll their eyes at you. Was the sausage raw to begin with? Most sausages are precooked nowadays and only need heating up. Being pink could just be due to nitrates. However, pork is safe to be eaten cooked medium nowadays, although that is very slow to catch on. I wouldn't worry about it unless someone starts showing symptoms of food poisoning (diarrhea, vomiting, fever, etc.).

Actually, I wouldn't go preemptively either... really I was just wondering how worried to be. Thanks for the info about it being possibly safe cooked to medium... that helps ease my mind. (It wasn't precooked.)

So far, everyone seems fine.

[CaraboosMama]

Just wanted to add - not all italian sausage is pork anyway. At a restaurant, it probably would be - but we buy beef, chicken, turkey, and lamb sausage (not a big pork fan myself

[425lisamarie]

Well pork does look a little more pink next to other meats in sausages though

[Collinsky]

Well, no one got sick, so I am assuming all is fine.

It was pink *in the middle* and cooked all around that. My 5 yos sausage wasn't pink in the middle at all. So I really think it was undercooked.

If I ever have to make sausage again you better bet I'm cooking the heck out of it!!

Thanks for feedback!!!

[Llyra]

My italian sausage sometimes looks pink in the middle even when I'm totally sure it's fully cooked. I cook mine in the crock pot, and after 8 hours I KNOW it's done, but it still looks a little pink.

Trichinosis is no joke, though. Be careful with pork.

[Collinsky]

Originally Posted by Llyra

My italian sausage sometimes looks pink in the middle even when I'm totally sure it's fully cooked. I cook mine in the crock pot, and after 8 hours I KNOW it's done, but it still looks a little pink.

Trichinosis is no joke, though. Be careful with pork.

I'm scared to death of it. My uncle's BIL died on the OR table from trichinosis; it was awful.

I really thought I had cooked it long enough. And it could be that I'm just paranoid with pork and was worried over nothing... but yeah... I don't want to mess around with undercooked pork.

[lunabelly]

I was just going to ask about pork because every time I cook it, it comes out like a shoe. I just read that it's supposed to be slightlly pink, but I always thought it wasn't at all. I think I might just stop making it.

[Llyra]

Originally Posted by lunabelly

I was just going to ask about pork because every time I cook it, it comes out like a shoe. I just read that it's supposed to be slightlly pink, but I always thought it wasn't at all. I think I might just stop making it.

Slow cooking it in sauce or liquid can really help with the old-shoe thing. You can get it really well-cooked, and it's still nice and tender. I cook mine in (you'll laugh) apple juice and barbecue sauce.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by lunabelly

I was just going to ask about pork because every time I cook it, it comes out like a shoe. I just read that it's supposed to be slightlly pink, but I always thought it wasn't at all. I think I might just stop making it.

This is what I was talking about earlier in the thread. 20 years ago we were told we had to cook pork to death because of the threat of trichinosis. Nowadays trichinosis isn't a concern anymore and the last 10 years or so they've been telling us that it's okay for pork to be a bit pink, but no one seems to be listening.

[BusyBeeMom]

I believe trichinosis is killed by about 150 degrees F, which is before shoe leather.

BTW, country ribs are a nice, moist cut of pork, and tend to be inexpensive too!

[SevenVeils]

Originally Posted by Collinsky

I'm scared to death of it. My uncle's BIL died on the OR table from trichinosis; it was awful.

In the US? Recently?