Pork Sausage. Sausage may be stuffed in animal casings, hydrocellulose
casings or cloth bags. During any stage of treating the sausage for
the destruction of live trichinae, except as provided in "Method No.
5" of this paragraph a., these coverings shall not be coated with
paraffin or like substance, nor shall any sausage be washed during
any prescribed period of drying. In the preparation of sausage, one
of the following methods may be used:
Method No. 1. The meat shall be ground or chopped into pieces
not exceeding 3/4 of an inch in diameter. A dry-curing mixture containing
not less than 3 1/3 pounds of salt to each hundredweight of the
unstuffed sausage shall be thoroughly mixed with the ground or chopped
meat. After being stuffed, sausage having a diameter not exceeding
3 1/2 inches, measured at the time of stuffing, shall be held
in a drying room not less than 20 days at a temperature not lower
than 45° F., except that in sausage of the variety known as pepperoni,
if in casings not exceeding 1 3/8 inches in diameter measured
at the time of stuffing, the period of drying may be reduced to 15
days. In no case, however, shall the sausage be released from the
drying room in less than 25 days from the time the curing materials
are added, except that sausage of the variety known as pepperoni,
if in casings not exceeding the size specified, may be released at
the expiration of 20 days from the time the curing materials are added.
Sausage in casings exceeding 3 1/2 inches, but not exceeding
four inches in diameter at the time of stuffing, shall be held in
a drying room not less than 35 days at a temperature not lower than
45° F., and in no case shall the sausage be released from the
drying room in less than 40 days from the time the curing materials
are added to the meat.
Method No. 2. The meat shall be ground or chopped into pieces
not exceeding 3/4 of an inch in diameter. A dry-curing mixture containing
not less than 3 1/3 pounds of salt to each hundredweight of the
unstuffed sausage shall be thoroughly mixed with the ground or chopped
meat. After being stuffed, sausage having a diameter not exceeding
3 1/2 inches, measured at the time of stuffing, shall be smoked
not less than 40 hours at a temperature not lower than 80° F.,
and finally held in a drying room not less than 10 days at a temperature
not lower than 45° F. In no case, however, shall the sausage be
released from the drying room in less than 18 days from the time the
curing materials are added to the meat. Sausage exceeding 3 1/2
inches, but not exceeding four inches in diameter at the time of stuffing,
shall be held in a drying room, following smoking as above indicated,
not less than 25 days at a temperature not lower than 45° F. In
no case, however, shall the sausage be released from the drying room
in less than 18 days from the time the curing materials are added
to the meat. Sausage exceeding three and one-half inches, but not
exceeding four inches in diameter at the time of stuffing, shall be
held in a drying room following smoking as above indicated, not less
than 25 days at a temperature not lower than 45°F, and in no case
shall the sausage be released from the drying room in less than 33
days from the time the curing materials are added to the meat.
Method No. 3. The meat shall be ground or chopped into pieces
not exceeding 3/4 of an inch in diameter. A dry-curing mixture containing
not less than three and one-third pounds of salt to each hundredweight
of the unstuffed sausage shall be thoroughly mixed with the ground
or chopped meat. After admixture with the salt and other curing materials
and before stuffing, the ground or chopped meat shall be held at a
temperature not lower than 34°F for not less than 36 hours. After
being stuffed the sausage shall be held at a temperature not lower
than 34°F for an additional period of time sufficient to make
a total of not less than 144 hours from the time the curing materials
are added to the meat, or the sausage shall be held for the time specified
in a pickle-curing medium of not less than 50 strength (salimeter
reading) at a temperature not lower than 44°F. Finally, the sausage
having a diameter not exceeding three and one half inches, measured
at the time of stuffing, shall be smoked for not less than 12 hours.
The temperature of the smokehouse during this period at no time shall
be lower than 90°F, and for four consecutive hours of this period
the smokehouse shall be maintained at a temperature not lower than
128°F. In regulating the temperature of the smokehouse for the
treatment of sausage under this method, the temperature of 128°F
shall be attained gradually during a period of not less than four
hours.
Method No. 4. The meat shall be ground or chopped into pieces
not exceeding 1/4 of an inch in diameter. A dry-curing mixture containing
not less than two and one-half pounds of salt to each hundredweight
of the unstuffed sausage shall be thoroughly mixed with the ground
or chopped meat. After admixture with the salt and other curing materials
and before stuffing, the ground or chopped sausage shall be held as
a compact mass, not more than six inches in depth, at a temperature
not lower than 36°F for not less than 10 days. At the termination
of the holding period, the sausage shall be stuffed in casings or
cloth bags not exceeding three and one half inches in diameter,
measured at the time of stuffing. After being stuffed, the sausage
shall be held in a drying room at a temperature not lower than 45°F
for the remainder of a 35 day period, measured from the time the curing
materials are added to the meat. At any time after stuffing, if an
establishment deems it desirable, the product may be heated in a water
bath for a period not to exceed three hours at a temperature not lower
than 80°F, or subjected to smoking at a temperature not lower
than 80°F, or the product may be both heated and smoked as specified.
The time consumed in heating and smoking, however, shall be in addition
to the 35 day holding period specified.
Method No. 5. The meat shall be ground or chopped into pieces
not exceeding 3/4 of an inch in diameter. A dry-curing mixture containing
not less than three and one-third pounds of salt to each hundredweight
of the unstuffed sausage shall be thoroughly mixed with the ground
or chopped meat. After being stuffed the sausage shall be held for
not less than 65 days at a temperature not lower than 45°F. The
coverings for sausage prepared according to this method may be coated
at any stage of the preparation before or during the holding period
with paraffin or other substance approved by the Health Officer.