Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Sodium content of your sausage and can I get it without any added salt?
A certain amount of salt is necessary in making sausage because it helps break down the fibers of the meat. Not using salt, sea salt in our case, would yield sausage with a consistency of coarse ground pork, and very crumbly. The lowest sodium sausages we have are the fresh ones, because we use sodium nitrite in the smoked varieties. Most recipes contain approximately 400 mg per quarter pound of product. The RDA for sodium is approx. 2300 mg per day for healthy adults. Typical Nutrition analysis for smoked is as follows:
Why do you use Sodium Nitrite in some of your products?
We think that when properly used, sodium nitrite yields a safer product and helps protect our customers from harmful and potentially fatal pathogens like E. Coli and Listeria Monocytogenes. Please see the following link for in depth information on this subject: Concerning Nitrites in Cured Meat
What is the difference between “All Natural” and regular meat?
Animals that are raised all natural are not injected with any drugs such as artificial growth hormones or antibiotics, all of which finds its way into the meat and then into us. Sometimes, when animals are injected, the needle breaks, the broken piece of which may eventually find its way onto your dinner table. Animals that are raised all natural are fed better quality feed, free from meat by-products, which has been linked to ‘mad cow”. The animals we use in our meat products are humanely raised and treated. All of these things make for a noticeably better product.
How do I cook my sausage?
Our smoked products are fully cooked and ready to eat right from the package if you wish, or they can be warmed in a soup, microwaved, or a quick grilling. Our fresh product is uncooked and must be heated until the internal temperature reaches or exceeds 161 deg. F. This is the temperature at which pathogens are destroyed. You may cook fresh product in water half way up the sausage in a pan until water evaporates, then brown the outside. Grilling, baking, cooking as part of a soup or stew is fine as well. As with other lean meats, don’t overcook.
I'm allergic to any type of bovine product. Do you have anything without any beef, beef collagen casings or ingredients?
We only use natural hog casings, no collagen or beef casings. The only products that contain beef are the pepperoni, summer sausage, salami and the hot dogs. All other products are made with pork, or lamb, or turkey, which will be in the product description.
In what form are your sausages, and how many per package?
Most of our sausages are in packages with four (six inch) links. Kielbasa and country sausage come in a rings. Pepperoni and Linguica come in “split” rings or two long (approx. 12 inch) sausages tied together at both ends.
Do you use fillers in your products?
We use soy flour in some of our recipes to retain the natural juices. All of our meat products are 15% or less fat content. We NEVER use “trim” meat or “mystery” meat. We only use whole muscle meat, pork shoulder, beef shoulder, boneless, skinless turkey thighs and boneless legs of lamb or goat in our meat products. The spices are either all natural or fully organic. It is our philosophy that only the best ingredients yield the best tasting foods, and we promise that we will never compromise our quality for the sake of profit. You can buy cheaply made goods anywhere. True quality is hard to come by.