Cooking Chinese Sausages

[Steve Wertz]

So here I am, 20 pounds of raw-consumed Chinese Sausage later,
and just now they've finally put labels on them telling me I'm
supposed to *cook* Chinese sausages before eating them.

<sigh> I feel a bout of trichinosis coming on... delayed
reaction, I guess.

-sw

[n***@pacbell.net]

Post by Steve Wertz
So here I am, 20 pounds of raw-consumed Chinese Sausage later,
and just now they've finally put labels on them telling me I'm
supposed to *cook* Chinese sausages before eating them.
<sigh> I feel a bout of trichinosis coming on... delayed
reaction, I guess.

If they're the hard, kind of sweet ones, I wouldn't worry about it. I've
been eating them raw and cooked for 15 years or so. The only worm I've got
has pretty much shriveled up and died! ;-(

[Steve Wertz]

Post by n***@pacbell.net
If they're the hard, kind of sweet ones, I wouldn't worry about it. I've
been eating them raw and cooked for 15 years or so. The only worm I've got
has pretty much shriveled up and died! ;-(

Glad to hear you got the jungle rot taken care of ;-)

I eat raw pork all the time (raw ham mostly), so I'm not really
worried about worms. Heck, I could probably stand to lose a few
pounds from a worm infection. Less food I have to process.

-sw

[Jeff Lichtman]

Post by Steve Wertz
I eat raw pork all the time (raw ham mostly), so I'm not really
worried about worms. Heck, I could probably stand to lose a few
pounds from a worm infection. Less food I have to process.
-sw

Trichinosis has been almost completely eliminated from pork in the U.S.
The few cases that occur in this country usually come from eating
undercooked wild game. Bear is often infested with trichinosis, I
understand.

However, in the unlikely event that you got trichinosis, you wouldn't
just lose weight. The trichinella parasite doesn't live in the gut - in
invades muscle tissue. Symptoms can include aching joints, itchy skin,
problems with coordination, difficulty breathing and heart problems.

When you say you eat raw ham, do you mean uncooked cured ham such as
Italian prosciutto crudo? This is made from certified pork, in which any
parasites have been killed by freezing. This process and the fact that
trochinosis is rare in commercial pork make uncooked commercial hams
very safe to eat.

[Steve Wertz]

Post by Jeff Lichtman
When you say you eat raw ham, do you mean uncooked cured ham such as
Italian prosciutto crudo?

No. Like wet-cured and smoked hams (smoked at 110F or less, much
less heat than what is required to kill most bacteria). AKA
"Ready to Cook" - The USDA term - hams.

Post by Jeff Lichtman
This is made from certified pork, in which any
parasites have been killed by freezing. This process and the fact that
trochinosis is rare in commercial pork make uncooked commercial hams
very safe to eat.

I didn't knew that the certification process included freezing.
I guess this is why we can now buy (some) Serrano hams in the US,
but still not Yunan hams.

-sw

[n***@pacbell.net]

Post by Steve Wertz

Post by n***@pacbell.net
If they're the hard, kind of sweet ones, I wouldn't worry about it.
I've been eating them raw and cooked for 15 years or so. The only worm
I've got has pretty much shriveled up and died! ;-(

Glad to hear you got the jungle rot taken care of ;-)

Ouch! The jungle rot was on my feet, not my 1/2 foot!

Post by Steve Wertz
I eat raw pork all the time (raw ham mostly), so I'm not really
worried about worms. Heck, I could probably stand to lose a few
pounds from a worm infection. Less food I have to process.

The way pigs are raised in the US, that's prolly not much of a problem
anymore.

[David Hare-Scott]

Post by Steve Wertz
So here I am, 20 pounds of raw-consumed Chinese Sausage later,
and just now they've finally put labels on them telling me I'm
supposed to *cook* Chinese sausages before eating them.
<sigh> I feel a bout of trichinosis coming on... delayed
reaction, I guess.
-sw

If you mean lup cheong (spelling?) they are well dried and will last for
months at room temperature unopened or months refrigerated once open. I
doubt that they hold too many nasty bugs. Cooking does make them a little
softer and plumper. I slice them thinly and steam for 10-15 minutes before
adding to whatever I feel like.

David

[barry]

Post by Steve Wertz
So here I am, 20 pounds of raw-consumed Chinese Sausage later,
and just now they've finally put labels on them telling me I'm
supposed to *cook* Chinese sausages before eating them.
<sigh> I feel a bout of trichinosis coming on... delayed
reaction, I guess.
-sw

it could be worse - i know someone that discovered after the fact that
you're supposed to deep fry shrimp chips!

"i can spell. i just can't type."

[Steve Wertz]

Post by barry

Post by Steve Wertz
So here I am, 20 pounds of raw-consumed Chinese Sausage later,
and just now they've finally put labels on them telling me I'm
supposed to *cook* Chinese sausages before eating them.
<sigh> I feel a bout of trichinosis coming on... delayed
reaction, I guess.

it could be worse - i know someone that discovered after the fact that
you're supposed to deep fry shrimp chips!

Uncooked shrimp chips would be pretty obvious after the first
bite. Heck, I tried to rehydrate dried squid for a few days
before I gage up and posted here asking why it wouldn't work.

-sw

[David Hare-Scott]

Post by barry
it could be worse - i know someone that discovered after the fact that
you're supposed to deep fry shrimp chips!

I have had this experience! I went to a party and someone had brought prawn
crackers but apparently left or got drunk or something. The mob were
nibbling on these bits of orange plastic with their beer saying "what the
hell is this stuff". I spent 45 minutes cooking them and after that they
were a big success.

David

[sedge laptop]

Post by David Hare-Scott
If you mean lup cheong (spelling?) they are well dried and will last for
months at room temperature unopened or months refrigerated once open. I
doubt that they hold too many nasty bugs. Cooking does make them a little
softer and plumper. I slice them thinly and steam for 10-15 minutes before
adding to whatever I feel like.

How many months? I have an unopened package with a sell by date of Oct.
2005. Should I toss it or is that just a USDA thing? :)

[David Hare-Scott]

Post by sedge laptop

Post by David Hare-Scott
If you mean lup cheong (spelling?) they are well dried and will last for
months at room temperature unopened or months refrigerated once open.

I

Post by sedge laptop

Post by David Hare-Scott
doubt that they hold too many nasty bugs. Cooking does make them a little
softer and plumper. I slice them thinly and steam for 10-15 minutes before
adding to whatever I feel like.

How many months? I have an unopened package with a sell by date of Oct.
2005. Should I toss it or is that just a USDA thing? :)
--
Saara

Check for visible signs such as fungi etc, if none of those and it still
smells good I would eat them. I really don't know how long I keep them but
I have never thrown any out as too old and never taken harm from them
either. One warning, I buy a specific brand and I trust the way they
preserve the sausages, I have no idea whether your brand is the same.

David

[Jade]

David, what brand of sausage do you get? Do they use preservatives?

thx

Post by David Hare-Scott

Post by sedge laptop

Post by David Hare-Scott
If you mean lup cheong (spelling?) they are well dried and will last for
months at room temperature unopened or months refrigerated once open.

I

Post by sedge laptop

Post by David Hare-Scott
doubt that they hold too many nasty bugs. Cooking does make them a

little

Post by sedge laptop

Post by David Hare-Scott
softer and plumper. I slice them thinly and steam for 10-15 minutes

before

Post by sedge laptop

Post by David Hare-Scott
adding to whatever I feel like.

How many months? I have an unopened package with a sell by date of Oct.
2005. Should I toss it or is that just a USDA thing? :)
--
Saara

Check for visible signs such as fungi etc, if none of those and it still
smells good I would eat them. I really don't know how long I keep them but
I have never thrown any out as too old and never taken harm from them
either. One warning, I buy a specific brand and I trust the way they
preserve the sausages, I have no idea whether your brand is the same.
David

[David Hare-Scott]

Post by Jade
David, what brand of sausage do you get? Do they use preservatives?

Wing Chun, its Australian, they use reservative 251, which is...checks code
list... Sodium Nitrate, rather common in salami and other prepared meat
products.

David

[Jade]

Thanks. I don't remember seeing this brand in the East Coast, but will
look for it.

Does anyone have the recipe for making chinese sausages. I love them,
but really rather have them without preservatives. I rather eat
preservative-free meat that is brown, than treated meat that is red.
Hmm, that is not very Cantonese of me I suppose.

Post by David Hare-Scott

Post by Jade
David, what brand of sausage do you get? Do they use preservatives?

Wing Chun, its Australian, they use reservative 251, which is...checks code
list... Sodium Nitrate, rather common in salami and other prepared meat
products.
David

[n***@pacbell.net]

Post by Jade
Thanks. I don't remember seeing this brand in the East Coast, but will
look for it.
Does anyone have the recipe for making chinese sausages. I love them,
but really rather have them without preservatives. I rather eat
preservative-free meat that is brown, than treated meat that is red.
Hmm, that is not very Cantonese of me I suppose.

Post by David Hare-Scott

Post by Jade
David, what brand of sausage do you get? Do they use preservatives?

Wing Chun, its Australian, they use reservative 251, which is...checks
code list... Sodium Nitrate, rather common in salami and other prepared
meat products.

Not the same, but FYI. My wife, Jun, makes a NE Thai style pork sausage.
She uses the Thai equivalent of Prague Powder # 1 (16 parts salt, 1 part
sodium nitrite) to cure the meat. One oz. of cure to 10 lbs of sausage
meat. This sausage requires some form of subsequent cooking. Our kids buy
Chinese sausage, too.

[Steve Wertz]

Post by David Hare-Scott
Wing Chun, its Australian, they use reservative 251, which is...checks code
list... Sodium Nitrate, rather common in salami and other prepared meat
products.

Wing Chun? Isn't this the brand that Karate chops their meat
into a mince?

[sedge laptop]

Post by sedge laptop

Post by David Hare-Scott
If you mean lup cheong (spelling?) they are well dried and will last for
months at room temperature unopened or months refrigerated once open.

<snip>

Post by sedge laptop
How many months? I have an unopened package with a sell by date of Oct.
2005. Should I toss it or is that just a USDA thing? :)
--
Saara

Check for visible signs such as fungi etc, if none of those and it still
smells good I would eat them. I really don't know how long I keep them but
I have never thrown any out as too old and never taken harm from them
either. One warning, I buy a specific brand and I trust the way they
preserve the sausages, I have no idea whether your brand is the same.

Thanks, David!

When I go to use it, I'll have a new package on hand and evaluate the
first. If it's suspicious, I'll toss it.