Expert: Enrique Torres - 3/26/2009

Question
I got some fresh pork sausage which I made into patties.  I tried two times to fry this in the frying pan on med heat, the outside gets burned and the inside isn't cooked all the way.  Is there a trick to this?

Answer
Billie:
There are some thinks you have to know:
a. When a fresh sausage is elaborated, some nitrite salts are added in order preserve red-pink colour and low bacterial presence when cooked.
b.It seems to be possible the product you bought contained those salts and you wont obtain any other different color from red-pink in spite of being fully cooked.

There is not any trick different from buying "non cured" (non nitrite/nitrate added) fresh meat products.

Good luck,
Enrique