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Is Ground Pork The Same As Sausage? The Honest Truth!

Is Ground Pork The Same As Sausage? The Honest Truth!

Whether you eat ground pork or sausage, the two are safe to eat and unlikely to cause any health issues provided they are stored and prepared properly.

In fact, these are some of the best types of meat products you can ever eat. That’s because they are soft and tasty. It’s hard to love any other meats than the two if you have tasted them.

Is Ground Pork The Same As Sausage?

Ground pork is not the same as sausage, although they have notable similarities. The two differ in texture, taste, preparation mode, and how they are consumed. Ground pork may be used in making sausage, but sausages cannot be reverted back to ground pork.

Is Ground Pork The Same As Sausage?
Is Ground Pork The Same As Sausage?

In What Ways Are Ground Pork and Sausage Similar?

Even though there are a few notable differences between the two types of meats, they are also similar in a certain way.

Color is one of the most common ways ground pork will be the same as sausage. The two types of meats are pinkish with a few white spots when uncooked. It may be difficult to distinguish between the two kinds of meat when they are raw.

Especially in the case of ground sausage, it may be harder to tell the difference between the two.

What Are the Main Differences Between Ground Pork and Sausages?

Although there is a close relationship between ground pork and sausage, they differ in several ways. That could be due to numerous reasons, as you may find explained below;

  • Content: While ground pork is made of pig meat, sausages may have a mixture of pork with other meats or one-source meats such as beef, poultry, etc.
  • Form: Sausages are typically encased in either synthetic or natural casings. Ground pork typically is not.
  • Cooked or Uncooked: In the case of ground pork, it is advisable to cook them before eating it to kill all the bacteria. On the other hand, some sausages can be eaten uncooked if they are the cured variety. That’s because cured sausages have undergone a curing process that has killed harmful bacteria.
  • Processing: Ground pork is plain pig meat that has been minced. On the other hand, sausage is ground meat laced with salt, preservatives, fat, and various herbs and spices.
  • Taste: Ground pork tastes similar to other pig meat. However, sausage has a different and more appealing taste due to the various spices added as ingredients.
  • Health considerations: Ground pork is pure pig meat that is unflavored and doesn’t yet contain other additives such as salts and spices, which are normally present in sausages. As such, ground pork may be considered somewhat healthier compared to sausages.
Ground pork is unseasoned and unflavored, while sausages are flavored with various herbs and spices.
Ground pork is unseasoned and unflavored, while sausages are flavored with various herbs and spices.

How Are Sausages Made?

A significant relationship between ground pork and sausage is that the former may be used to make the latter. The process of doing so isn’t as hard as you may think.

Sausage can easily be made at home and flavored to suit your preferences.
Sausage can easily be made at home and flavored to suit your preferences.

This will excite you if you’re like me and love trying new recipes or new cooking techniques. Here is a recipe on how to make sausages using ground pork.

Ingredients

  • A cup of minced fresh parsley
  • ¾ cup of dry sherry
  • A peeled and chopped head of garlic
  • 5 grams of grounded nutmeg
  • ¼ cup of sherry vinegar
  • 5 grams of cracked black pepper
  • 35 grams sugar
  • 35 grams kosher salt
  • A pound of pork fat
  • 4 pounds of pork shoulder
  • 25 grams of toasted fennel seeds

Equipment

  • Meat grinder
  • Hog casings
  • Wooden rack
  • Sausage stuffer

Procedure

  • Step 1: Start by cooling the pork and the fat in a freezer. Also, ensure the grinder and the bowl you intend to use are at low temperatures, preferably freezing.
  • Step 2: Slice the meat and fat into small pieces while maintaining the icy temperatures. You can do this by placing some ice cubes between the sliced chunks of pork and fat.
  • Step 3: Add the chill and the spices into the chopped pork and thoroughly mix until you are sure it’s properly mixed up.
  • Step 4: Mix the dry sherry with the sherry vinegar. You can also add some chill. Some people use white and red wine vinegar as substitutes in this stage, and it’s okay.
  • Step 5: Immerse your hog casings in warm water.
  • Step 6: Prepare your grinder and start grinding your chopped meat pieces. Ensure the ground meat falls into a cold container. After grinding all the meat, place it in a freezer for about 30 minutes.
  • Step 7: Add any remaining sherry mixture and spices into the grounded pork and mix thoroughly using a mixer stand for 90 seconds. Remember to set the speed level of the stand mixer at level one.
  • Step 8: Run warm water through the casing and set up your sausage stuffer.
  • Step 9: Onto the stuffing tube, gently slip the casing tube. Add the mixture to the stuffer and begin cranking it. Allow the sausage to form into a single long coil before tying at the end.
  • Step 10: Pinch the long links into smaller equal intervals of about 5 inches and spin at each pinch to separate one sausage from another.
  • Step 11: Hang the sausages on the wooden rack and let them dry up. Use a sterilized needle to prick the sausage, thus helping remove excess water.
  • Step 12: Let it dry for about one hour and thirty minutes to two hours.

There you have your homemade sausage. Depending on how you love eating your link, you may grill or deep fry the sausages.

Sausage though, is not only made with ground pork. It can also be made with other types of meat. If you are curious to explore, check out “What is Sausage Made Of?” on the site.

Sausages may be grilled or deep fried depending on how you want to enjoy them.
Sausages may be grilled or deep fried depending on how you want to enjoy them.

Frequently Asked Questions to Is Ground Pork The Same As Sausage?

Is there A Difference Between Ground Pork and Sausages?

While they have similarities, ground pork and sausage are not the same. Sausage is flavored with various herbs and spices but ground pork typically is not. The two differ in taste, form, and way of processing and consuming.

Can I Use Ground Pork to Prepare Sausages?

You can use ground pork to make sausage with the addition of herbs, spices and salts to achieve your desired flavor.

Can I Substitute Sausages for Ground Pork and Vice versa?

You can substitute ground pork for sausages and vice versa. However, if you dislike spices, this might not be a good choice. Nevertheless, the main difference between ground pork and sausages is that the latter is spiced while the former is not.

Conclusion to Is Ground Pork the Same As Sausage?

Ground pork is not the same as sausage although they can be similar. Sausage can be made from ground pork as well as other types of ground meat that is flavored with herbs and spices and stuffed into casings. They can be cured or uncured. Ground pork, on the other hand, is usually sold unflavored, unseasoned, and uncured.

Sausage can be made from various types of meat, not just ground pork.
Sausage can be made from various types of meat, not just ground pork.

Sausage and ground pork have some similarities but also have differences in terms of taste, form, texture, processing, and how they are enjoyed.