Is it safe to dry homemade sausages that have been cured with Cure #1 in a dehydrator instead of hanging them out to slowly dry? The dehydrator I have goes from 90F to 190F.
Meat – dehydrate homemade sausage with a dehydrator
charcuteriedehydratingfood-safetymeat
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Best Answer
Safety concerns aside (although this is related), the issue with this approach is case hardening. That is, the sausage, salumi, or whole muscle dries too quickly and unevenly. The exterior becomes too dry, while the interior is not dry enough. The hardening of the exterior, then further limits the drying of the interior. Hanging meat to dry, in the appropriate environmental conditions, leads to an evenly and appropriately dried final product. I would not recommend a dehydrator in this situation. With a constant warm airflow, case hardening is inevitable.