Are Italian sausages precooked?
Similarly, you may ask, are sausages precooked?
Raw sausages are made with raw meat and are not cooked. They are preserved by lactic acid fermentation, and they may be dried, brined or smoked. Most raw sausages will keep for a long time. Precooked sausages (Kochwurst) are made with precooked meat but may also include raw organ meat.
Simply so, is Italian sausage pink when cooked?
Meat is cooked when pathogenic bacteria is killed and becomes safe to eat. Sausages and meat that has been minced, can stay pink when cooked. It can also brown prematurely, which is just as worrying. Premature browning means they can look 'cooked' (not pink) but in fact the pathogenic bacteria has not been killed.
Sausages are either uncooked or ready to eat. Dry sausages may be smoked, unsmoked or cooked. Semi-dry sausages are usually heated in the smokehouse to fully cook the product and partially dry it. Cooked sausages (for example, bologna and frankfurters) are cooked and may also be smoked.