Beef sausages are made entirely with beef or a combination of primarily beef with other meats, especially pork. Sausages are foods made from ground meats, usually, but not always, packed into a casing of some type, which can be natural or man made. Natural sausage casings are usually made from the intestines of pigs or other animals. Man made casings can be made from other foods and may or may not be edible. Those that are inedible must be removed prior to eating the sausage. Sausages can be raw or cooked and cured.
Sausages have certain things in common, and beef sausages are no exception. Ground or chopped meats, often trimmings or parts that are not suitable for other uses, are mixed with bits of fat, seasonings, and sometimes fillers. The mixture is then packed into casings, or sometimes shaped in molds without casings, as is the case with hot dogs.
Regardless of how the sausages are formed, they can be raw, cooked, or cured. Sausages may or may not be smoked as well. Smoking imparts flavor and may also be part of the curing process. Cured sausages are usually cured with a special type of salt called curing salt. These kinds of sausages are usually saltier than uncured or raw sausages.
Recipes for beef sausages and other types of sausages vary widely. There are thousands of traditional types found in many cuisines from around the world, particularly in Europe. Sausages are very popular in other parts of the world, like North America and Australia, where Europeans settled in large numbers.
Some of the most common types of beef sausages are summer sausages. These sausages are a cured type of sausage and do not need to be refrigerated. Cured sausages are often cooked by smoking, but this is not always the case. Summer sausages are often wrapped in wax paper and plastic rather than a natural casing, although some brands still use the latter.
Other very common types of sausage, including salami, polish sausage, and smoked sausage, are made with beef or a mixture of beef and other meats. Hot dogs, sometimes called frankfurters, are actually a type of sausage, although many people do not think of them as such. While certain types of sausage are traditionally made primarily from meats other than beef, almost any type of sausage recipe may be altered to include beef.
