The constant battle of the "pink" sausages

[CathyDavies]

I swear every flipping time I push myself a little and cook some real sausages, I end up getting the sausages that stay pink no matter how long I cook them!!

They were Linconshire sausages, and were put in the oven for almost an hour. They were piping hot (obviously) and were all sticky and caramelised on the outsides. Cut one open to check, white throughout but a pink edge near the skin? On every single sausage!

Rest of the family said they're absolutely fine, and if I'd put them in any longer they'd burn. Tried to eat the end of one but the pink was just so gross. Everyone else ate all them just fine, ended up sticking to my vegetarian option of potato wedges and roasted tomatoes.

Of course I'm worrying like mad about that little bit that I had. Watching the other people to see how they're dealing with it. I've got a stomach ache and the usual anxiety after eating. WHY do I bother with meat? All it does is add unnecessary worry.

[thecheesecake17]

You know what, this is so me but its so annoying that you might aswell just turn your attention to something else , you probably ate a smaller piece than you thought and it won't make you sick! My brother always tells me "I've eaten pink raw chicken. I had a stomach ache and that was it. You won't get sick from a sausege". Tbh this whole fear has put me off beef pork and chicken and I think I'd rather just be a vegetarian...its less bloating too! You'll be fine

[Afdpt]

Can you invest in a meat thermometer? That way you can measure the temperature and make sure it reaches a safe level rather than focusing on the color?

To be honest I don't care for sausage so I'm not really familiar with what's normal, color wise, for that but if you've had them pink before I imagine it's safe. Also, what I try to do, is focus on people around me. Most people are not going to be ok eating undercooked meat when it can be a safety issue. Nobody wants to get sick from it, so if you have people (especially multiple people) telling you it's fine and willing to eat it, that's a good indication that it's probably just emetophobia making you TOO cautious.

[gumdropper1]

They are not pink because they are undercooked; they are pink because they are smoked. In many cases, sausages bought at the supermarket are already cooked. In that case, all you need to do is heat them. Don't even worry about their color. If they are truly raw sausages, then cook them so they have been thoroughly heated and just understand that some will be pink.

And be careful what men you ask for advice on pink sausages.

[momof5]

I was just going to say that, gumdropper. Meat has to be really bad to make you sick. We butcher our own meat, birds. Anyway smoked sausage and some of the seasoning cause it to stay pink, also some of the cuts of meat they use tend to stay a pink color. Pork is weird. Chicken I won't eat from the store. Also fresh vegetables. Any fresh I get I will put into boiling water for a few seconds before using or lightly steam.

[joeylynn]

I get that all the time with Italian sausage hot or mild doesn't seem to make a difference....boyfriend cooked them once for well over an hour and they were still very pink/reddish inside. I of course ate a few bites of the end where I knew it had to be cooked because of the time and temperature but couldn't get it past my eyes and my brain! So in the end 2 or 3 bites and I was done! He ate it all and was fine....we buy them all the time I don't know why they don't turn a nice shade of brown or grey or something other than pink but they don't and they are cooked but boy does it make me nervous....LOL