need food help

Moon_Boi

Had some sausages in the freezer and decided to check them because of the Irish food scare...read on the side that they contain "Beef Connective Tissue"...what the hell is this stuff i've been eating?

lka200

Its the tendons and sinew. I have started to buy the walls sausages that 'use the 2 best cuts of pork' and they are lovely but a bit pricey.
Its amazing what rubbish they put in processed food...i am a label reading freak so i always avoid stuff like that!

lindadykes

http://www.food.gov.uk/news/pressreleases/2002/sep/fsameatlabelling
the link above explains new labelling regulations which now apparently mean that we get to know how much of the meat in a product is lean meat and how much is other bits such as skin, fat and gristle.

Moon_Boi

These were Belchers Irish Recipe Sausages...think i will read the labels next time i buy

thriftlady_2

There is nothing wrong or weird about 'beef connective tissue' -it is not 'rubbish'.

Sinewy meat is exactly what you need to make a good stew. Shin of beef is full of it. When slow-cooked it melts and helps makes the sauce extra tasty.

However, in a sausage it will remain pretty chewy, but it is ground up so it doesn't matter. It is not rubbish but part of the animal. Sausages are, after all a way for butchers to make use of the bits of meat they would be unable to sell otherwise. It is thrifty

juliapenguin

thriftlady wrote: »

There is nothing wrong or weird about 'beef connective tissue' -it is not 'rubbish'.

Sinewy meat is exactly what you need to make a good stew. Shin of beef is full of it. When slow-cooked it melts and helps makes the sauce extra tasty.

However, in a sausage it will remain pretty chewy, but it is ground up so it doesn't matter. It is not rubbish but part of the animal. Sausages are, after all a way for butchers to make use of the bits of meat they would be unable to sell otherwise. It is thrifty

I agree with thriftlady - my mum has always taught me to use things like shin beef for stew and it really is delicious. Also, I've found it good to use shoulder pork (which looks less than appetising raw) to make things like pork and apple casseroles - so much more tender than the stuff which looks 'perfect' raw.

Mind you, I've got a thing about using up all parts of an animal (must go back to Little House in the Big Woods and head cheese...) - to me it seems wrong that an animal is slaughtered for our food if anything is wasted. I'm not upset if a couple of carrots get 'lost' in the fridge and go on the compost heap but I feel terrible if anything with meat in it gets thrown away.

bella2121

lka200 wrote: »

Its the tendons and sinew. I have started to buy the walls sausages that 'use the 2 best cuts of pork' and they are lovely but a bit pricey.
Its amazing what rubbish they put in processed food...i am a label reading freak so i always avoid stuff like that!

I have bought loads of packs of walls sauages, they have been on special offer in asda a tesco quite recently for £1, think they where meant to be about £2.19 for a pack of 8, and they are really delicious

juliapenguin

My favourite sausages are some from a greengrocer in Lytham St Annes (where I come from). They have a low meat content and are probably full of rusk and the less appealing-sounding bits, but they are absolutely DELICIOUS and I buy pounds and pounds of them whenever I go back. I tend to buy either top of the range sausages (on offer, of course!) or these really cheap ones. I much prefer the latter and wish I could find them here (Cheshire).

purpleivy

Afraid I am a bit suspicious of bought sausages. Don't have a problem with some of the things that go in, but other ingredients did put me off, so I tned not to buy them now and if i do, try to get them made on the butcher's premises.

I'm planning to start making my own, that's a project for the new year!

ragz_2

On the subject of sausages, I recently discovered that LIdl's own plain sausages are something like 95% pork and don't seem to have any awful sounding ingredients, they are delicous and though they are £2.19 a pack, I figure as I use them to cook a meal, it's still cheaper than buying meat alone.
I agree that the odd weird sounding animal product is normal and the butchers use things like that too so I wouldn't worry too much.

Gunna

Wall's sausages are actually quite tasty and nice and meaty. I too got them on offer in Tesco for £1 got the normal pork cuts ones and the cumberland and lincolnshire, so far have enjoyed all 3.

I usually get pork and leek from my butcher these are super for bangers and mash and so cheap.

I try not to read what goes into sausages as it will put me off but my pet hate is getting that grisley chewy bit when having a mouthful yuk lol