Shipping — We ship our sausages well frozen in well-insulated containers. You should select a shipping mode that gets the sausages to you the day after you place the order. In general, if you live within 250-300 miles of Washington, DC, UPS or FedEx overnight ground is sufficient. However, if you live further away you probably need to use "next-day air".
When your sausages arrive you should put those you do not want to eat within three days in the freezer. Those you plan to use soon should go into the refrigerator. Our sausages contain no preservatives (other than salt). In a vacuum package in a freezer kept 10 degrees F or below, our sausages will last up to 10 months. In a refrigerator below 40°F,
an unopened package will stay good for seven days.
If the sausages arrive defrosted and you do not want to use them within three days, put them in the freezer. Being refrozen once will not damage them.
The best way to defrost our sausages is to put them in the refrigerator the day before you want to eat them. If you're like Stan, however, you probably won't plan that far ahead. For a quick defrosting, place the sausages on your kitchen counter. For a faster defrosting, place the sealed package in a large bowl of cool water.
Sausages are not thick so they will defrost quickly.
Cooking. Our sausages can be cooked in so many ways. They bring a lot of flavor to your table. They can be grilled, broiled, baked (at 375° F), or sautéed to be enjoyed on their own or in the company of other dishes. Our sausages can also be cooked with other ingredients in stews, soups, casseroles, and sauces.
Sausages should be cooked to an internal temperature of 155° F. They will not be damaged if their internal temperature goes up to 175°. To determine if a sausage is done you can cut it in half at the center to see if any of the meat inside is pink. If not, the sausage is cooked.
An even better way is to use an instant read thermometer like the one in the picture. To get the most accurate reading, the thermometer should be inserted into the end of the sausage and go right down the center. This is sometimes hard to do because most sausages are slightly curved.
