Red Coloring

Sausages are rarely composed of just meat. Spices, non-meat fillers,  binders, and colorings are often used in sausage formulae. Red coloring, for instance, was standard in hot dogs until the 1970s and some regional American brands still use it. This one is for a sausage that would be seen as unappetizing in its “natural” state.

Sausage color

From: Butchers’ Packers’ and Sausage Makers’ Red Book. Sayers, George Jacob.  Chicago: Wolf, Sayer & Heller. 1913. Crerar Collection: 689.13 R300.