Dear friends,
I tend to get a strange, not entirely pleasant, sharp burning sensation in the far back of my throat with homemade cured meat. It's unlike pepper or other sharp spices. It's not unique to sausages but I also experienced it with homemade pancetta for example. It's not something I have ever encountered in storebought sausages or other cured meats.
Any idea what may have caused this?
I've got the same thing with aged blue mussels -- the big ones -- cooked fresh. I'd hazard there's something present that's being treated as a toxin or is toxic but that isn't necessarily food gone bad.
I'm not sure if we're talking the same thing, but I sometimes get a curious sensation at the back of the mouth when eating charcuterie from France and Spain. I'd describe it as a slighlty unpleasant "dry mouth / throat" sensation. I've noticed it particularly with French andouille and with cheaper Spanish chorizo. I'd put it down to excessive nitrite/ate without any real justification.
this may be the same sensation, sharpness/burn I would call it (and I think I did) but, dryness could also describe it I guess. But the cause is speculation, i take it?
Since this question, I have consulted a butcher/sausagemaker who teaches meat science. He explained that it was nitrites that I tasted. 30 grams p/kg is too much nitritesalt (0.0625%), not necessarily too much salt, but too much nitrites. I now use no more than 25 grams and it's much better.