17 best sausage producers

*Review of the best according to the editorial board. About the selection criteria. This material is subjective, it is not an advertisement and does not serve as a guide to purchase. It is necessary to consult with a specialist before buying.

Despite debates about the dangers of processed meat products due to hazardous ingredients, sausages are among the top five popular foods. Producers offer many varieties with different tastes and prices. Expertology editors referred to the quality protocols of Roskontrol and Roskatchestvo, and ranked the products that received high scores from experts.

What did the test show?

The selection of meats is varied. However, their quality raises many questions. Histological analyses of formulations debunked myths about paper, soy, stray animal DNA, dangerous additives that cause cancer. Microstructure analysis revealed the percentage of muscle, connective and fatty tissue, tendon fragments, protein and fat content. In some cakes the experts found chicken meat, which is not included in the standard technological chart. In defense of the manufacturers it should be said that on the label they honestly indicated not GOST, but TU.

They retain the right to add approved ingredients. In this case we are talking about an exclusive recipe, making products cheaper and giving them specific tastes. If we are talking about cooked sausages whose composition includes water-binding, water-holding and protein additives (polysaccharide complexes, gum, dextrins, inulin, phosphates, carrageenans), then such products cannot qualify for the Roskachestvo mark.

3 selection tips

Meat products of the same name may have different compositions. When buying pay attention to appearance. Quality French breads have a dry surface with no defects or encrustations of ground meat. The artificial or natural casing fits tightly to the meat filling in which the speck and spices are evenly distributed. If storage conditions are not right, it will come off. In any case, customers have the right to demand a certificate confirming the microbiological safety of products.

Study the composition

The first component is always the percentage of meat, not fat, water, or additives. In low-grade sausages unscrupulous manufacturers often use a mass of bones with remnants of fiber, which turns under the press into a mashed substance. Starch and texture stabilizers are added to bind. The cut reveals the heterogeneity of the filling. When such products are stained with hematoxylin and eosin, dark purple flecks are immediately visible in the lab.

Test the quality at home

A drop of iodine on a slice is enough to detect starch. The blue coloration indicates the presence of water-binding powder. Fuchsin, beet juice and other pigments are not difficult to detect by experimentation, since when boiled the water turns a characteristic color.

What has been verified in the laboratory?

Meat products were tested on 70 safety items for absence:

1. medicines;
2. of genetically modified raw materials;
3. Pathogenic microflora;
4. Heavy metals and radionuclides.

In the end, we identified several brands that comply with GOST, and in many ways are ahead of the standards of Roskachestvo.

17 best sausage makers

The best cooked sausage

Famous varieties were invented back in the 1930s. Today they continue to be produced according to the old technological charts, prescribed in GOST from minced meat. Chicken meat and soy protein are not allowed in the classic composition. Depending on the recipe, combines add tongues, bacon, milk, spice mixes, flavor enhancers, sodium nitrite (E250) for coloring, phosphates in strict doses. The latter retain moisture to preserve juiciness and softness. The meat is ground and boiled at 80 degrees. Among cooked sausages without speck, “Doktorskaya”, “Dairy”, with the addition of pieces of lard and meat – “Lyubitelskaya”, “Ostankinskaya” stand out according to their taste qualities.

Velcom

Rating: 5.0

The company produces soy-free products made of good meat with bacon, claiming a mark of quality. After histological examination no traces of antibiotics were found. Traces of pesticides and other inclusions (nitrite salt, etc.).p.) does not go beyond the norms. The composition includes: milk and animal proteins, egg powder, acidity regulators, flavor enhancer, stabilizer, natural flavorings and seasonings: mustard seed, cardamom and others. Despite confirming the quality, the expert commission after tasting lowered the organoleptic score. They noted a pleasant meat flavor and a subtle aroma of nutmeg, but unexpressed flavor of other spices.

Advantages

• high nutritional value;
• even pink color;
• elastic consistency;
• absence of harmful additives.

Disadvantages

• mild aroma.

DYMOV

Rating: 4.9

Products of the meat-processing plant are among the most popular in the country. The company supplies them to major grocery chains and food outlets. The fourth cattle-breeding complex launched in 2020 allows Dymov to produce natural meat products of the highest quality. This is confirmed by the estimates of experts, inspection organizations and consumer demand. Cooked sausages of category A are produced according to GOST R 52196-2017, which entered into force in January 2021. The manufacturer observes the rules of packaging, labeling, storage, ensuring quality and food safety.

Sausage with a homogeneous texture and smooth coloring has a delicate flavor and moderate saltiness. Suitable for dietary and baby food, for cold and hot dishes. Contains ground beef, lean pork meat, melange, milk. Sodium pyrophosphate is responsible for regulation of acidity; sodium glutamate, spices, nutmeg are responsible for flavor enhancement; color – color fixer. Retains moisture potassium polyphosphate.

Advantages

• dry surface;
• No unhealthy ingredients detected;
• There is no misleading information on the packaging;
• The nutritional value corresponds to the declared value;
• Products received high marks from Roskachestvo experts.

Disadvantages

• 18% less than declared, the percentage of fat.

Okra

Rating: 4.8

Bogorodsky Meat Produce Meat products from minced pork and beef. This is the youngest company in the Moscow region, operating since 2006. The test results confirmed the quality of milk sausage in artificial casings, which meets the requirements of the State Standard. No antibiotics, nitrite salt or other health-hazardous inclusions are found in the product. Contains a small amount of monosodium glutamate. Analysis found no particles of bone and cartilage, poultry skins and mucous membranes. According to results of examination by an independent laboratory the products received a quality mark.

Advantages

• contains proteins and fats in the required quantity;
• Has good organoleptic properties, corresponding to GOST R 52196-2017;
• You get the right information on the package;
• no alien DNA, no GMOs detected;
• There are no dyes, thickeners, preservatives, dangerous bacteria.

Disadvantages

• Nutritional values differ from those indicated on the label: protein is 11% more, fat is 24% less than stated.

Twiglet

Rating: 4.7

TM produces “Doktorskaya” of Category A with low content of muscle tissue and homogeneous consistency without specks. The samples were examined for the absence of nitrates, radionuclides and heavy metals, etc. Benzoic and sorbic acid salts, dyes: tartrazine, ponceau, indigo carmine were tested negative. Residual activity of acid phosphatase, which affects the quality of heat treatment of minced meat, is normal. Microbiological parameters, phosphate content, mass fraction of protein and fats meet the standards. This indicates the absence of food additives to enhance taste, inclusion of starch for viscosity or natural gelling agent, carrageenan for structure stabilization.

Advantages

• The product does not contain DNA of poultry, pets, foreign components
• Is microbiologically safe;
• received a high organoleptic rating;
• Net weight is as declared.

Flaws

• Traces of benzylpenicillin antibiotic were detected.

Rublevsky

Rating: 4.6

Quality of raw materials is the main factor of taste. Doktorskaya”, “Amateur”, “Tongue” bats in protein and cellophane are made of mixed chilled minced meat with the addition of milk protein, egg melange. Flavor is given by a mixture of spices with nutmeg, sesame, mustard, celery, monosodium glutamate. Manufacturer also uses ascorbic acid, natural rosehip pigment, color fixer, sodium alginate thickener, acidity regulator. According to physico-chemical parameters the meat products comply with the standards of TR CU 034/2013.

Advantages

• contain an optimal percentage of proteins and fats per 100 grams;
• No GMOs or soy, no potentially harmful preservatives;
• no traces of antibiotics, strontium and cesium;
• Pathogenic microorganisms: E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus;
• The information on the package is accurate.

Flaws

• High moisture content and connective tissue proteins.

Blizhnie Gorki

Rating: 4.5

Kursk meat processing plant produces sausage from top-grade meat. The company owes its good quality to a closed cycle of production. She grows organic forage on her own farm in Dimitri Hill, and prepares meat products according to farm traditions. The plant has no counterparts in area and equipment, and processes 500 tons of meat per day. Delicacies are shipped by the ton in artificial casings and vacuum packs made according to different formulas. “Doktorskaya” includes ground beef and pork, milk powder, nitrite-salt mixture, egg melange, stabilizer, acidity regulator, antioxidants, maltodextrin, spice extracts. Category A product test reports showed traces of mustard, nuts.

Advantages

• No dangerous ingredients and traces of antibiotics;
• The amount of microbes (KMAFANM) is within acceptable limits;
• The product has no fat and moderately salty;
• has a pleasant taste.
• incorrect labeling;

Flaws

• revealed soy protein and carrageenan in insignificant amounts.

The best smoked sausage

Cooking serovelat began in the 16th century. The principle was to heat the meat with boiling water. Today, the delicacy undergoes a long technological process on its way to the counter. Ready minced meat is kept for 2 days, repeatedly passed through the grating with spices and pieces of bacon. The mass is then smoked, boiled and smoked again. At the end of the process you get burgundy-colored servers with flecks of fat, a delicious smell of spices and fragrant smoke. Unlike cooked sausages have a granular structure. According to GOST – 25% beef of the highest grade, the same amount of lean and 50% of pork fat.

Wellcome

Rating: 5.0

The producer has been producing A category serrilat in artificial casing since 2004 in Istrinsky District without any vegetable protein or GMOs. The taste has long been appreciated by experts, noting the quality with awards. Ingredients: sausage: live premium meat, egg melange, skimmed milk powder, cardamom / nutmeg, which gives a moderately spicy flavor. In the composition the analysis revealed antioxidant and antioxidant to prevent odor changes, of other organoleptic indicators – flavor enhancer. Additives are allowed by GOST 18236-85. Naturalness of the product is judged by the reduced period of storage – 10 days. Red rice pigment and carmine used for color brightness. The delicacy is recognized as qualitative according to the main indicators.

Advantages

• proven microbiological safety;
• the correct proportions of protein and fat;
• rich meat flavor;
• No starch or synthetic thickeners, antibiotics, insecticides;
• minimal carcinogenicity;
• Correct mass and composition.

Disadvantages

• Faint aroma of spices;
• Taste is not typical for serovalt.

Ramensky delicatessen

Rating: 4.9

OJSC “Meat Processing Plant Ramensky” produces chilled “Servelat Cognac” with granular texture. Categorizes as B, and contains 60-80% muscle fiber of beef and pork. Includes bacon, fresh garlic, a mixture of peppers, cognac. The mixture of spices, spices and alcohol gives a refined taste. The analysis shows that the amount of carcinogens formed during the smoking process is within the norm.

Advantages

• The sausage is made according to GOST from farm raw materials;
• Meets the requirements of microbiological safety;
• Has a low content of sodium chloride;
• A successful combination of spices;
• no doubtful additives.

Disadvantages

• the composition is incorrectly listed;
• 24% below the standard mass fraction of moisture;
• the caloric value is 15% lower.

Bakhrushin

Rating: 4.8

The company offers “Finnish”, “Grain”, “Swiss” savelties with lingonberry and walnuts, made according to the classical technology. These products are structural because of the use of ground meat instead of minced meat, which forms a distinctive pattern on the cut. Semi-smoked delicatessen is characterized by subtle notes of aromatic smoke and mild flavor. However, the experts also had some remarks. The degree of grinding of the ingredients was insufficient, and the spices were unevenly distributed in the mass. But the appearance has not caused problems. Ingredients: lean pork, milk protein, antioxidant, sodium ascorbate powder, nitrite salt, natural flavors, stabilizer, acidity regulators, black pepper extract, carmine. Mustard, nuts, wheat, eggs may be used.

Advantages

• dry surface;
• bright burgundy color;
• the speck when sliced does not fall out of the main mass;
• Natural smoking.

Disadvantages

• borderline insemination by mesophilic microflora;
• Average organoleptic characteristics due to extraneous odors and uncharacteristic aftertaste;
• contains a minimal amount of starch, a complex food additive.

Best dry sausage

These meat products, because of their savory flavor, are considered a delicacy and are served at the festive table. Cooking technology according to GOST 16131-86 has a distinctive feature, which consists in ripening or fermentation of minced meat for several days at – 2-4 ˚ C. During this time most of the pathogenic microorganisms die. Further the meat is smoked on beech wood chips. Smoke imparts aromatic properties and guarantees bactericidal treatment. Final stage – drying. The sausages are hung in frames and draught-hauled for up to 4 weeks. During this time, moisture deposits that form an environment for the reproduction of microbes evaporate. Good quality smoked sausages of national brands. This was proved by laboratory studies and customer feedback.

VkusWill

Rating: 5.0

The company offers semi-dry sausage in artificial casings and vacuum packing with calories up to 600 kcal/100 g. The carbohydrate-free product with a dense structure contains up to 15% proteins, 60% fat. In the recipe: beef, bacon, pork, salt, glucose, spices, starter culture of microorganisms for fermentation.

Advantages

• a lot of vitamins B group;
• Absence of antibiotics and harmful components;
• Minimal carcinogenicity;
• corresponds to the standard physico-chemical parameters;
• Precise labeling.

Disadvantages

• traces of chicken DNA from the neighboring production line were found;
• Non-homogenous minced meat with a fine porosity;
• uneven distribution of the speck.

Miratorg

Rating: 4.9

The second place is taken by products of Kursk full-service company that offers naturally smoked marbled beef products (from its own farm) with branded spices. Sausages are made according to the standard recipes. The line of ready-to-cook products and sausages produced by the author’s technology are characterized by high protein content and low saltiness. On the basis of the minimum amount of phosphates, the experts came to the conclusion that the producer does not save on raw materials and puts the natural meat without veins and membranes. According to the test results the raw smoked meat scored the highest points on all the criteria, except for organoleptic properties due to the weak flavor.

Advantages

• Moderately fat product (meets GOST);
• No fatty streaks.
• no heavy metals, radionuclides, sorbic and benzoic acids;
• Goods as labeled.

Disadvantages

• borderline fat content – 20%;
• Chunks of speck falling out of the loaf when sliced.

Rublevsky

Rating: 4.8

“Tsar Salami”, “Grain Salami”, “Stolichnaya”, “Peru Tender in French”, “Servelat” and other raw smoked varieties of this brand are known to many. The ultramodern complex has long been supplying delicatessen products to retail chains. Brownshveigskaya” contains pork, bacon, spice and herb mixes, yeast extract, flavor enhancer, antioxidants, color fixative. On analysis, it scored high in the tasting experiment, but due to heavily chopped speck falling out when sliced, the overall score is reduced. Experts noted that the label did not specify starter crops, as required by GOST. Other standard indicators meet the technological requirements.

Advantages

• high-quality raw materials;
• optimal ratio of fat to protein;
• Strong, moderately salty taste;
• bright flavor;
• Net weight corresponds to the declared value.

Disadvantages

• full composition is not specified.

Best Serovelat

This is a type of sausage with a mottled grained pattern. Servelat is raw-smoked, cooked-smoked, semi-smoked. It was cooked back in the XVI century from pork, lard and goat cheese. Small pieces were boiled, ginger, cloves and nutmeg were added for flavor. According to modern GOST this delicacy contains 25% of finely chopped beef of the highest grade, 24% lean and 51% fat pork, spices and a little sugar and sodium nitrite for a beautiful color. The mixture is stuffed with natural casings and smoked. Additional flavorings, stabilizers, starches and ripening agents listed on the label raise doubts as to the quality of the product. Counterfeit products do not participate in the rating.

Welcom

Rating: 5.0

Pavlovskaya Sloboda Meat Processing Plant LLC produces high quality natural-smoked serelat from top-grade meat. Paprika, white pepper, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, fenugreek enhance the pleasant taste. According to the research protocols no hormones, antibiotics, insecticides, nitrosamines, heavy metals or foreign DNA were detected in the pork. The analysis also revealed no dyes: tartrazi, ponceau, indigo carmine. However, the product received an organoleptic score of only 3.90 instead of 5, but that didn’t stop the cevlet from claiming the Russian Seal of Quality.

Advantages

• absolute food safety;
• Phosphate and carcinogenic content below acceptable levels
• optimal ratio of proteins to fats;
• no preservatives;
• exact list of ingredients.

Disadvantages

• not identified.

Blizniye Gorki

Rating: 4.9

Dmytrogorsk Meat Processing Plant produces medium-grained cooked-smoked serrilles of category A with exquisite flavors and aromas of smoked. Rectangular-shaped loaf makes sandwiches easier to make, since the slice fits the size of the bread. Ingredients: pork belly, beef, nitrite-salt mixture, spices (pepper, nutmeg). In “Gourmet” added poultry fillet fur. Debris, traces of cereals, soy protein, nuts can be seen. The overall rating by Roskachestvo experts was 4.8600, a large part of serovlats are nominated for a quality mark.

Disadvantages

• It meets the requirements of national standards;
• Has good consumer properties;
• High taste characteristics.

Disadvantages

• erroneous labeling;
• Protein content is 7.4% higher than the normal level, but the fat content is 44.25% lower.

Klinsky

Rating: 4.8

The meat-packing plant produces cooked smoked sausage of A category from minced pork and beef with complex food additives, black pepper and cardamom. The shear of the delicacy shows a pink-red color with bright specks of speck. Thanks to the smoking on the alder sawdust, it smells delicious, indispensable for sandwiches and meat plate. In the process of tasting we noted tender taste, which does not allow to doubt in naturalness of raw materials and observance of technology of smoking. Product safety has been proved by laboratory tests. As part of no dangerous additives, synthetic dyes, foreign additives.

Advantages

• produced from the highest grade of meat;
• Nutritional value and composition as stated;
• carcinogens are within normal limits;
• Tangy flavor with a subtle sourness.

Flaws

• contains more moisture than normal;
• Protein content is less than the stated amount on the label.

The best dried sausages

The assortment of dried meat products is regulated by GOST 33708-2015, which contains the requirements for organoleptic and physico-chemical parameters. According to type, there are 4 types: dry, semi-dry, with acidity regulator, smeared consistency of the type of flavored German.

Fermented meat products are produced according to the same technology as raw smoked sausages. Regardless of the recipe beef, pork, back fat in chilled or defrosted form is salted for 4-7 days, then crushed on a grinder to 2-6 mm, mixed with spices, starter cultures. They are flavored with wines in order to obtain fine smells and tastes. That’s why the famous delicacy salami from Italy, Spanish chorizo can’t be confused with anything. The mass is laid out with 10-15 cm layer and left to mature for 12-24 hours, then the casings are stuffed. Ready dried French breads are dried in chambers with air blowing until the rated humidity.

DYMOV

Rating: 5.0

“Palermo” is a half-dry meat product, sliced into slices, made according to TU. The delicacy is suitable for the festive table and for making sandwiches. It has a spicy bouquet of black pepper and nutmeg, moderately salty taste. Ingredients: pork belly, dextrose, sodium glutamate, antioxidant, starter cultures, sodium nitrate. After the technological process the product is culled and calibrated for compliance with regulations. After packaging in vacuum bags, specifying the date of manufacture and sale, the factory sends to retail chains. Shelf life after opening – up to 8 days, which confirms the naturalness of the composition.

Advantages

• balanced natural flavor:
• No trace of foreign genes, soy, dangerous microflora;
• Fat and protein content according to the regulations;
• truthful labeling.

Disadvantages

• not marked.

Wellcome

Rating: 4.9

The company offers an assortment of three types of first-class sausages in the form of serving cuts for buffet snacks and sandwiches. Each variety has a dense texture, bright color, rich aroma and peculiar taste. Salami contains 20% protein and 40% fat. On a slice you can see a characteristic structural pattern.

Milano includes traditional meats, bacon, garlic, nutmeg, salt mix, sodium nitrate. “Chorizo” contains pork and beef, milk powder, dietary fiber, paprika and other classic ingredients. Salami Felino contains pork meat and pieces of back fat, animal protein, fiber and other components according to GOST.

Advantages

• Has a delicate texture;
• Exquisite meat flavor that meets organoleptic indicators;
• Does not contain GMOs, soy, extraneous DNA, or preservatives;
• relatively truthful labeling.

Disadvantages

• high price;
• Weight 7% less than claimed.