RE: ? sausage & jerky
I know that a lot of people do not use a cure. I think that that is ok if the product is well smoked, as the smoke acts as a cure.
My older boy and I use commercial cures. He was a meat cutter for three years and is pretty fastidious about cleanliness when we butcher deer. Stuff can be growing in there. If I were to make a large amount of jerky or sausage I might make my own cures or smoke the meat to cure it, but I would make sure that I was following trusted directions.
Some sausage, that you always fully cook (like breakfast sausage) before eating, of course, needs no cure at all. Remember that the cure is separate from the spices and that you can use a commercial cure AND spice it the way you like it.
I've sent care packages to my brother in law, nephew, and younger son while they were deployed and have never had any trouble with jerky except them asking for more. My son, who I am going to send a package to today, says that our jerky arrives just fine but that another Marine got jerky with "parameciums" growing all over it.
My older boy who helps make the jerky said that he found a baggie of jerky in his glove box that had been there over a year. It looked ok so he ate it and had no ill effects and that it tasted good.
I would use a cure on jerky or any other meat that is not cooked.
Bob