Casings?

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twistertail

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
Jun 26, 2007
693
11
Central Ohio
What kind of casing do you guys use? I have only made sausage once and used natural casing and had a few blow outs but otherwise liked using them. What do most store bought brats/sausages use as casings? Seemed like natural casings that I used were not as tough as brats and sausages that I buy from the store.
 
I use only naturals. I did buy some of the red colored collegen to try... they worked OK, were hot dog sized, but the meat mix I made up was ,well, less than appealing. It happens. If I ever get to snak Stix production, I guess the collegen's the way to go.
 
We use nothing but natural, I think it is just preference and what you are use to using. Natural is available in pretty much any size, but I feel when you go larger than brat size they get quite expensive. I have used colagen for sticks in the past and find myself taking the casing off before eating as colagen seem tough to chew.
 
I think lamb is used for breakfast link sausage and is a little bigger than normal snack sticks. Could make big snack sticks though!
 
I use natural when I have them.
Like Mossy said, I find myself taking the collegen casings off before eating, it does seem tough to chew.
 
So are you better off to buy the casing that are packed in salt or get fresh ones? I went to a butcher shop when I got mine but from what I understand the salted ones can be stored for a long time and used later.
 
I'm using the last of a batch I bought 6 months ago this weekend :{) They may dry out a bit, but just soak 'em for a short while, and they are fine.
 
Wouldnt proper cleaning be a problem with natural casings purchased fresh. as oposed to natueal casings commercially pre packaged and vac packed in salt???
 
Yer confusing me, Scotty. they are the same thing. ALL naturals come "commercially" packed in salt. And I never seen 'em VacPak'd. You don't go get a tub full of intestines. Well you COULD I suppose... if ya know a farmer/butcher.

Speaking of which... deer casings?!? anyone tried that?
 
The ones I got from the butcher were not packed in salt or vac packed. The guy asked how much I needed and I had no idea. I bought the butt there that I was using for the the sausage and told him what I was doing so he cut me off a length and charged me 50 cents for it. He just put it in a small container with some water.
 
Vac packed is probably just a mistake.
I havce the impression that if someone purchases natural casings from a local butcher((not the ones sold commercially)) they would be getting intestines from a recently butchere animal

Rich I have used the ones packed in salt and thought it was also a vac pack.
smile.gif


I thought that i read that the opiginal poster had purchased intestine from his butcher
 
I guess I said fresh casing and didnt clearly say what I meant by that, I just meant they were not packed in salt.
 
IF- he actually did the whole hog, it's possible that you'd get 'em that way, but like I said, for storage, drain and pack with Kosher. I have personally only seen 'em once that way. When my Granddad stuck a hog, put a pan underneath for blood sausage and did the whole deal. I was like 9. And I freaked. but I'm over it now. :{)
 
All the natural casings I've ever purchased come from a butcher supply store and they are packed in a salt water brine in what resembles a cottage cheese container. I use sheep for snack stix and breakfast sausage links and hod for brats, knocks, and Italian.


Lou
 
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