Anyone know the diameter cellulose casing for a standard hot dog?

[chopsaw]

Do you poke them for air pockets like natural casings?

No . Don't poke 'em .

 

[Danblacksher]

Thank you so much!

 

[tallbm]

Thank you Nodak21 and tallbm! looks like i will try to find some 25mm

Get some and u will be good to go.
Also great info from @chopsaw !

I use the practice of filling my cases kinda loose or at a gentle and sensible plump capacity. This allows me to twist links, squish meat around, etc. all without worry of busting a case! I do this for both natural and cellulose casings.

The meat can/will often plump up some anyhow during cooking. This is especially true with fresh sausage in natural casings. When you go to grill these sausages in natural casings they plump up a ton WITHOUT busting the casing on the grill.
You stuff a sausage to max capacity in a natural casing and grill it and I bet you money it busts or splits!

So I have my own best practice of not filling more than they want to fill and with natural castings even a tiny bit loose.

I hope this info helps!

 

[chopsaw]

I use the practice of filling my cases kinda loose or at a gentle and sensible plump capacity. This allows me to twist links, squish meat around, etc. all without worry of busting a case!

I do the same for the most part . After I followed Joe's thread on how to handle natural casings , I haven't have a blow out . That goes for hog and sheep .

I tie all my cellulose , but stuffed tight and hung in the smoker I had one fail . Didn't completely break , just popped the casing .

 

[Polka]

If you do cellulose, or collagen casings, you're better off tying your links off with butcher cord rather than trying to twist like with natural casings. Hotdogs are on my list of things to do, but I haven't got to it yet.

I use 4" or 6" zip ties on my collagen casings. They go thru the oven or smoker, or whatever just fine - no melting. Much easier than string or cord IMHO. all the best. Rex aka Polka

 

[DougE]

I use 4" or 6" zip ties on my collagen casings. They go thru the oven or smoker, or whatever just fine - no melting. Much easier than string or cord IMHO. all the best. Rex aka Polka

I use zip ties to close large diameter fibrous casings, but don't really find it much of a bother to use butcher's cord for linking collagen casings. I just cut a bunch of pieces long enough to tie before I start linking.

 

[SCBBQ]

Sorry for the amateur question but if you use removable casings, doesn't that also eliminate the smoke flavor?

 

[DougE]

Sorry for the amateur question but if you use removable casings, doesn't that also eliminate the smoke flavor?

Maybe a little of it, but most casings are smoke permeable allowing the smoke into the meat. I've removed casings from some sausages and the "skinless" sausages were still quite smoky.

 

[chopsaw]

doesn't that also eliminate the smoke flavor?

They say " Smoke permeable " on the package . If you buy some just look for that in the discription .

 

[SCBBQ]

I the intention was to grill the hot dog later, would you guys lean one way or another on the casings?

 

[tallbm]

I the intention was to grill the hot dog later, would you guys lean one way or another on the casings?

If you plan to smoke it first no matter what and then later reheat/recook on the grill, the casting doesn't really matter.

If you plan stuff and then freeze to then figure out if you are going to smoke or grill to cook, then you can only go natural casing. I would not stuff and freeze any other type of casting with raw meat to cook later.

Yearly I would stuff cured pork franks into natural castings, link, cut and then vac seal about 5 big links per vac seal bag.
When I wanted to eat them I would defrost and either smoke in the smoker laying on racks OR just grill them like they were fresh sausages. It works well to have the options. I grilled most of them.

With my cellulose smoked sausages I smoke them so they are cooked then vac seal them.
I defrost in the fridge for 1 day and then reheat them in the microwave or on the grill. Works both ways.

The thing about cellulose casings for me are that you MUST smoke them soon after stuffing them.
So if stuffing and smoking are not within about 2 days of each other then I would not recommend cellulose.

The pro for Cellulose is they are super easy to use, stuff, remove, and create skinless sausages for any reason you may not care for natural casing sausages :)

 

[SCBBQ]

Thanks for the help!

 

[chopsaw]

intention was to grill the hot dog later, would you guys lean one way or another on the casings?

Just for the sake of " making sure " , if you use cellulose they have to be smoked or poached first and casing removed before grilling . I think max temp of the plastic casing is 180 degrees .

 

[Retired Spook]

My humble opinion - nothing beats natural casings. 24 to 26 mm.

 

[rhines81]

Late reply to this thread, but I just joined today. I use a 26mm cellulose casing for dogs from Waltons. https://waltons.com/26mm-cellulose-hot-dog-casings/
I'm not affiliated with them, but that's the one I use.