Breakfast Sausage Links

[cheryl1949]

I attempted my first try at making breakfast sausage links.  I soaked the casings in warm water for 30 minutes and flushed them out.  What us the trick to getting the casings open at the end to put sausage tube?  It took forever to get the end of the casing onto the stuffer tube.  It seemed like i could never get the end opened.  The casing alson stuck on the filler tube causing the casing to break.  All the trouble took the enjoyment out of making the sausage links.  Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Bones

 

[boykjo]

Need a little more information. What kind of casings were they. I am assuming they were fresh casings packed in salt. I mostly deal with fesh casings packed in a liquid salt brine. They open easy and produce the best sausage texture in my opinion. Fresh casings packed in salt without liquid should be soaked in cold water and would soak them for at least a couple of hrs then try to open them up and run some water through them and soak some more. I have not had good luck with fresh casings packed in salt for those reasons you mentioned but there are alot of people who use them here and have good luck with them. Collogen casings dont need to be soaked.... Someone correct me on this if I am wrong...... I

as for the breakage, what size casings were you using and what size tube

 

[jerseyhunter]

as said rinse with water, cut the ends with a scissors and also a little corn oil on the tube helps from sticking.

 

[baboy]

Once you do get it on a leave a little bit of water in the casing and "chase" the water through the casing as you put it on the tube.

 

[rbranstner]

I put a bit of water in the casing as well and that opens it up good and makes it easy to put on the stuffer tube.

 

[smokeamotive]

I have had the same trouble that you are having. I presume these are sheep casings? the only thing I can offer is after soaking is to run water thru the casing and as others have stated leave some in the casing and chase it thru. These little devils can be hard to handle.

 

[scarbelly]

I found a little trick that helps me get casings on the tube. I get the casing open and slowly start a water stream and get the first little bit on the tube, then I put the tube under the stream and start feeding it onto the tube and continue until it is done. This does one other thnig for me and that is adding water on the inside of the casing so it slides off easier when stuffing

Hope it works for you

 

[DanMcG]

I found a little trick that helps me get casings on the tube. I get the casing open and slowly start a water stream and get the first little bit on the tube, then I put the tube under the stream and start feeding it onto the tube and continue until it is done. This does one other thnig for me and that is adding water on the inside of the casing so it slides off easier when stuffing

Hope it works for you

That's the way I do it too! 
 

 

[pops6927]

I use preloaded casings from Syracuse Casings :   http://www.makincasing.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=EM419&Category_Code=2

I soak the sheep casings and rinse them really good several times, then spray my stuffing horn with Haynes lubricating spray, get some water inside the casing, and slide the whole casing load onto the horn.  Sometimes thecasing will not go on evenly and I'll have to strip off a few yards and slide back on, but I'll add a little water into them and tie a knot on the end before reinserting, then release or cut off the knot draining out the excess water.  Even if I load the casing load onto the horn then have to strip off most of it and re-load, it's easier than doing it by hand in the first place (trying to start the end, them breaking while loading, etc.).  Worth the few extra dollars for the preloaded ones.

 

[jerseyhunter]

Another hint is to get a real small funnel and insert that into the casing and then rinse it out. Doing this and leaving the casing in a big mixing bowl helps.

 

[pantherfan83]

The easiest way to get natural casings on the tube is to first crank the sausage until it just barely starts to come out the end of the tube (like 1/4 to 1/2-inch).  Then begin putting on the casing.  You'll be amazed at how much this prevents the casing from snagging on the tube.