Just learned about this myself. Baking soda makes such a difference!Flush with clean water and soak with a dash of baking soda while you're getting everything else ready. Poaching in Sous Vide gives a snappier bite in smoked sausages.
In that write-up he mentions adding a capful of vinegar when repacking them. Just wondering what it does.Never did any of the baking soda or vinegar . I store mine wet , like in that thread . Always ready that way .
Apples and oranges type discussion.In that write-up he mentions adding a capful of vinegar when repacking them. Just wondering what it does.
I have a home pack, what would be the best course of action to prep?Apples and oranges type discussion.
A hank of casings is much different than the Home Pack that does #25 and is dry packed in salt. Two totally different products.
Take the whole pack and soak it in warm water. Until they soften, as soon as that then flush the insides all the way through. Then let them rest in water for another couple hours. Then you can put them in water with a dose of salt and store in the fridge. These will never get real supple but the process helps a lot. When ready to stuff, once again rinse and flush the amount of casing you need. Place them in a bowl with water and add a dash or two of baking soda. This will velvet the casing and make it softer and more supple, will also make it slick to feed better on the stuffing horn.I have a home pack, what would be the best course of action to prep?
I have a home pack, what would be the best course of action to prep?
If you have homepak salted casings , get them out now . Rinse the salt off , and put them in some water , and in the fridge .
Tenderness wise not a lot, but it makes them slide off the horn much easier during stuffing.My last batch i soaked and rinsed for about 1hr, but did not know about baking soda. What does it do?
That’s what she said?Tenderness wise not a lot, but it makes them slide off the horn much easier during stuffing.
If Jake liked my reply, there is no telling where he will go with this one, lol.Optional, use a bit of baking soda in the warm bath. It does make them slippery when wet.
LEM is now selling the home packs in solution as well.Not sure where you are starting, but the only home (small) pack of casings worth using is PS Seasonings. They are in a wet slurry so the casings are not mummified in salt as common in most other brands.
That said, put the whole pack in plain water. Don't do anything for a couple days, then dump the water and refill. They should have hydrated some. Now is the time to flush with warm water and check the suppleness of the casings. If they feel a bit stiff, flush them out and back in plain water for another rest.
Casings are kept in fridge during the re-hydrating process.
Day prior I pull enough casing for the planned stuffing. Flush again and store in fresh water. Day of flush in warm water and pinch the end to stretch the casing during the flush. Keep in warm water.
Optional, use a bit of baking soda in the warm bath. It does make them slippery when wet.
Vinegar is for odor suppression. After thinking this through, if they stink I would dump them.
Good to know about LEM. I hope they are better quality of discards from the previous packs I tried.LEM is now selling the home packs in solution as well.
Do full hanks generally come in a slurry instead of dry salt pack?LEM is now selling the home packs in solution as well.