casing question

[atcnick]

I normally buy casing from the sausage maker but I bought some sheep casings at allied kenco a few months ago. they're packed in a brine instead of just salt. Do you guys think these will last just as long? Or, what's the shelf life? Thanks.

 

[diggingdogfarm]

It's a saturated brine, they'll last just as long.

~Martin

 

[fagesbp]

I always buy my hog casings from a local butcher by the hank and its always a sealed bag with a saturated brine. I have never had a problem.

 

[boykjo]

I prefer casings in salt solution.............
 

 

[chef willie]

It's a saturated brine, they'll last just as long.

~Martin

Martin..had some leftover hog casings and put them in a quart Mason jar with 1 cup Kosher salt and 1 cup water.....that all Kosher for longetivity?? I seem to recall that was your recommendation.....Willie

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Yup

Me too like brined casings better than pure salt packed.

 

[michael ark]

Brined here.

 

[michael ark]

OOps!

 

[diggingdogfarm]

Martin..had some leftover hog casings and put them in a quart Mason jar with 1 cup Kosher salt and 1 cup water.....that all Kosher for longetivity?? I seem to recall that was your recommendation.....Willie

That'll certainly be saturated.
It takes 26.395% of salt to create a 100 degree fully saturated brine.



~Martin

 

[s2k9k]

It's a saturated brine, they'll last just as long.

~Martin

I just started reading Rytek's book and in it he says that casings packed in a solution only have a shelf life of 30-40 days. Is this not correct? I'm concerned because I got a hank of natural hog casings from A-K for X-mas and they are already 30 days old and I haven't had a chance to use any yet, I would hate to throw them away. Oh yes they are in the original package and been in the fridge since I got them.

 

[woodcutter]

I just used some that I've had in the fridge since August.  Stuffed them, smoked them, ate some of them. I couldn't see the difference between the old and the new.
 

 

[boykjo]

Going by experience with casings in a brine solution. I have never had any casings go rancid or bad but they will harden up a little and you will have more blowouts the older they get. They also dry out faster when on the stuffing tube...I have long tubes and load a lot of casings on and by time I get to the end the casings dry out. I dont know where rytek got his data from but there is no used by date on any salt solution/brined casings I ever bought. You would think there would be one required by the usda if they expired

Joe
 

 

[s2k9k]

Thanks Joe! That's what I wanted to hear!

 

[boykjo]

I did some editing to my last post
 

 

[diggingdogfarm]

Rytek must have been talking a different solution.


~Martin

 

[s2k9k]

Rytek must have been talking a different solution.


~Martin

I have the 4th edition of the book and in the Natural Casings chapter (page 105) he refers to them as "pre-flushed natural casings", he doesn't mention what type of solution. Then on page 109 there is a picture of a bag of them and he says the same thing. 

I just hope mine last longer than 40 days.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

As long as the casings are packed in the pure salt or brine solution they will last for a couple years, just dont freeze them.
 

 

[smoking b]

As long as the casings are packed in the pure salt or brine solution they will last for a couple years, just dont freeze them.
 

What happens if you freeze them? The butcher shop I got mine from told me to freeze whatever I had left. Luckily I've been keeping them in the fridge since I've been using them often...

 

[diggingdogfarm]

I have the 4th edition of the book and in the Natural Casings chapter (page 105) he refers to them as "pre-flushed natural casings", he doesn't mention what type of solution. Then on page 109 there is a picture of a bag of them and he says the same thing. 

I just hope mine last longer than 40 days.

Can't remember which one it was on, but one of the bigger casing companies had on their website that the shelf life for salted casings is 5 years and brined 4 years.
There would be a lot of spoiled casings if the brined were only good for 30 days.


~Martin

 

[s2k9k]

Can't remember which one it was on, but one of the bigger casing companies had on their website that the shelf life for salted casings is 5 years and brined 4 years.
There would be a lot of spoiled casings if the brined were only good for 30 days.


~Martin

That's what I was thinking but it kind of alarmed me when I read that in the "bible" today!