Casing questions

[archeryrob]

I just got done making sausages with hog casings. It was good and I was thinking about making deer dogs. So, I go onto Sausage Maker and Sheep casings are in 24mm to 26mm are $43 :eek: and only do 45# of meat

What would be the problem with using fresh clear casings in 25, 28mm or even 30mm to make the deer dogs. Would it be noticeable? Would I have issues stuffing or twisting links? I can get casings to do 30# for $16 on amazon or Sausage maker with shipping for $13

Really how much better are natural to be that expensive? Starting to wounder if I should be learning to clean deer intestines. :rolleyes:

 

[bregent]

Are you talking about collagen casings? Really, you won't know until you try. The texture is much different than natural. Personally, I don't care much for them.

 

[archeryrob]

Yes fresh clear collagen casing. $43 to stuff 45# seems not very cost effective. Plus I have to pay shipping costs

 

[pc farmer]

I always peel colegen casings if I use them. Spend the money on the sheep casings. It's well worth it

 

[tallbm]

I just got done making sausages with hog casings. It was good and I was thinking about making deer dogs. So, I go onto Sausage Maker and Sheep casings are in 24mm to 26mm are $43 :eek: and only do 45# of meat

What would be the problem with using fresh clear casings in 25, 28mm or even 30mm to make the deer dogs. Would it be noticeable? Would I have issues stuffing or twisting links? I can get casings to do 30# for $16 on amazon or Sausage maker with shipping for $13

Really how much better are natural to be that expensive? Starting to wounder if I should be learning to clean deer intestines. :rolleyes:

LEM does peel hot dog casings:
https://www.lemproducts.com/product/plastic-hot-dog-casing-26-mm/sausage-casings

You basically stuff them smoke and then peel off when done or later. Super cheap ($5) for like 25-30 pounds of meat :)

 

[chopsaw]

I agree with c farmer . I did hot dogs in collagen , sausage was good , casing was not . Had to peel , and they didn't want to be peeled . That being said , nothing wrong with a dog in a hog casing . I do sage breakfast sausage in hog casings . They eat great on a bun .

 

[Rings Я Us]

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/hot-dog-casing-size.129880/

 

[myownidaho]

I just looked at Butcher-Packer and 24-26mm sheep casings for 60-65# runs $45. When you’re looking at around $.70 a pound for casings, I’m not overly concerned about cost. Then again, everyone’s situation is different.

 

[archeryrob]

I would be making deer dogs with these. Lets say I make 45# of meat to use the sheep casings. so I might have 22.5# of deer and 22.5# of pork. Of that lets just say I used all pork shoulder to cut it and I'm getting that at $1.99. So I'd spend $44.78 on pork shoulder. I would spend the same amount on the cutting product as I would on the casings. I haven't even figured a recipe and some of that might be pork fat which I am getting for $.50 a pound, making the casings the most expensive thing in the entire recipe. :confused:

Tallbm, now that is what I like to see. That touched my cheap Gene and made it all comfy. :D I could boils 25 to 30# in the crab steamer pot and then ice them. Anyone know how you would peel these easily? This is how Oscer Mayer and other make them, but they have fancy machines to remove the casing.

 

[tallbm]

I would be making deer dogs with these. Lets say I make 45# of meat to use the sheep casings. so I might have 22.5# of deer and 22.5# of pork. Of that lets just say I used all pork shoulder to cut it and I'm getting that at $1.99. So I'd spend $44.78 on pork shoulder. I would spend the same amount on the cutting product as I would on the casings. I haven't even figured a recipe and some of that might be pork fat which I am getting for $.50 a pound, making the casings the most expensive thing in the entire recipe. :confused:

Tallbm, now that is what I like to see. That touched my cheap Gene and made it all comfy. :D I could boils 25 to 30# in the crab steamer pot and then ice them. Anyone know how you would peel these easily? This is how Oscer Mayer and other make them, but they have fancy machines to remove the casing.

I honestly would push for you to go pure pork fat so you are eating mostly venison and don't lose the flavor of the meat in all that pork, that is just me though. It also makes the sausage making simple if you go 80% meat 20% fat (perfect ratio). 4 pounds meat 1 pound pork fat = 5 pounds sausage. 8 pounds meat 2 pounds of fat = 10 pounds of sausage and then u just go in 5 or 10 pound increments from there, easy peasy.

As for the peeling of those casings I saw some pics LEM used in the past where it looked really really simple but I can't find the pics anymore and it seems they aren't using more than 1 pic on the site. Here is a review of the those cases:

"GREAT CASING
I used these casing to make a skinless venison Kielbasa. After stuffing I place them in the smoker for several hours until the proper internal temp was reached. Gave them a cold shower and left hang to bloom for several hours. Casing peeled right off and the sausage looked great. These casings are very easy to work with and very strong so you can stuff the meat very tight in them. You will need to tie each link which is a pain but well worth the effort."​

I hope this info helps you make a decision or not. If you go with it I would love to see pics of the whole process and a good write up on it :)
I used sheep casings last year for the first time last year and the end product was awesome but it was annoying working with the sheep casings. You can use pork casings just wrap your brain around the fact that you will be looking at "sausage" but it will be a "hot dog" once you cook one up and taste it your brain will straighten out and you won't care that they are super fat hot dogs, I know this from experience lol :)

 

[archeryrob]

I might try the plastic just to crank out some deer dogs. That is how the people I know are used to them as skinless as that is how the butchers process them. My buddy wants them and his former F-i-L that owns the farm wants some Kielbasa, so I assume I'll be trying some of that with some hog casings too. I assume that is what they use?

I cut with pork and beef at 50% because of my wife's palette. My son, daughter and me would all eat it as it is. She's a corn feed meat eater and very picky about everything and she doesn't like straight deer taste. Make bologna and cut with beef with spice and she loves it, Sausage thinned with pork butt and she likes it. Cured deer roast, cured goose breasts and she likes it. Deer rump roasts sliced for jerky and marinated and she likes it. Cutting with just pork fat would be cheaper, BUT I would get a lot of painful complaints. ;) Once you're married this long you know how to walk around the bear traps and not set anymore of them up than can be avoided.

You really think smoke is going to penetrate that plastic if I throw them in the smokehouse?? I have been watching the german sausage makers lately smoke their sausage and finish boiling it. If I spent the money on sheep casings this would be the only reason to do it, IMO.

 

[tallbm]

I might try the plastic just to crank out some deer dogs. That is how the people I know are used to them as skinless as that is how the butchers process them. My buddy wants them and his former F-i-L that owns the farm wants some Kielbasa, so I assume I'll be trying some of that with some hog casings too. I assume that is what they use?

I cut with pork and beef at 50% because of my wife's palette. My son, daughter and me would all eat it as it is. She's a corn feed meat eater and very picky about everything and she doesn't like straight deer taste. Make bologna and cut with beef with spice and she loves it, Sausage thinned with pork butt and she likes it. Cured deer roast, cured goose breasts and she likes it. Deer rump roasts sliced for jerky and marinated and she likes it. Cutting with just pork fat would be cheaper, BUT I would get a lot of painful complaints. ;) Once you're married this long you know how to walk around the bear traps and not set anymore of them up than can be avoided.

You really think smoke is going to penetrate that plastic if I throw them in the smokehouse?? I have been watching the german sausage makers lately smoke their sausage and finish boiling it. If I spent the money on sheep casings this would be the only reason to do it, IMO.

I'm not sure if smoke will penetrate it but it say to cook them in the smoker over the oven.
I also see other types of plastic casings with smoke flavor added to it so I don't know.
I guess you may end up being the guinea pig for all of us :P
For $5 it is hard to pass up, plus you could always warm them up in the smoker with smoke for 30 minutes before you eat them in the future :D

 

[archeryrob]

I was looking at the Walton ones that say they are cellulose. They said Heavy smoke, So I wouldn't bother warming the smokehouse like I normally do and just pour the colder heavy smoke over them. $16.97 with shipping and its enough to handle 58# of meat. Sounds affordable to me. :D

 

[pc farmer]

Please post a thread when you make them.

 

[tallbm]

I was looking at the Walton ones that say they are cellulose. They said Heavy smoke, So I wouldn't bother warming the smokehouse like I normally do and just pour the colder heavy smoke over them. $16.97 with shipping and its enough to handle 58# of meat. Sounds affordable to me. :D

I can't wait for the report :)

 

[archeryrob]

I tried the walton cellulose casings. I only boiled as with rain all week my kindling did want to burn and I was having trouble with other things and just blew off smoking some for now.

• You can't put any pressure on them when stuffing! I ran about 12' out rather quick and went to tie them. Every tie increased the casing pressure and they would pop. I had a hell of a mess all over the island. :eek: I was ready to start throwing stuff and my daughter came to help settle me down.
  
• They will not hold a twist, you need to tie them. I considered trying the sausage braid but that would be bulky in my boil pot and I was having enough problems on a new run and casing
  
• I ran the stuffer and just lightly held the casings on the stuffer tube and cranked until it pushed across the island. It was not stuffed all the way and had some crinkles still. As I tied every 5.5" you could see the casings plump. Meat would push back toward the stuffer
  
• They seemed easy and slid eon to a 1/2" stuffer tube for snack sticks
• The big negative for me was I couldn't stick a probe in the casing or they would pop in the water. My mixture has too much water. I don't know if it would have been better drier, but they just popped on my. The water hit 160 and left for a 1/2 hour and I had hotdogs up to 152.

I might try a drier mixture in them again, but these are easy in the water as you know at a certain time they are done. You don't get that certainty in the smoker and want the temperature probe.

It was a frustrating day yesterday messing up a bunch of hotdogs. :rolleyes: Still edible, just not what I would expect out of something I made. At least 1/2 of it was free deer meat.

 

[tallbm]

I tried the walton cellulose casings. I only boiled as with rain all week my kindling did want to burn and I was having trouble with other things and just blew off smoking some for now.

• You can't put any pressure on them when stuffing! I ran about 12' out rather quick and went to tie them. Every tie increased the casing pressure and they would pop. I had a hell of a mess all over the island. :eek: I was ready to start throwing stuff and my daughter came to help settle me down.
  
• They will not hold a twist, you need to tie them. I considered trying the sausage braid but that would be bulky in my boil pot and I was having enough problems on a new run and casing
  
• I ran the stuffer and just lightly held the casings on the stuffer tube and cranked until it pushed across the island. It was not stuffed all the way and had some crinkles still. As I tied every 5.5" you could see the casings plump. Meat would push back toward the stuffer
  
• They seemed easy and slid eon to a 1/2" stuffer tube for snack sticks
• The big negative for me was I couldn't stick a probe in the casing or they would pop in the water. My mixture has too much water. I don't know if it would have been better drier, but they just popped on my. The water hit 160 and left for a 1/2 hour and I had hotdogs up to 152.

I might try a drier mixture in them again, but these are easy in the water as you know at a certain time they are done. You don't get that certainty in the smoker and want the temperature probe.

It was a frustrating day yesterday messing up a bunch of hotdogs. :rolleyes: Still edible, just not what I would expect out of something I made. At least 1/2 of it was free deer meat.

Wow that suuuuuucks! I'm steering clear of those things.
The LEM ones are plastic or rather a nylon derivative according to the Q&A of the website.
If I get tired of using natural lamb casings I'll live the LEM ones a try and see how they turn out but that may be a long while from now as I have enough lamb for 30 pounds of sausage.

 

[browneyesvictim]

Boy am I sorry I missed this thread. I did the LEM plastic peel-off casings on franks I made several months ago, and I had the same experience. I will stick with naturals from now on. I have a bunch of casings left that I will probably never use.

 

[tallbm]

Boy am I sorry I missed this thread. I did the LEM plastic peel-off casings on franks I made several months ago, and I had the same experience. I will stick with naturals from now on. I have a bunch of casings left that I will probably never use.

Oooh good to know. I'll stick with natural casings as well :)

 

[archeryrob]

I have to perfect the hot dog recipe so I imagine I will try 5# in them again with what I have left. I am open to try them again, but was not impressed a lot with them so far. I can't say much of this was not my fault. Plus being inexperienced with something new tends to lead to screwing it up badly! :D