Casings questions??

[fpnmf]

Is that what you have craig?

Yup..send me yer snaily and you can try some...

But I do want some "Piss off the Pope" secret basa mix...

 Hahahahahahhahahahahahahahah

 

[shoneyboy]

hey mike,   Page not found....... I am assuming sausagemakers natural casings are packed in salt... Can you redirect me to the link for casings in salt solution

Boyjko, Try this one....http://www.sausagemaker.com/21800homepaknaturalsheepcasings1pack.aspx  and see how it works.... I'm using a better computer....the one last night has a mind of it's own sometimes........

 

[shoneyboy]

Is there a big difference in packed in salt and salt solution? I had some that came in a little white pouch, salted…..I opened them and they had a kind of brown color to them….They had been frozen when I bought them and I keep them frozen, but due to the color and a funny kind of smell… they met their demise. My question is, was I being over protective and they were still good to use? Or was I right in tossing them out? My old rule of thumb was always, if in doubt, throw it out…..Was I wrong ?

 

[big casino]

I don't think there is much difference between salted or brined, except you may want to soak the salted ones longer.

well they kind of always have a little funky smell to them but I would say if they were in salt they were probably ok, but never use anything you feel unsure of ,

also I think freezing them would not be necessary

 

[shoneyboy]

I don't think there is much difference between salted or brined, except you may want to soak the salted ones longer.

well they kind of always have a little funky smell to them but I would say if they were in salt they were probably ok, but never use anything you feel unsure of ,

also I think freezing them would not be necessary

That's just the way they were sold, so I just keep them frozen....Back then when I could find them I would stocked up on them. Now that I know better and I have a supplier I have no need to buy them short pieces any more......Thanks for the information Big Casino.......

 

[big casino]

Sure, I try to use natural casings for everything, even summer sausage and such, I like they way they look more so than the fiberous casings, and I definately like the texture and flavor of natural casings over the edible collagen casings, but hey sometimes you have to use whats available too

 

[boykjo]

Is there a big difference in packed in salt and salt solution? I had some that came in a little white pouch, salted…..I opened them and they had a kind of brown color to them….They had been frozen when I bought them and I keep them frozen, but due to the color and a funny kind of smell… they met their demise. My question is, was I being over protective and they were still good to use? Or was I right in tossing them out? My old rule of thumb was always, if in doubt, throw it out…..Was I wrong ?

YES...IMHO There is a big difference..... I don't know what the pure salt does to the casings but from my experience the casings packed in a salt are not as tender., also,With casings packed in salt solution from the factory, then rinsed good and soaked for a while, you will see the casings become silky smooth and it does make for a better snap with the sausage and helps with the lubrication of the casings due to the retention of water in the casing.

Even the little things like the tender snap of the sausage make a big difference in what the sausage outcome is and what people think of it...
Ok.. I am getting a little corny here...

 

[jgilb90414]

I bought some from a local sporting goods store off the hook like you mentioned and did not have a problem with them.  I will say they had a really strong odor when the package was opened which made me question them.  After doing a little research I found that the smell would go away/diminsh after they were refrigerated.

 

[big casino]

That's just the way they were sold, so I just keep them frozen....Back then when I could find them I would stocked up on them. Now that I know better and I have a supplier I have no need to buy them short pieces any more......Thanks for the information Big Casino.......

I was looking in my Rytek book yesterday and happened across the casings section, Rytek says Salted casing unrefrigerated should last 6 months, keep them refrigerated and they should last indefinately, meaning until they are used up.

and as JGilb has stated if you have left them out for a while and they get that odor  putting them back in the fridge will help that odor go away

 

[arnie]

I am very new to sausage making. I’m not really a picky eater, but I do have a very low gross out threshold.

Knowing what natural casings were was a small hurdle for me.

I made a batch of turkey brats a couple of months ago and had I not done my homework ahead of time I would have pitched the casings when I opened the package.

The smell was horrendous it flat out gagged me, but then as I said then it comes to food but I do have a very low gross out threshold.

I had read that natural casings can have a funky odor to them right out of the package, but that would diminish when the salt was rinsed out of them.

My first thought was there ain’t no way! This crap is going in the trash and if I’m lucky I can salvage the mix by making brat patties.

Against my better judgment I rinsed the casings and was pleasantly surprised the smell went away.

I stuffed the brats as planned, let them dry in the fridge over night, smoked them the next day, chilled them in ice water and put them back in the fridge till I had time to pack them up.

We had a hot dog roast at church the next day and I had plans of trying a couple out with my grill help.

Long story short, we went through the whole 25 lbs of brats and had lots of leftover hotdogs.

Who would have thunk?

 

[shoneyboy]

I am very new to sausage making. I’m not really a picky eater, but I do have a very low gross out threshold.

Knowing what natural casings were was a small hurdle for me.

I made a batch of turkey brats a couple of months ago and had I not done my homework ahead of time I would have pitched the casings when I opened the package.

The smell was horrendous it flat out gagged me, but then as I said then it comes to food but I do have a very low gross out threshold.

I had read that natural casings can have a funky odor to them right out of the package, but that would diminish when the salt was rinsed out of them.

My first thought was there ain’t no way! This crap is going in the trash and if I’m lucky I can salvage the mix by making brat patties.

Against my better judgment I rinsed the casings and was pleasantly surprised the smell went away.

I stuffed the brats as planned, let them dry in the fridge over night, smoked them the next day, chilled them in ice water and put them back in the fridge till I had time to pack them up.

We had a hot dog roast at church the next day and I had plans of trying a couple out with my grill help.

Long story short, we went through the whole 25 lbs of brats and had lots of leftover hotdogs.

Who would have thunk?

  I have a very high tolerance to odors, I’ve worked around some funky stuff over the years and have to say, when I open that pack….There was NO way I was going to put something that I was going to eat in that !!! It was a small loss compared to being confident in a product that I was going to use and ultimately eat……..

 

[diggingdogfarm]

Dab a little Vicks VapoRub on the tip of your nose!!!! LOL
I grew up on a farm eating Limburger cheese and the like, not much bothers me! :biggrin:


~Martin :wink:

 

[shoneyboy]

The nose didn't have the problem, ir was more of the stomach, as big as it is, it said that you are NOT going to put that in here !!!!