Ever use these?

[smokinbarrles]

They have these at HEB. Anyone ever used them? Iv only made smoked sausage once and bought some from the local butcher, problem is he only sells them in large packs for close to 100#. And they are pricey!

Also any idea how much you can make with one 8oz pack?

Thanks!

 

[chopsaw]

Yes I used to use those . They will be shorts , and odd sizes . They worked for me when I was getting started . Now that I've learned alot and have great results , I buy the better casings . The better ones give you a uniform sausage , and you don't have to keep loading because the better casings are longer runs .

If you just want to see if you want to start making your own , those will work fine . If you decide you want to keep going , step up to the better casings .

 

[smokerjim]

I,ve used those but a different brand, they are what chopsaw said, they do work but make sure you soak them in water overnight. that pack will probably make about 20-25 pounds.

 

[smokinbarrles]

Holly, you say sausage makers? thinking about making some this weekend, might settle for what i can get and plan ahead for next time. Thanks

 

[chef jimmyj]

I've tried a couple brands of that type of casing. Totally suck. Between short pieces, weak portions that blowout and seconds that were not Scraped properly, they have a Barnyard off aroma, they are not worth a Dime. Sausage Maker Hanks are good, so are Syracuse Casing (makincasing.com) I have used for years. The Pretubed casing is super convenient. Soak one or two as needed and leave the rest in the container and in the back of your refer. You get several tubes to a hank, but they keep 6+ months. Kind of a Buy once Cry once but saves a lot of cussing and aggravation. They have Sheep, Hog, Collagen and Fibrous in a variety of sizes. The natural casing are hand cleaned and Scraped and sorted for highest quality...Guess who buys and repacks the Rejects!?!?...JJ

 

[smokinbarrles]

Thanks for the replies. looking on sausage makers website, the seasoning blends say must use with insta cure #1 and soy protein concentrate. What does the soy protein concentrate do? And is intsacure #1 the same a mortons tenderquick?

edit: never mind on the soy protein

 

[HowlingDog]

And is intsacure #1 the same a mortons tenderquick?

No, Cure #1 is different than TenderQuick; they are different kinds of cure and are not interchangeable.

I use Cure #1 and have been pleased with it. The brand I use is Prague Cure #1. I think SausageMaker has Instacure #1 which is the same as Prague.

 

[bill ace 350]

I used them when I first started, did the trick.

Then I started buying them in the butcher section of the grocery store, and most recently purchased some pre-tubed casings.

Will try those soon.

Listen to what Holly2015 has to say about cure#1 and Tenderquick.

I have recipes where TQ is the way to go, others where #1 is my way to go.

Point being both are good, both have their purpose.

I have encountered people who feel TQ isn't a "real" cure.

That's BS.

use what you want to use.

good luck