Natural Casing Questions

[mr_whipple]

I was so happy with the flavor of the Duroc pork belly I bought that I grabbed a Duroc pork loin also and it's just shy of 5 lbs My plan is to cut it in half and do a Lomo Curado (2 guys and a cooler style) and something like the Lonzino Piacentina indaswamp did with a wild hog loin. I'm probably going to wrap the Lomo in a collagen sheet but want to finally try using natural casings. What I'm trying to figure out is the size of the casing to buy, The beef bungs are quite large and the rounds and middles seem to be quite a bit smaller and I'm just not sure how much they stretch. Can someone point me in the right direction?

 

[indaswamp]

Beef bung will be your best bet for natural casing. measure the diameter making sure the piece is in a round shape, so you know what size you need. Either 4-4.5" or 5+ ". I get mine from Craft Butchers Pantry.

If you use natural casing, IT is best to truss as well so the casing adheres properly to the piece. But you can use netting.

 

[mr_whipple]

Beef bung will be your best bet for natural casing. measure the diameter making sure the piece is in a round shape, so you know what size you need. Either 4-4.5" or 5+ ". I get mine from Craft Butchers Pantry.

If you use natural casing, IT is best to truss as well so the casing adheres properly to the piece. But you can use netting.

Gotcha. I'll measure it when I get home later, but I think its slightly smaller in diameter than a normal loin. I'm going to start the cure this weekend so I have a few weeks to get my act together. Thank you.

 

[chopsaw]

If you buy netting , the size refers to the number of squares around the outside . I think they are loosely figured at 1/2" . I have number 14 and 28 . 14 can be pretty tight on a normal size pork loin , but I have used it . 14 gives you about a 4" diameter stretched tight . I half the size to get 7 , then half of that gives you and idea of working size .

If you already know this ,,,, never mind .

 

[mosparky]

Good to know info Chop. Been wondering a long time about that.

 

[mr_whipple]

If you buy netting , the size refers to the number of squares around the outside . I think they are loosely figured at 1/2" . I have number 14 and 28 . 14 can be pretty tight on a normal size pork loin , but I have used it . 14 gives you about a 4" diameter stretched tight . I half the size to get 7 , then half of that gives you and idea of working size .

If you already know this ,,,, never mind .

I have often wondered about the size of netting. I've seen tables that run on diameter that don't come close to what I've experienced and straight contradict others I have seen... I'll have to go back and look at the three sizes I have, but the internet has yet to provide me with what I would call a standard for netting sizes.