Older, natural casings

[Dotyville]

Good morning, looked in the bottom of my fridge and found some natural casings, about 2 years old. Toss or safe to use? Hate to waste but don't want stomach issues. Thanks

 

[boykjo]

I would toss em'. They're about at the end of their life. Even if they are salted they'll probably be tough and chewy.

How to handle natural casings

Thought I would post up what I do with natural casings. I use naturals 99.9% of the time when making sausages be it sheep or hog casings. I get compliments about how the casing are very delicate and have a perfect snap when you bite into the sausage. I believe the quality of the casings is part...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[SmokinEdge]

I agree with Joe ^^^^^^^

I have some oddball sheep casings that are 24-26mm that are stored like he posted above that are going on year 3. They are still good and i use at them still.

 

[celentano]

hi! I would throw them away too

 

[Dotyville]

Thanks! Cheapskate in me hates to but yeah, for the best. Just thought I'd ask before tossing

 

[Dustin Dorsey]

I've used casings that old that were salted and they've turned out fine, but it depends on the application. If it's a fresh sausage or one your going to cook quickly, they'll probably be ok. If you are doing some kind of cold smoke process then probably not. It's more of a quality concern than a heath concern.

 

[crankybuzzard]

Well, since most of us here have learned a bit about natural casings from boykjo I'm going to agree with him. Toss them and replace.

I too am a tight @55 but when it comes to the time, care, and stuffing of sausages, I would HATE for them to be "bad" due to the casings... If the casing is chewy or stringy, it makes no difference what the filling tastes like, the eater has already made a decision.

 

[boykjo]

My reason to toss 'em wasn't because the casings were bad. It sounded like they weren't properly cared for and left at the bottom of a refrigerator. To find them 2 yrs later and include how long they were on a shelf before being sold it would be better to get some new ones and start fresh. I have stored casings for up to 3 years but they were used occasionally and washed, then re salted. After 2 years the salt starts to effect the casings and they don't soften and stretch as well any more which makes for a chewy casing. My 2 cents