Home Sausage Making

So you want to make sausage. And a sausage just isn’t sausage without a good casing. But the figuring out-what kind how much how to use-can be intimidating. Fear not. Some education about the different types of casings and tips on how to use them will go a long way to allay the fears of the beginning sausage maker and help ensure that the sausage making experience is the joy it should be.

Types of Casing

Natural

Natural casings are the most popular and come from sheep or hog the large intestine (middles) small intestine (casings) caecums (bungs) or bladders of pigs, cows, or lamb. Most home sausages are made with intestines, but larger sausages like salami and bologna use bungs or bladders. Natural casings keep from six months to a year. They cost slightly more than collagen casings and require more skill to handle, but it’s crisp-tender snap and pleasing color after cooking make it the “only” option in the minds of artisans and other sausage purists.

Collagen

Collagen is a natural protein derived from animal hides (specifically the mid layer or corium), hooves, and bones. It’s processed into a solubilized, dough-like mass and extruded through a die to form a tube.  Fresh collagen casings are ideal for breakfast, dinner, and cocktail sausages while processed collagen casings are best suited to wieners and bratwursts. They require no refrigeration and need only a . Most (but not all) require a 2-5 minute soak before use. They are completely edible and have a snap and color comparable to that of natural casings. They can’t be used in smokehouses but are available in smoke-flavored varieties.

Synthetic

Synthetic casings are made from plastic-like materials called alingates which are derived from seaweed. Needless to say, they are inedible (think red ring around store-bought bologna slices). These are good for any skinless sausage but shouldn’t be used for smoking as they prevent the smoke from seeping into the meat.

Fibrous

Fibrous casings are basically cellulose-filled paper casings thus making them inedible. They come in a variety novelty shapes and colors. Use them for summer sausages, salami, or boneless ham.

Buying Casings

By far, the most convenient way to purchase casings, by far, is through the internet.  There are a number of reputable vendors who sell dozens of casing varieties and offer valuable information about storage and selecting the best kind of casing for your needs.  No matter where you buy your casings, inspect them before using to ensure they are of the best possible quality.

The quality of natural casings is determined in several labor-intensive procedures. Quality “A” casings are defined as casings with no holes or weakness. Quality “B” casings are of acceptable strength and quality for coarse ground sausage. Another quality characteristic used to sort casings is color. Some casings will be white or virtually transparent/ clear, while others may be darker and more opaque.

Guidelines:

• Be sure to prick casings when cooking to avoid toughness.
• Don’t cook sausages to high or too fast or casing will be tough.
• One and a half feet of 1.5.1.75 in. casing will hold about one pound of sausage.
• Store natural casings in saltwater in refrigerator.
• Never freeze empty casings.
• Collagen casings cost roughly $1.60 per pound of meat they hold.
• Natural cost roughly $3.50 per pound of meat that they hold.
• Fill casings slowly and support with hand to ensure evenly filled sausages.
• To make natural casings more pliable and easier to stuff, put sodium phosphate in water you soak your casings in. Use same type of phosphate you use in ham cure. It makes a big difference, Use approximately 3oz. per gallon of water. For smoked sausages, add 1/2oz. of sodium erythorbate to the casing water for better smoke color.