We are in business but....

[yr hen selsig]

Well the porkwert kit has arrived from sausagemaking and the hog casings too, many thanks.
A 1.5m skein is sitting soaking in the sink as we speak. A 2kg. mix of merguez mix to my own concoction slumbers in the fridge. I fried up a small patty of my mix adjusted the seasoning and it tasted good - own homemade harissa was very good (made since old 'Barts' had gone off - somehow). So my puzzle is casings look knobbly and how to flush them through my 'fawcet' - er ummm, I found that word, think its posh for end of tap - mines a chunky mixer. I'll soak the skin for about 4 hours - apparantly the longer the better and I'll add a squirt of lemon to tenderise but I dont see how to wash this casing out or how it will come out smooth and hole free. Prob these merguez should be put in finer sheeps casing to be slimmer like long chipolatas but I thought I would see how I go on with the 30 denier jobs first. No good putting 10 denier fine nylons on stubbily legs with rough hands and laddering them - get my drift?
So how to handle the casings pre filling then! ?

[jpj]

got a funnel?

[yr hen selsig]

Yes - I've got a funnel ---why?Are we gonna turn these skins inside out, theyve got dangly bits. Do I snip em off or will I get holes.
Ive got tubes for the mincer .. do I still need the funnel?
You will have to amplify!!

[yr hen selsig]

Have I got the idea? pull the casing onto the funnel, run water down the funnel pulling casing off slowly while flushing - just like a toilet!!
Great, now what about the dangly bits?

[jpj]

yes use the funnel as you've said
if you can't get the ends open with fingers or faucet too big
i don't understand about the dangly bits?

[saucisson]

i'm not sure either, the only thing I can think of is he has a "branched" intestine, do you have branches coming off the main tube or "polyps"? A picture is worth a thousand words if you can take one and post it.

Dave

[BBQer]

I've had some hog casings (well sheep too) that had "threads" coming off of them. I assumed they were blood vessels (capillaries?). Snipped 'em off and had no problem with leaks. Just didn't snip to close to the casing.

[TJ Buffalo]

Great, now what about the dangly bits?

Are you talking about 'whiskers', little threads about 0.5" long or so, hanging sparsely off the casing? I've seen them before, I've read that their presence depends on whether the casing is 'knife cut' (no whiskers) or 'hand pulled' (has whiskers); I assume that this refers to the means of how the casings are detached from an internal membrane. I just ignore them.

Edit: As DeWied Corp says, "Threads Of Connective Tissue Or Whiskers -
Threads of connective tissue or whiskers visible on sausage. Hog casings processed with a knife to separate them from connective tissue during production, often have threads of fatty connective tissue left on the inside curve of the casing. These white threads vary in length. On fresh sausage they are most visible immediately after stuffing sausage but become translucent and are almost unnoticed after the sausage takes on its bloom. DeWied has REAL� brand hand pulled hog casings that do not have threads of connective tissue or whiskers. DeWied�s FRESHLINK� casings also offer whisker free appearance but added strength and long strands of a knife cut casing.

[yr hen selsig]

Yes these appendages are rather like fine cotton threads of various length about 5cm., they may well be capilliaries. Yeh, I just snipped em off not too close. They dont seem to be important as things go. To be expected in a natural product I suppose. The sausagemaking casings seem to be fine, the hog ones a little chewy to my liking and I soaked over night, I've sent for the sheep ones I prefer thinner sausages and I am conscious of the fact that they really are not that good for ones cholesterol intake so smaller is better.