casings

[feather]

Help - I have a sausage-making kit with 'instructions' How do you put the casings on the filler tube? Do have to soak the casings first? How do you stop the casings breaking so easily? - they seem very fragile. I always seem to end up turning my lovely sausage mixtures into patties after hours of frustration

[Oddley]

Welcome to the forum feather,

Soak the casings overnight in lot's of cold water in the fridge. Just before use, run cold water through the casings to remove any residue salt.

Slip the now pliable casings over the nozzle of the filler tube and space evenly along the length of the tube. Running the casings up the tube to the end as you fill the casings with the mixture.

[sausagemaker]

Hi feather

Welcome to the forum

Help - I have a sausage-making kit with 'instructions' How do you put the casings on the filler tube? Do have to soak the casings first? How do you stop the casings breaking so easily? - they seem very fragile. I always seem to end up turning my lovely sausage mixtures into patties after hours of frustration

Whilst Oddley has given good advise if it is natural casing, collagen casing should not be soaked.

Regards
Sausagemaker

[hmmm sausages]

Hi,

I'm using collagen casings at the moment, and I could do with a spot of advice. The casing comes all scrunched up in a tube, should it be pulled out so you know how much casing you are using and then fed on to the filler tube? Or should I leave it all scrunched up, put it on the nozzle and fill up from there?

My first batch needed a few attempts to get some proper looking sausages, I thought the casing was perhaps too tight, didnt twist that easily, any suggestions? I am wondering if the fat content was too low making the mixture too firm? HELP!!! lol

Look forward to anyones advice

[Paul Kribs]

Welcome to the forum hmmm sausages

I can't help with the callogen quierie as I have never used them. With regard to the possible over filling. If you are going to link the sausages then you cannot overfill the casings otherwise they will split. This is the case with natural casings and I assume must be the case with callogen.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[hmmm sausages]

Thanks for the welcome Paul,

How do make sure you dont overfill the sausages?

[Paul Kribs]

hmmm sausages

If the casing comes off the filler without looking bloated it should be OK. You can control this by operating the filler with your right hand whilst controlling the rate the casing leaves the filler with your left hand. It is one of those things that when it is right, you will know it is right... it is down to practise and experience. There will come a time that the sausage will fill evenly and so quickly that you will wonder what the fuss was about Just practise slowly at first.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[chase]

Have just made my first sausages, they were like humongers, cumberland, (rabbit ) sausages, but I was happy with the taste and am definately hooked on sausage making.
I was just wondering though, how long will natural hog casings keep for. Am I correct in thinking 2 months?

[Paul Kribs]

chase

If left packed in the salt, and stored in the fridge they will last well over 3 months.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[chase]

Cheers Paul.