Split Casing

[JerBear]

I was making two recipes yesterday and was having a heck of a problem with one. I mixed up a batch of Southwestern Sausage (spicy pork/beef mix) and put that in the refrigerator and then mixed up bratwurst. During this time, I had medium hog casings soaking. I immediately stuffed the bratwurst and had no problems. After an hour of cooling, I tried to stuff the Southwestern sausage and the casing split three times! Was it that the meat was cold and thick (not spreading well?) or did the casing soak too long?

[Oddley]

Welcome to the forum JerBear. I don't claim to be an expert but what I have noticed is that if you leave the casings in water for a long time they tend to dry out very quickly. This causes them to stick on the filler spout therefore they will inevitabley be overfilled.

The remedy is to coat the skins in a little oil.

If this is not the cause and it happens again then I would do a bit of experimentation. But perhaps somebody more knowledgeable than me can give some other explanation.

[JerBear]

It's odd that sitting in water would have dried them out but it did seem that they were sticking to the horn a little. I'm using an attachment for my KitchenAid mixter and before this, everything was fine. I'll try the oil trick..

[Parson Snows]

It's not the water that's drying them out it's the water removing the natural oils that is drying them out

You may want to consider the following.

1) Presoak the casings, I would recommend that the casings are first rinsed in fresh water then soaked overnight - or at least a minimum of 30 to 45 minutes � in tepid (85 � 90 �F (30 � 32 �C)) water.
2) Sodium bicarbonate may also be used at a rate of 1.06 % of an aqueous solution to make them more pliable. NOTE: the casing must be rinsed with potable water prior to stuffing.
3) USDA FSIS standards state �Hog and Sheep casings intended for use as containers of product may be treated by soaking in or applying thereto sound, fresh pineapple juice or papain or bromelin or pancreatic extract to permit the enzymes contained in these substances to act on the casings to make them less resistant. The casings shall be handled in a clean and sanitary manner throughout and the treatment shall be followed by washing and flushing the casings with water sufficiently to effectively remove the substance used and terminate the enzymatic action.�
4) Other options are vinegar (at least a 5 % acidic content). This is basically the same as using the papain (papain is the main ingredient in powdered meat tenderizers) and such be used at a rate of 15 ml (1 Tblspn) per 250 ml (1 cup).

If the Southwestern Sausage contained any cures (nitrates/nitrites) this can also result in difficulty in stuffing (the mixture setting up)

Hope that this is of some use to you.

Kind regards

Parson Snows

[Oddley]

Can you answer me a question Parson what the heck is potable water?

2) Sodium bicarbonate may also be used at a rate of 1.06 % of an aqueous solution to make them more pliable. NOTE: the casing must be rinsed with potable water prior to stuffing.

[Fatman]

It means water which can be used for drinking or for the preperation of food. i.e. Safe Water.

[Parson Snows]

Fatman's dead right with his definition. As I am in Thailand the water from the tap is not acceptable for sausage making, it wasn't that long ago that you wouldn't have used it for brushing your teeth. It will often contain either too much chlorine or none, one's as bad as the other. After running the water through a triplex filter I boil what I use for sausage making, curing etc. first. Mainly to get rid of the chlorine and secondly to reduce the bacterial count to a minimum. If you were to use water that wasn't pure enough in sausages even freezing them would only slow down the bacteria and not stop the sausages etc. becoming putrid.

Hope that this clears that up.

The next time that you turn on the tap and drink the water with no worries don't take it for granted.

kind regards

Parson Snows