Peeling of collagen casings

[elkaholic]

I have made several types of sausages using collagen casings, both fresh sausages and smoked: pepper sticks, small diameter breakfast links, pepperoni's and etc. I have experience the same problem with all these sausages: The casing does not bind with the meat and peels off. The callagen casings on fresh sausages peel while cooking. The collagen casings on the smoked products are fine when taken out of the smoker, but after freezing and subsequent thawing, the casings peel off. The same sausages made in the same manner with natural (sheep) casings work wonderfully.
Does this happen to anyone else? What am I doing wrong?

[aris]

I have the same problem trying to make dried sausage using collagen.

My solution is to use natural casings!

[hmmm sausages]

I haven't tried dried sausages yet but I want to in the future. I have made lots of fresh sausages though and having tried natural casings after using colagen casings, I am not going back!!! The natural casings are far superior, split less often, easier to link ( I was told me a butcher that you shouldnt really link colagen) and are softer and easier to eat I think too.

[elkaholic]

I use hog casings exclusively on all sausages I can. However, the smaller diameter collagen casings are much easier to use than the sheep casings (no soaking, flushing, unraveling, etc.) and can be stored almost indefinitely. I would really like to use collagen casings for the small diameter sausages, but am unable to until I can solve this peeling issue.