Casing Question


 
B

Brian Merz

TVWBB Member
Getting ready to do my first sausage and I have a newbie question for all the VWB gurus out there. Should I soak all the casings then cut what I need and store the rest, or just cut and soak just what I need? Also should I pack whats left in some salt and vac pack then freeze or refrigerate whats left for next time? Simple questions I know but have not seen any real answers on what to do. Thanks in advance.
 
Cut, then soak.

Add NON-IODIZED salt and refrigerate. Casings with enough salt should last forever.

Do not freeze casings - ice crystals can compromise their strength.
 
Basically enough to cover them. When you open a new bag of casings see how much salt is in the bag? They're not buried, but there's a good amount of salt in it. Salt's cheap and you're going to soak them anyway; so add a fair amount. I also flush casings after soaking; kinda like making a water balloon.

Paul
 
You should always soak and flush your casings before using them. The sausages can be stored longer if you flush. If you are unlucky, the sausages can get a sour taste/smell quite fast if you omit the flushing.

You can freeze the natural casings, but they will burst more easily afterwards, and be less flexible. I've used frozen casings several times, and it is not really a big problem. On the other hand, storage time in salt in the fridge is several years, so why bother?
 
Brian,

Before you cut, you may want to determine how long the casings are. I want to say that ours were 3-4 feet long. You may find it easier to stuff the entire casing then twist into links and cut.
 
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