casing question

atcNick · Post by **atcNick** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 20:19

I normally buy casing from the sausage maker but I bought some sheep casings at allied kenco a few months ago. they're packed in a brine instead of just salt. Do you guys think these will last just as long? Or, what's the shelf life?

Thanks.

Cabonaia · Post by **Cabonaia** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 20:40

Hey Nick - I don't know...but wenever I've got rinsed and soaked casing left over from a stuffing session, I just let it drip dry for a while, then pack it in salt. So you could always do that, and then you can be sure it will last a very long time.

Cheers,
Jeff

NorthFork · Post by **NorthFork** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 21:19

Nick, I've used both and as long as the casings are not contaminated I have had no problem with holding them for several months (in the fridge). I am very careful when I have extra casings that have been rinsed and flushed (and especially loaded on the stuffing tube) to isolate them from the unused casings. I put these casings in a zip lock and salt them well and place them in a separate bag in the fridge, that way I am not contaminating the unused casings if I have messed up. So far this has not happened but you never know.

More to the point, I have a hank of sheep casings that are packed in brine in the fridge that I have been "hoarding" for several months and they are fine. I believe that as long as you don't contaminate the casings they will hold for a long while.

Pat

Cabonaia · Post by **Cabonaia** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 21:35

Good point about contamination. I do the separate baggy thing too. Another precaution - if I think I'll have leftovers, I thread the casing onto a clean tube. If there is leftover casing on the tube when the meat runs out, I cut off any that may have come into contact with meat, clean the exposed portion of the tube, then pull off the unused casing. All precautions aside, I assume that even if there is some invisible contamination (meat residue) left on the unused casings (almost certain with my method), an abundace of salt, plus refrigeration, will take care of it.

After all, enough salt will on its own preserve meat. I would be interested to find out from more knowledgeable members if my thinking is incorrect.

NorthFork · Post by **NorthFork** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 22:05

I have gotten a little paranoid about contamination (Thanks Chuckwagon) since joining the forum. When I load a new string of casings on a stuffing tube that has been in use or when I have finished a batch and have extra casings on the stuffing tube I wrap the tube tightly with "Stretch Wrap" (Saran Wrap or what ever) before loading or removing the casings. It seems that there is always some product that backs up on the tube and inside the casings when stuffing, wrapping the tube with the wrap allows you to load/remove the casings with a "reduced" chance of contamination from the product.

Cabonaia-I agree that enough salt/refrigeration will probably take care of the problem but it never hurts to be careful.

Cabonaia · Post by **Cabonaia** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 22:09

NorthFork wrote:Cabonaia-I agree that enough salt/refrigeration will probably take care of the problem but it never hurts to be careful.

Pat - agree with your approach!

Jeff

atcNick · Post by **atcNick** » Tue Jan 15, 2013 01:57

Thanks fellas!

sausagemaneric · Post by **sausagemaneric** » Sat Jan 19, 2013 06:08

You can store casings in white vinegar in the fridge almost indefinitely. Soak in warm water and flush to remove the vinegar taste/smell.

Post by **redzed** » Thu Feb 14, 2013 17:32

Thanks Ducko for the instructions on sourcing 22-24 mm hog casings. Useful information since no one sells them.

el Ducko · Post by **el Ducko** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 04:46

redzed wrote:Thanks Ducko for the instructions on sourcing 22-24 mm hog casings. Useful information since no one sells them.

Yeah, you're right.

The sheep and their cousins, the collagens, must have muscled aside (well, intestined isn't a verb yet) the hogs on that one. Sorry.
But feel free to use any size critter you want.

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 05:37

I wonder if I can take a squirrel and turn it into sausage and stuff it into its own casings?

el Ducko · Post by **el Ducko** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 13:45

Just make sure that you shoot 'em 'tween the eyes, so you don't disrupt the innards.
(This was sort of a Rite of Passage for those of us who grew up in the Southeast Arkansas bayous and river bottoms. ...this, and webbed feet.)

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 17:02

Making that stuffing funnel is gonna be a trick.

el Ducko · Post by **el Ducko** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 17:12

ssorllih wrote:Making that stuffing funnel is gonna be a trick.

Did I ever mention how the "Cajun Injector" REALLY was invented?