storing collogen casings

[java]

Do collogen casings need to be stored in the fridge? I bought a pack of casings about thanksgiving time, they were in a sealed bag and i put them in the cupboard. I went to make snack sticks today and they were totally unusable. they split and tore trying to get them on the stuffer tube. I tried wetting them, and they just split out as soon as the meat hit them. Maybe I didnt store them correctly? Any suggestions?

[Tex_77]

java they don’t generally require special storage. They should generally at a minimum last a year or more when bought fresh. They do dry out after an extended period of time.

[java]

Thanks, maybe they were old when I got them? Maybe I’ll try putting them in the fridge with a damp sponge.

[Denny O]

java Mahogany collagen casings need to be soaked in warm to hot water for at least a 1/2 hour before loading on to the stuffer.

[java]

Thanks for the info, Ive soaked cellulose casings, but never collagen casings. I learned something new today!

[John Belvedere]

Denny O said in storing collogen casings:

java Mahogany collagen casings need to be soaked in warm to hot water for at least a 1/2 hour before loading on to the stuffer.

I think java was asking about collagen snack stick casing. All the collagen snack stick casings I’ve used go right onto the stuffer tube without soaking (19mm). The videos where Jonathan makes snack sticks also show the casings go directly onto the stuffer tube without soaking. Soaking would only apply to the Non-Edible Collagen Casings.

[Jonathon]

java I think there is a miscommunication here, Denny O was talking about soaking Mahogany casings, the Fibrous ones, not collagen casing for snacksticks. You don’t want to soak those. Tex_77 idea of leaving them in the fridge overnight is the best way to go about trying to get them to rehydrate a little.

Now, I say that, but I have never tried soaking collagen casings…I will do that with some old casings I am sure I can find and see what happens. I am fairly sure they are going to start dissolving but I have been wrong before!

[java]

Jonathon Thank you for clearing this up! I had never heard of soaking them, but am willing to try anything once.

[dawg]

Jonathon
Keep us updated on your experiment

[java]

Ok, so I tried it. Would not suggest it. I have put them in a bag with a damp sponge in the fridge. Lesson learned, i have a 6# batch of dog treats. ( They love my screw ups! )

[Jonathon]

java I ave my dogs some fresh collagen that was left in a cabinet once, they loved it too! What did it do? Did it get too wet and turn to mush?

[java]

Pretty much turned into a slimy mess. I didnt soak them long , but they were nasty! I have
cooked off the ones I stuffed the other day and the dogs will be happy. I need to do some more reading on how to make snack sticks, as my last 2 batches have been a complete failure. (The dogs would argue differently). Ive made several batches before that have come out great, not sure what Im doing differently.

[Denny O]

Jonathon Thanks Jon for the correction! You are correct I was talking about the fibrous casings.

The information on here is direct to the final product that a step changed or missed with-in the path Will Alter the final product usually in a bad way.

I have many ways that work extremely well for me and others and I/they do stick with them. I will change at most one alteration BUT extremely lightly during a process! For example I’m using the “Bacon Taste Booster” as Jon suggested when I had inquired about it’s strength the the process that I use.

I try not to state fact as I will leave that to those that are much more in the production modes (and seem to be a bit more techie than me)

My fact of the matter knowledge is,
1: Construction most all inclusive
2: Boating, Water Sports, Outdoor Cooking/Camping, Fishing, fishing electronics and other related items
3: Meat processing

SO, I try to speak on what I know that is and has been very safe. But I have been caught in a “Term” miss, my bad! Sorry!!

[TimC 0]

Collagen casings have different strengths based on the amount of cross-linking when the casings are made - breakfast sausage casings are made with little cross-linking so they’re very tender. Cooked sausage like brats or smoked sausage are medium strength & snack stick casings are usually higher strength. Breakfast sausage casings will break easier in handling. The last step in manufacturing the casings is to put them in a humidor to bring them to a uniform moisture before packing, around 20%, I think. Too wet & they mold quickly, too dry & they get brittle. Drying out is usually the cause of breakage and what we tried in the past was putting dried out casings in a smokehouse of fermenting sausage at 110F & 85% RH for a couple of hours . You might try something like a cigar humidor for a few hours or a vaporizer with the output directed into a plastic container see if they can be rescued. The casings are treated during manufacture to prevent “stickers” where the top of the pleats stick together when the casings are shirred. Otherwise as they separate coming off the stuffing horn, they tear where they were stuck together. You might be able to see if that is an issue if you stretch out a foot or two of the dry casing slowly to see if all the pleats separate easily. A small burr on a stuffing horn can tear the casing . If the stuffing horn is high off the table (10-12") so there is a sharp bend in the stuffed product dropping off the horn can cause breakage.

[Jonathon]

TimC 0 Are you in meat processing somehow? Thats an extremely high level of knowledge for someone who just does it at home. Plus the Bur thing is something that commercial operators check for but wouldn’t cross most people’s minds.

[TimC 0]

I joined the site because I enjoy hearing about the challenges and rewards of people making sausage. I’m semi-retired now - still work part-time remotely for a major producer after 45 years of commercial sausage-making. I try to answer questions or comment where it makes sense.

[deweymeats]

TimC 0 said in storing collogen casings:

Collagen casings have different strengths based on the amount of cross-linking when the casings are made - breakfast sausage casings are made with little cross-linking so they’re very tender. Cooked sausage like brats or smoked sausage are medium strength & snack stick casings are usually higher strength. Breakfast sausage casings will break easier in handling. The last step in manufacturing the casings is to put them in a humidor to bring them to a uniform moisture before packing, around 20%, I think. Too wet & they mold quickly, too dry & they get brittle. Drying out is usually the cause of breakage and what we tried in the past was putting dried out casings in a smokehouse of fermenting sausage at 110F & 85% RH for a couple of hours . You might try something like a cigar humidor for a few hours or a vaporizer with the output directed into a plastic container see if they can be rescued. The casings are treated during manufacture to prevent “stickers” where the top of the pleats stick together when the casings are shirred. Otherwise as they separate coming off the stuffing horn, they tear where they were stuck together. You might be able to see if that is an issue if you stretch out a foot or two of the dry casing slowly to see if all the pleats separate easily. A small burr on a stuffing horn can tear the casing . If the stuffing horn is high off the table (10-12") so there is a sharp bend in the stuffed product dropping off the horn can cause breakage.

[glen]

TimC 0 Great post Tim, thank you

[java]

TimC 0 Thank you for your input, VERY helpful, I think they were just dried out.

[dawg]

TimC 0
Great answer! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!