Types of Sausage Casings - Sausage Casings 102
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Types of Sausage Casings
Fibrous Casings
Fibrous Casings are inedible casings that are made from a paper-like product. These types of casings must be soaked before use to allow them to rehydrate and form the classic log-like shape once stuffed. They are smoke permeable and heavy-duty, making them a good choice for Summer Sausages, Pepperonis, and Salamis.
Most will come pre-tied on one end, so once you stuff them, you need to clip the other end with something to keep all the meat inside the casing. The pre-tied end will be the side it is hung from in a smoker, so you need to make sure the end you are clipping is tightly secured. Hog Rings secured with Hog Ring Pliers are the most cost-efficient way of doing this.
Natural Casings
Natural Casings are generally Hog or Sheep intestines that have been cleaned and processed, making them edible. They will be kept fresh through storing and shipping by being either packed in salt or kept in a salt solution; this means that they must be rinsed and soaked, and if they are from a home pack, have the insides flushed with clean running water before being stuffed. Sheep casings are available in sizes 22-28mm, making them good choices for everything from Breakfast Sausages to Hot Dogs.
Hog Casings are available in 32-42mm and are commonly used for Bratwurst and larger-sized sausages such as Kielbasa and Boudin. The casing is naturally smoke permeable, accepts a twist, and can be hung in a smokehouse. When stuffing Natural Casings, you need to be careful to prevent blowouts.
Collagen Casings
Edible Collagen Casings come in three varieties. Fresh, which should only be used for products like Bratwurst or Breakfast sausage that are not going to be hung in a smoker. Clear, which is strong enough to be hung in a smoker and gives you a clear casing after cooking. Finally, smoked, which is strong enough to be hung in a smokehouse and gives a reddish mahogany finished color. Edible collagen casings do not require any processing and are ready to be used as soon as they are taken out of the package, which is a large advantage over either Fibrous or Cellulose casings.
Inedible Collagen Casings
Non-Edible Collagen casings are a form of collagen that must be processed before they are used for stuffing. The rule of 15s can be applied to these types of casings, and that is they must be soaked for 15 minutes in a 15% salt solution that is 15° C (59° F). Once they have been stuffed and the sausage has been cooked, they must be peeled before eating. These can be used for products like Summer Sausages and Ring Bologna.
Cellulose Casings
Cellulose casings are made from plant material, are smoke permeable, and are inedible. Some kinds, like these, have a stripe down one side to make it easy to determine if they have been removed from a product or not. They have a very strong structure, so blowouts are not an issue when using these casings. They are good for use in any application where a skinless product is desired. They do not accept a twist and must be tied or stapled to keep the meat in a link, or they can be cooked in a rope and cut into the desired lengths later. Removing them from the sausage after cooking is simple; just press on one end, and they will pop right out.
Shop waltonsinc.com for Collagen Casings
Shop waltonsinc.com for Fibrous Casings
Shop waltonsinc.com for Natural Casings
Shop waltonsinc.com for Cellulose Casings
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tinagh Yes you can, although I wouldn’t boil them at a rolling boil. If you simmer them at 170F they will come out perfect. I use my turkey fryer with the basket, makes easy in/out and them into cold water shower. I just put a probe into a link so i know they get up to temp-no guessing…I make a ton of hot dogs and bologna using the simmer method for both collagen and cellulose. Key is don’t overheat them.
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tinagh Sometimes it’s good to have more people than just answering because I would have told you no, I wouldn’t boil collagen at all! However, in this case, Parksider really is an expert in boiling meat products! He finishes up his summer sausages (and maybe other products) in hot water, so if he says it should work I would trust him BUT keep it at 170 or below, collagen casings won’t stand up to a true boiling.
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we par boil store brats, and then grill them to crisp up the outside before we eat them…what casing should i use to make some brats with
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Faith Fellowship If you want to parboil you should use Natural Casings as collagen casings generally wont stand up to being boiled. You might also want to think about using a cellulose casing that is inedible, it will give you a skinless product at the end but it is good for cooking.
If you vacuum pack them first and then par boil them (Sous Vide style cooking) then you can use Collagen, Natural or Cellulose.
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T Tex_77 referenced this topic on
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processhead Power User Regular Contributors Smoker Build Expert Bowl Choppers Nebraska Veteran Team Camo
@pete-tractor-man said in Types of Sausage Casings - Sausage Casings 102:
What size casing should be used for Landjaeger?
A hog casing worked pretty well the time I made it.
