21 mm sheep casings

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snakeoil
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21 mm sheep casings

Post by snakeoil » Thu Nov 13, 2014 00:25

i am looking a real good quality 21mm sheep casing. I purchased a hank but having trouble getting them apart. Anyone have a answer for this? would smaller batches be better?
Any help will be appreciated
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Butterbean
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Post by Butterbean » Thu Nov 13, 2014 00:42

IMO, buying hanks usually gets you better casings. Getting them apart? Do you mean the opening or pulling a single casing out of the fold.
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Post by snakeoil » Thu Nov 13, 2014 02:02

Do you mean the opening or pulling a single casing out of the fold.[/quote]
Yes and i am new at this.
thanks for the reply
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Post by Butterbean » Thu Nov 13, 2014 11:54

I find it helpful to lay them on a long table and gently stretch them out. Depending on the length you may have to make u-turns to cover the whole length but keep the braided bunch intact. Untie the portion with the ring then start at the other end and pick one casing and gently work it toward the other end, If it leads to a tangle reach on the other side of the tangle and work your fingers over the casings until you find the right one then pull it through the tangle. Once you've separated it re-tie the top and keep them together and stick back in the bag.

Sometimes you get a mess and they seem scrambled and nothing seems to work. In this case, as a last resort, stick the whole hank in water and leave for a while then pull them out and sort them properly. Cover with salt and lay in a colander to drain then repackage.

Never force but always try and tickle the casing out of the hank. Hope this makes sense.
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Post by NorthFork » Thu Nov 13, 2014 12:08

snakeoil, what I do is soak my casings beginning from when they arrive. Whether they are in dry salt or a wet salt solution I remove them from the original bag and place them in a plastic container(a well cleaned cottage cheese container with lid works well) with a very heavy brine solution. I use distilled water for this just to be on the safe side, and wear disposable gloves to avoid any contamination from my hands. I place them back in the fridge and after a day or so you can easily grasp one strand and pull it gently from the container. The hanks I get always have a ring tied in at one end of the casings to facilitate handling, you can leave this as is and use it to help select your casing ends or remove it when you place them in the brine, it is a bit easier if you leave it on and just untie your individual casings as you need them-again, I where gloves when removing a single from the batch. I have been doing this for some time and the casings hold up just fine as long as refrigerated(I have some that are over a year in the solution with no degrading. It also seems to really soften the casings, they remain strong but become more elastic and can actually be stuffed to a little larger diameter than usual if you wish. Also, I keep a second container with a brine in it ready for any leftover casings, I don't want to risk contaminating an entire hank by returning a leftover to the batch. I never try to save anything that has actually been on the stuffing tube because I know these have come in contact with the meat, but the ones that I have rinsed and not used I do put back into the second container. I use this method for both hog and sheep casings and since starting with the method have had very little trouble with tangles, even with very long sections, they also rinse much easier when prepping the casings. Sorry for the long post---

Hope this helps-
Pat
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Post by snakeoil » Thu Nov 13, 2014 12:19

Butterbean wrote:I find it helpful to lay them on a long table and gently stretch them out. Depending on the length you may have to make u-turns to cover the whole length but keep the braided bunch intact. Untie the portion with the ring then start at the other end and pick one casing and gently work it toward the other end, If it leads to a tangle reach on the other side of the tangle and work your fingers over the casings until you find the right one then pull it through the tangle. Once you've separated it re-tie the top and keep them together and stick back in the bag.

Sometimes you get a mess and they seem scrambled and nothing seems to work. In this case, as a last resort, stick the whole hank in water and leave for a while then pull them out and sort them properly. Cover with salt and lay in a colander to drain then repackage.

Never force but always try and tickle the casing out of the hank. Hope this makes sense.
Thanks Butterbean sounds good. You guys are the best.
Last edited by snakeoil on Thu Nov 13, 2014 12:30, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by snakeoil » Thu Nov 13, 2014 12:28

NorthFork wrote:snakeoil, what I do is soak my casings beginning from when they arrive. Whether they are in dry salt or a wet salt solution I remove them from the original bag and place them in a plastic container(a well cleaned cottage cheese container with lid works well) with a very heavy brine solution. I use distilled water for this just to be on the safe side, and wear disposable gloves to avoid any contamination from my hands. I place them back in the fridge and after a day or so you can easily grasp one strand and pull it gently from the container. The hanks I get always have a ring tied in at one end of the casings to facilitate handling, you can leave this as is and use it to help select your casing ends or remove it when you place them in the brine, it is a bit easier if you leave it on and just untie your individual casings as you need them-again, I where gloves when removing a single from the batch. I have been doing this for some time and the casings hold up just fine as long as refrigerated(I have some that are over a year in the solution with no degrading. It also seems to really soften the casings, they remain strong but become more elastic and can actually be stuffed to a little larger diameter than usual if you wish. Also, I keep a second container with a brine in it ready for any leftover casings, I don't want to risk contaminating an entire hank by returning a leftover to the batch. I never try to save anything that has actually been on the stuffing tube because I know these have come in contact with the meat, but the ones that I have rinsed and not used I do put back into the second container. I use this method for both hog and sheep casings and since starting with the method have had very little trouble with tangles, even with very long sections, they also rinse much easier when prepping the casings. Sorry for the long post---

Hope this helps-
Pat
Thanks NorthFork for such a helpful post.
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Post by Cabonaia » Thu Nov 13, 2014 15:51

And thanks snakeoil for asking this question because I've been making sausage for a few years now and have never heard this advice before (thanks Butterbean and NorthFork!). I've been wrestling with hanks of casings and always wishing there was a better way than, in frustration, just cutting out the pieces I need.

Cheers,
Jeff
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Post by redzed » Thu Nov 13, 2014 21:01

Good suggestions by Butterbean and Northfork. The critical approach to working with sheep casings is to take your time and have patience. This is especially important when you first start unravelling a tightly packed hank. If you hurry and try to pull out several strands at a time you will end up with knots galore and sit down and cry.
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Post by Pete » Sat Nov 15, 2014 00:11

Snakeoil, you didn't ask "what is the best casing for making sausages?" but after messing round with natural casings for years I found the Collagen casings.

They require no refrigeration, last for several years and come out of the packet compressed to about 6 or 7" long. That casing fills to make a 9lb or so length of sausage to tie up to the length you desire.

In terms of finished product I don't find that the Collagen is far behind the natural casing in taste and is more than offset by the ease of use.

I know this is going off thread a little but given your beginner status thought I would mention it to add to your repertoire in the world of snag making.
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Post by snakeoil » Sat Nov 15, 2014 01:02

Pete wrote:Snakeoil, you didn't ask "what is the best casing for making sausages?" but after messing round with natural casings for years I found the Collagen casings.

They require no refrigeration, last for several years and come out of the packet compressed to about 6 or 7" long. That casing fills to make a 9lb or so length of sausage to tie up to the length you desire.

In terms of finished product I don't find that the Collagen is far behind the natural casing in taste and is more than offset by the ease of use.

I know this is going off thread a little but given your beginner status thought I would mention it to add to your repertoire in the world of snag making.
Pete thanks for the reply and suggestion. Trying work my way into sausage making as a hobby and right now i am starting out and might add slow with fresh breakfast sausage and breakfast sausage links. I am having trouble stuffing my sheep casings. i am getting them too full and having trouble twisting them. The collagen sounds great and never tried them yet but can you twist or what do you do with the skin take it off before they are cooked? anything you would like to add that might help me with collagen casing i will appreciate
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Post by Bob K » Sat Nov 15, 2014 20:39

Snakeoil-
Sheep casings, of all the natural casings, are the most difficult to use.
So dont get discouraged.
They are thinner which is great but also burst easily..as you have found out.

collagen are easier to use but in the smaller diameter are still a bit fragile. To link them they need to be tied and not twisted.

Hog casings are not as fragile so on your next recipe try those...it makes for a shorter learning curve to this great hobby!!!
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Post by Rick » Mon Nov 17, 2014 02:32

Now the next challenge is getting them onto the stuffing tube! My smallest tube would be alright, but the smaller the tube, the harder to turn the stuffing handle. So I consequently use the next size up. The trick being to use plenty of water on the tube and casing when feeding them onto the tube.
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Post by Pete » Mon Nov 17, 2014 11:12

snakeoil wrote:
Pete wrote:Snakeoil, you didn't ask "what is the best casing for making sausages?" but after messing round with natural casings for years I found the Collagen casings.

They require no refrigeration, last for several years and come out of the packet compressed to about 6 or 7" long. That casing fills to make a 9lb or so length of sausage to tie up to the length you desire.

In terms of finished product I don't find that the Collagen is far behind the natural casing in taste and is more than offset by the ease of use.

I know this is going off thread a little but given your beginner status thought I would mention it to add to your repertoire in the world of snag making.
Pete thanks for the reply and suggestion. Trying work my way into sausage making as a hobby and right now i am starting out and might add slow with fresh breakfast sausage and breakfast sausage links. I am having trouble stuffing my sheep casings. i am getting them too full and having trouble twisting them. The collagen sounds great and never tried them yet but can you twist or what do you do with the skin take it off before they are cooked? anything you would like to add that might help me with collagen casing i will appreciate
To tight could be you are hanging onto the casing a little to much, a bit less grip and the skin comes off the filler tube quicker which = not overstuffing.

It's an experience thing, you'll get it soon :grin:

The collagen casings are an animal product, quite edible.

A small tip, if they are a bit overstuffed and breaking, link them up just an inch or two longer, IME less breakage.

Conversely, a little understuffed link them up shorter, makes the contents a bit tighter.

Pork fat, the only way to go..............tastes better, not > 20%, grind finer, cooks firmer.

You now have my entire sausage knowledge...LOL.....good snagging mate ! :mrgreen:

Ps....I have always linked them up in threes, plenty of utube vids on that and it's easy once you get going.
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