The natural sausage casings market is on the rise, expected to grow 2.1% in the next 6 years! If you’re in the sausage-making business or diving into sausage-making from home, you’re missing out on a quality sausage without natural hog casings.
You don’t want to be wasteful when it comes to using animal products. By using natural hog casings, even the intestines of the animal get put to good use to create premium sausages. But how do they differ from man-made sausage casings, and how do you use them?
From the top natural sausage casing manufacturer, here are a few of our tips.
The Benefits of Hog Casings
Some cringe at first thought of eating a sausage cased in the animal’s former intestine. But the animal’s natural anatomy serves as the more flavorful and authentic casing option.
Artificial casings are usually made from polymers and plastics, so they aren’t as breathable. This means that during the smoking or curing process, the sausage won’t absorb much flavor.
So, would you rather eat sausage enclosed in artificial plastic made of hard-to-pronounce polymers? Or use the hog’s natural intestine? If anything, you know you’ll get a more delicious product with hog sausage casings.
How to Prepare Your Casings
When you receive your hog casings, start by rinsing the casings thoroughly in cold water. Then, soak them in the refrigerator overnight before use. This step helps flush out the salt used to preserve the casings during the shipping process.
If you have any extra casings you won’t use yet, no sweat! Simply pack the casings again with salt, pour some water on top, and cover with a lid. Then, you can store them for as long as you want. Just change out the saltwater every few weeks.
Using Your Hog Sausage Casings
Now that your casings are prepared, it’s time to create our sausage mixture! Gather your meat and ingredients and combine with salt according to your recipe. Once you’ve cooked a bit of your meat mixture and tasted and adjusted to your liking, you’re ready to stuff.
You’ll need a sausage funnel to complete this next step. Slide the casing onto the funnel, with about an inch of the casing hanging off. Begin to fill the casing with the mixture, pinching the end of the casing with your forefinger and thumb.
Press the casing and make twists to form a link. You can also use butcher twine for this step. Then, get to cooking your sausage how you’d like!
Wondering Where to Buy Hog Casings?
Now you know that natural hog casings are the key to how the premium sausage gets made. And at World Casing Corporation, we know hog casings better than anyone.
With the best hog casings for sale, we’ve got all your sausage-making needs covered. Our hog casings are best for link sausages such as bratwurst, kielbasa, traditional Italian sausage, and more. We also offer natural sheep and beef casings!
All our casings are pre-flushed and packed in salt/brine for shipping. Contact us to find your sales rep so we can get the best sausage casings to you!