home made sausages - casings - sheeps, hogs or collagen?

apprentice_tycoon · 30 September 2006 at 7:39PM

On the www.sausagemaking.org site they offer hogs, sheeps and collagen casings. They say that hogs are best for beginners as they are thicker and less likely to split during filling so those were what I bought for my first year of sausage making.

I fancy having a go with the sheeps casings as they will make a thinner sausage, anyone got any experience with using them?

Whitefiver · 30 September 2006 at 8:49PM

Hi,

We use the collagen ones from here quite successfully. Thay have the advantage of keeping well too.

Good firm to deal with in my experience too.

Regards,

White

Mr_Proctalgia · 30 September 2006 at 11:29PM

Sheep casings are very fragile and unless you are competent, deft and lucky they will split. That being said they do make lovely Chipolatas. I find that I can make sausages single handedly using Hog casings but it is impossible using Sheeps as they need to come off the filler a lot faster (being smaller) and I run out of hands!!!

tiredwithtwins · 30 September 2006 at 11:32PM

apprentice_tycoon wrote:

On the www.sausagemaking.org site they offer hogs, sheeps and collagen casings. They say that hogs are best for beginners as they are thicker and less likely to split during filling so those were what I bought for my first year of sausage making.

I fancy having a go with the sheeps casings as they will make a thinner sausage, anyone got any experience with using them?

Nooo!!!!
use cookie cutters to make different shaped sausies!!!!
kids love it!!

and its interesting to see how they all turn out! we have had some sausies cut with gingerbread men cutters that have VERY interesting appendages on them

rev229 · 30 September 2006 at 11:45PM

How do you make home made sausages and what do you put in them apart from meat??

apprentice_tycoon · 1 October 2006 at 7:15AM

whitefiver, what I like about the natural casings is the curvy shape, aren't collagen ones all straight?

mr proc, that's blow, I fancied having a go with thin ones, I might ask the butcher if I could have a few yards to play with before I commit to buying miles of them

tiredwithtwins, thanks for the idea but we are all a bit too old for that lol!

rev 229 here is my recipe for sausages

home made pork sausages

2lb of belly (streaky) pork *
2 oz finely crushed cream crackers **
2 level teaspoons of salt
1/2 level teaspoon of finely ground black pepper
big pinches of dried sage, marjoram, parsley and allspice
2 tablespoons of tomato puree

sausage skins from www.sausagemaking.org soaked in cold water for 1 hour then rinsed

remove the skin from the pork, roughly dice it, mince it with a coarse screen
put half of the pork back in to be minced again.

mix the pork with all the rest of the ingredients and squish it all really well together - hands are the easiest tools I'm afraid

make a small burger out of a couple of spoonsfull and fry it to test for seasonings, it's all a matter of taste, I over-season slightly with herbs, pepper and spices as the flavour of the completed sausage won't be as intense as this little fried one as it has a big surface area that is caramelised

tie the skins at one end, put the mixture in the stuffer or use a funnel and wooden spoon handle to fill the skins

fill the skins loosely, tie off at both ends, shape into sausages with plenty of room between each one, twisting as you go.

They don't cook very well under the grill so fry in a smear of olive oil very slowly for around 20 minutes

variations - add blanched leeks, diced apple or more herbs and spices or use lamb and add mint.

* you need the meat to be around 3/4 lean to fat, sorry - it's the only way to do it properly, the fat adds the taste and moisture
** the traditional rusk for homemade sausages is breadcrumbs but I find crackers easier and better

Whitefiver · 1 October 2006 at 10:00AM

apprentice_tycoon wrote:

whitefiver, what I like about the natural casings is the curvy shape, aren't collagen ones all straight?

Straighter, I would say, but not absolutely straight. I think it depends on how you fill them too - if it is an absolutely even fill, then maybe you would get straight ones. Aren't they better for hot dogs off the barbecue though

.

Thanks for the idea of using crackers - that's a cracking idea! <Sorry>. We will definitely have a go at your version.

Regards,

White.

Mr_Proctalgia · 1 October 2006 at 10:51AM

I do pretty much what apprectice tycoon does except for a couple of tips that I find makes it easier, I use proper rusk from Sausage making, it lasts for ages anyway, instead of knotting the end of the casing I use a freezer bag clip - its easier to get all the initial air out , then I knot it when I'm linking. I mix the "sausage meat" with a tattie masher if it is a small amount or use a mixer and "K" beater if there is a lot and I usually use a mix of 50/50 belly and shoulder, but thats all down to personal taste I guess.
I think that using sheep casings really depends on your mincer/mixer as you need to go slow with them I have a commercial Hobart one and its 3 speeds are 1 - Not bad but keep your eye on it! 2- *&7$^ Hell - The workop is rattling and 3 - Duck! - Splat -Too late.

newleaf · 13 October 2006 at 11:00PM

I have just received a gift of a sausage stuffer and a starter pack of rusk, casings and seasonings :j yay! But I don't have a mincer

I'm keen to get started, so could I get by with a food processor do you think?

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home made sausages - casings - sheeps, hogs or collagen?

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