I decided to make my own bratwurst today for the first time in a long time. can't remember are we supposed to wash the casing first? it came all sealed in a bag it was clean and salty. i already made several links then it occurred to me maybe i am supposed to wash this stuff first? i admit i am not good or experienced with making sausage links this was kind of learning experience for me and i wouldn't have been doing it if i didn't have an excessive amount of pork trim sitting in the cooler that i had to do something with. but anyway it is something i have been wanting to get good at because i think it could be good money for us. but i want to do it right..any advice? thanks.
yes you are , i rinse them in super cold water a few times and use a fresh water to store them in, also we used to ad a bit of food oil to tyhe bucket so the casing would go on the horn all nice like and make the sausage nice and shiny.
For salted casings, I/we put one end on the water faucet and turn on the water and let it run for a few seconds. Not so much to wash it, but for lubrication. I've also used the ones that are in liquid. I guess it's salt water? Anyway, those were usually separated on a stick of some kind. One casing per stick. However, I still found it necessary to open one end and run a tiny bit of water in it for more lubrication. For the ones in the brine/water I do not run water through it. Just a little on one end to help it slip on the tube easier. Maybe it's not the best way, but it works and tastes good.
well it sounds like cleaning the casing isn't the issue its lubrication. which I wish I thought of. it wasn't that easy gettingi t on the horn.and it did rip a couple times. i was worried that it might need to be washed for the sake of being clean but so far it sounds like it just needs some water for lubrication reasons.
Put all the casings in one bucket and soak them in warm water at least a couple of hours. It will make the casings more pliable and easier to set on the horn. The longer they soak the easier they are to work with. Let whatever casings you don't use soak with the water in your cooler until you're ready to use them again.
I soak my casing in a bucket of water in the cooler the night before I use them. Remember to untie the knot they are in and to separate them then the next day I dump out and replace the water they are soaking in and make sausage I also only used bottled distilled water. Tap water is chlorinated which believe it or not does toughen the casing up
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Joe Parajecki
Operations Manager/ Partner
Kettle Range Meat Company, Milwaukee WI
Member Meat Cutter Hall of Fame and The Butcher's Guild
I soak my casing in a bucket of water in the cooler the night before I use them. Remember to untie the knot they are in and to separate them then the next day I dump out and replace the water they are soaking in and make sausage I also only used bottled distilled water. Tap water is chlorinated which believe it or not does toughen the casing up
Thanks Big Beef! I didn't realize tap water toughens the casing! I've wondered why my Andouille was so tough. When I get it out of the smoker I let it rest a few minutes and every time I cut it, it tastes great but the casing is super tough, like gnawing on over cooked squid. I'm giving distilled water a try. I'll let you know how it goes.
