Mastering the Craft of Making Sausage Read Online Free PDF Page B

way, is too tough to be considered edible.
    COLLAGEN CASING
    Collagen is a protein that is extracted from the bones, connective tissues, and hides of cattle. This special protein is used to manufacture collagen casings . (It is also used to manufacture gelatin.) These casings are made in various sizes. The wall thickness varies with the intended use of the casing. For example, casings used for smoked sausage links need to be strong if they will be hung in a smoker, so they will have thicker walls. Casings used for fresh sausage are thin and tender, but they may split when stuffed. Some of these casings require refrigeration while being stored, but others do not.
    Because collagen casings are uniform, and because their use requires less labor than natural casings, they are widely used by commercial processors even though they are a little more expensive than natural casings. People who do not want to eat sausage that has been stuffed in animal “guts” use them. Collagen casings are also useful for making kosher sausage.
    The various types of collagen casings are explained below.
    ROUND COLLAGEN CASING (SLEEVES)
    Round collagen casing is manufactured as a long, smooth tube, and then compressed into a much shorter tube of accordion-like pleats. The resulting sleeve is slid on the metal or plastic stuffing tube in much the same way that a shirtsleeve is slid onto an arm. When a sausage is stuffed, the pleats are pulled off the end of the tube a few at a time. (These sleeves are also called strand collagen casings .)
    Some stuffing tubes are shorter than the collagen sleeve, and some stuffing tubes are tapered (the overall diameter of the tube may be greater near the stuffer). In these cases, the collagen sleeve may need to be cut in half in order to expose the end of the stuffing tube when the sleeve is slid on the tube.
    As indicated above, there are two kinds of collagen casing sleeves. One type has thin walls, and it is used mainly for fresh sausages. If this casing is used for smoked sausage, the links must be laid on a smoking rack because the casing will tear if the links are hung in coils. The type of collagen casing with thicker walls is used for smoked sausages that will be hung in coils on a support rod. The thicker casing is strong enough to support the weight of the sausage coil without tearing. Both types must be stored in an airtight plastic bag in the refrigerator to prevent them from becoming dry and brittle. Both types are stuffed dry; they must not be soaked in water before using.

    Both the thick wall casings and the thin wall casings are more difficult to stuff than natural casings because they are not elastic. Because natural casings will stretch, they are more forgiving if the sausage is slightly overstuffed or insufficiently stuffed. In addition, if collagen casings are twisted into links, they will unwind. Consequently, it is best to divide the sausage rope into links with butcher’s twine rather than twisting it into links.
    The casing with a thin wall is very tender and is a pleasure to eat. The type with a thick wall is technically edible, but few people eat the casing because it is very tough.
    In my opinion, the bottom line for collagen casing sleeves (strand collagen casing) is this:
• For the home sausage maker, the thick wall type has no redeeming merits at all, unless natural casings cannot be used for personal reasons.
• The thin wall type might be considered if the negative points can be tolerated. The cost and the tenderness of this casing are comparable to sheep casing. It can be used for smoked sausage if the links are laid on a smoking rack instead of hung on rods.
    FLAT COLLAGEN CASING
    Flat collagen casings look similar to synthetic fibrous casings, and they, too, are used to stuff salami-size sausage and luncheon meat. They are not edible, even though they are made of collagen, and they must be soaked in salted water before use. If casing made of natural material is an important