I've tried 2 different brands of collagen casings on my snack sticks. Although my sticks taste great I just dont like the edibility (for lack of a better word) of the casing , and have ended up pulling them off each time.
Has anyone tried snack sticks in sheep casings. If so how did they turn out ?
I've made them with sheep casings and the end result was very good, I haven't gotten around to using collagen casings, yet. Now if you never worked with sheep casings, I find them more difficult to work with over hog casings. Make sure you soak them longer then you do hog casings, and rinse the inside out real good. Be careful not to over stuff, because they easily will split on you.
Quote from: Fair-chase on March 14, 2010, 07:41:42 PM
I've tried 2 different brands of collagen casings on my snack sticks. Although my sticks taste great I just dont like the edibility (for lack of a better word) of the casing , and have ended up pulling them off each time.
Has anyone tried snack sticks in sheep casings. If so how did they turn out ?
Add some water to your pan when you use collagen casings.
Nepa, I will try the water thing next time. My casings are not dry , but after I chew up a bite of sausage the casing is still kinda there in my mouth. Almost like a wet piece of paper.
Quote from: Fair-chase on March 15, 2010, 06:18:04 AM
Nepa, I will try the water thing next time. My casings are not dry , but after I chew up a bite of sausage the casing is still kinda there in my mouth. Almost like a wet piece of paper.
Thats normal when collagen casings are stored in a baggy. How do you store yours?
I keep mine in vac bags when storing in the fridge.
I've been putting them in a brown paper bag in the frig. Maybe it's just a personal taste preference thing. The casings do seem to loosen after being in the frig awhile due to the meat shrinking a little. This makes them easier to remove , but I even get the wet paper taste right after blooming.
I"ve never experienced that. I've used the colligen casings for all kind of snack sticks. I've used sheep casings when I made breakfast sausages but the butcher where I buy a lot of my meat told me that they also use them for their instore made breakfast sausages. I keep my meat mix pretty wet so it stuffs easier. Maybe that's the answer.
I think Nepas was talking about the casings being stored in a baggy unstuffed. I found that collagen casings i have had in plastic wrap or a zip lock bag in the fridge for awhile have split more and come out of the smoker with a paper like texture. Most newer fridges take humidity out. SO if not Vac sealed they will most likely dry out some.
Yes i should have said new unstuffed collagen casing lengths keep in a vac bag in fridge.
I got ya. Never heard of that before. Some instructions say they dont even need to be refrigerated.
Quote from: NePaSmoKer on March 15, 2010, 04:56:18 PM
Yes i should have said new unstuffed collagen casing lengths keep in a vac bag in fridge.
Even when you first buy them?
Sorry, jumping in late here... I picked up a few packages of them from BPS, and they are in the original packaging out on my workbench.
Thx guys.
Quote from: squirtthecat on March 15, 2010, 06:53:34 PM
Quote from: NePaSmoKer on March 15, 2010, 04:56:18 PM
Yes i should have said new unstuffed collagen casing lengths keep in a vac bag in fridge.
Even when you first buy them?
Sorry, jumping in late here... I picked up a few packages of them from BPS, and they are in the original packaging out on my workbench.
Thx guys.
Yeah they get oil residue on them from being at room temp and kinda dry. Thats why i vac seal them.
I buy my collegen casing from a butcher shop. They sell them in plastic bags with a twist tie. They're on the shelf, not refridgerated. The ones I have are store in a cupboard in the original bag. Had some on hand for years and never a problem.