Casings

[OU812]

That little K.A. grinder works great for doing small taster batches.
I have one myself.

Thats a good deal a wife and a grinder in the same package  :D

[BigJohnT]

She came with a chain saw and a bass boat too  ;D

and she has more camo than I do...

John

[OU812]

She came with a chain saw and a bass boat too  ;D

and she has more camo than I do...

John

My kinda girl  ;D

[BigJohnT]

We sold the bass boat and got a Goldwing... easier to get out and put up.

John

[smokeitall]

She came with a chain saw and a bass boat too  ;D

and she has more camo than I do...

John

You should post the doe-asourus that she got the season before last.  Very impressive sized doe!

[BigJohnT]

That little K.A. grinder works great for doing small taster batches.
I have one myself.

Thats a good deal a wife and a grinder in the same package  :D

I pulled that grinder out... it's been in the box since we were married all those many moons ago. I don't think it will grind a hot dog if I cut it up first  :o  Looks like the K.A. is up for that task for now.

John

[BigJohnT]

You should post the doe-asourus that she got the season before last.  Very impressive sized doe!

That one was a lot bigger than the Bamby she got the year before that...

John

[smokeitall]

Must be raining down there to, figured you'd be out for a ride on the Goldwing this morning.

[BigJohnT]

We worked all day Saturday but went for a nice ride to Alley Springs Sunday... about 225 miles round trip.

The Sportsman 11 Lb stuffer showed up from Homer Depot today undamaged. It's HUGE  :o It's about 25" tall but seems easy to work the high gear moves the plunger up in 5 1/2 cranks. The hopper just pulls out from the top and is sitting on two pins on the bottom. It is made or imported by Buffalo... and has a 2 1/16" diameter disk.

Now if I had a smoker there would be some Kielbasa in the works soon.

John

[BigJohnT]

I got some 38mm collagen casing to do the Kielbasa with... The only thing it says in the Kutas book is that they need to be refrigerated at 50°f or lower.

Do I have to do anything with them before I stuff them?

Everything is here except the Bradley :'(

John

[smokeitall]

Not sure about the Kielbasa question, hopefully mike will be along soon for that one.

I can't believe the smoker is not there yet, man that sucks.  Hopefully it will be there by tomorrow so I can check it out when I am down there.
SIA

[NePaSmoKer]

Mix the meat with your seasonings, then fridge overnight. Then stuff casings the next day.

nepas

[BigJohnT]

Thanks,

So just tie a string on the end to close it up and stuff then twist?

So do you store the collagen casings in the refrigerator?

Scott are you coming down here Wednesday?

John

[smokeitall]

On a natural casing I tie a knot in the casing.  On a collagen casing I use butchers twine.

you do not need to store either casing in the fridge, I store the natural casings packed in salt in the fridge.

Yes I am coming down tomorrow (Wed), I thought the other John told you.
SIA

[Habanero Smoker]

I got some 38mm collagen casing to do the Kielbasa with... The only thing it says in the Kutas book is that they need to be refrigerated at 50°f or lower.

Do I have to do anything with them before I stuff them?

Everything is here except the Bradley :'(

John

Besides keeping them refrigerated, you may need to replenish some salt, as you use the casings. Use only kosher or pickling salt, avoid salt with additional chemicals and iodine added.

I don't know it this has been mentioned, but if they are salt packed you need to soak them in temped water for about 20 minutes or so. If you skip this step your sausage will be salty, and the casings will be tougher. It's an extra step, but also try to rinse the inside of the casings out. If you want clearer casings add some vinegar in the water, there are also claims that the vinegar helps keep the casings from getting tough.