Should I soak my hog casings before using?

[islandgirl]

So I am giving sausage making a try.. first time! I have learned alot from this forum.a great BIG thank you!
I have had my grinder/ stuffer for a year and been a little afraid to try but the meat (moose trim) is in the fridge
My casings have been in the freezer since I bought them. Should I soak them in salt water or something else before using?

[Habanero Smoker]

I never freeze my casings, it can weaken them and make them prone to blow outs.

After you thaw them, you will want to soak what you need in plain tepid water for about 15 - 30 minutes. I also add either cider vinegar or lemon juice during the last 15 minutes of soaking. It is also a good idea to rinse out the inside. But since they have been frozen, you may want to skip the step of adding vinegar or lemon juice.

I would not refreeze the remaining but pat dry with paper towels, generously cover with kosher or pickling salt and store them in the refrigerator. They will store almost indefinitely.

[smoker pete]

Haven't done any sausages yet Islandgirl but Welcome to the Forum  :)

[RAF128]

Yes, soak them in warm water.   And rinse them out.    I too freeze mine 'cause that's what I was told to do years ago by the guy in a shop that sold them to me.  I've never had a problem.   Here I've read not to ???.   

[islandgirl]

Well I used my frozen casings tonight.. after a fight with my northern electric..( how the hell does the stuffer go on..very bad instructions) I got it to work and never even blew out one casing...
So my sausages are stuffed.. I am BbQing one tonight and will probably smoke the rest of them tomorrow. I only used 3 lbs of trim since I am new to this.. my concern is I bought cure from a butcher and could not rememver the exact amount to use..I went sparingly .. so I may just use these are raw sausage.

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi islandgirl;

Forgot to welcome you to the forum.

Smoking sausage is very risky if you have not added the correct amount of cure. Botulism is rare, but the end result can be deadly, and it is not worth taking the risk. At this point I would treat it fresh sausage; unless you can provide us with the information to the following questions.

Do you know what type of cure mixture it was? The most common cures for the U.S. are cure #1 which goes by many commercial names, and Morton's Tender Quick, and Morton's Sugar Cure (plain).

How much sausage did you make?

You said you used the cure sparingly. Do you know how much you did use?

Here is some information on curing salts:
Curing Salts

[KevinG]

Yes, you need to make sure to use the correct amount, if you're not sure you are better off cooking them like fresh sausage.