collapse

Advertisement


Author Topic: best sausage casing? need recommendation  (Read 3976 times)

Offline elkboy

  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Dec 2010
  • Posts: 1796
  • Location: Corvallis, Oregon
best sausage casing? need recommendation
« on: August 23, 2020, 08:29:41 PM »
Dear Hunt-WA folks-  I hope you are all well in these crazy times. 

I have about 40 pounds of "odds and ends" trimmings from a few deer, and a Cabelas DC Pro grinder just arrived in the mail.  The lady and I did several pounds of ground deer (burger) and uncased breakfast sausage, but we want to break into the world of making bratwurst and other sausages. 

What casing do you all recommend?  My grinder came with three different sizes of sausage stuffer funnels, but I am most interested in making bratwurst with the largest (about 32 mm, or 1.25") funnel. 

Also, if anybody lives in southeast WA, and has a lot of experience with game sausage making, I would gladly bring beer/whatever in trade for some mentoring.  Thanks all! 

Offline Stein

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (+11)
  • Explorer
  • ******
  • Join Date: Sep 2013
  • Posts: 12908
  • Location: Arlington
Re: best sausage casing? need recommendation
« Reply #1 on: August 23, 2020, 08:41:46 PM »
I prefer natural casings but they are a bit harder to work with and will tear if you get too crazy with them.  Easiest is to get a Cabelas kit that has everything, I've been very happy with the results compared with getting recipes and finding all the stuff myself.

Summer sausage is pretty easy, you just need more meat and some way to cook it - smoker or oven.  The casings are very tough and hard to screw up.

Brats are a bit harder as the casing is more fragile and you have to do the twisty thing at the right size, right stuff pressure and no bubbles or broken casing.  You can over or under stuff brats where summer sausage you basically stuff it as tight as possible.

Offline hawks33

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Hunter
  • ***
  • Join Date: Sep 2017
  • Posts: 225
  • Location: The left island
Re: best sausage casing? need recommendation
« Reply #2 on: August 23, 2020, 08:51:33 PM »
I got into doing brats last year. I've only worked with natural casings, and as Stein said, they can be a bit temperamental. I always have a few casings with holes or issues, but overall,  pretty happy with the results. If you look up The Bearded Butchers on youtube, they have some good instructional in sausages and everything else...helped me. I just did up bear chorizo and andouille brats using the recipes from Meateater cookbook, pretty decent. If you buy any seasoning packs, be sure to try a little with some meat before you dedicate 20 lbs of hard earned venison, dumb mistake I made last year. Cheers!

Offline Twispriver

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Frontiersman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Apr 2008
  • Posts: 2885
  • Location: Granite Falls and Twisp
Re: best sausage casing? need recommendation
« Reply #3 on: August 23, 2020, 09:30:08 PM »
I order all my casings from HiCountry Snack Foods - natural casings for brats, snack stick and summer sausage casings. Look hem up on the web, give them a call and you'll have it in a couple of days.
When a clown moves into a palace he doesn't become a king, the palace instead becomes a circus

I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies

Offline Bango skank

  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (+9)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: May 2014
  • Posts: 5880
  • Location: colville
Re: best sausage casing? need recommendation
« Reply #4 on: August 23, 2020, 09:33:04 PM »
Durex

Offline Remnar

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (+6)
  • Longhunter
  • *****
  • Join Date: Nov 2014
  • Posts: 527
  • Location: sw wa
Re: best sausage casing? need recommendation
« Reply #5 on: August 23, 2020, 10:40:42 PM »
 Use natural casings . They may take a little more finesse but once you use them a bit its not that big of deal . Think about the best Brat, "Kilbasa", Polish, etc. that you have eaten . Most likely natural casings .

Collagen and synthetics have their place  for sure . Just not here IMO.

There are plenty of commercial spice blends that will give you a good product . But as advised in above post try a bit first , if not in meat at least straight . I would recommend the same for any spice recipe you make yourself.

Getting a recipe dialed to your taste is half the fun .

Add enough fat when using game meat .

Once you get it all cased up let it set under (refrigeration) for 24-48 hours if at all possible before you smoke,cook,or freeze.

Dont worry unless you really F it up it will still be good .  :)

Offline Bigshooter

  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (+7)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: Aug 2007
  • Posts: 6367
  • Location: Lewis Co
  • High Wide And Heavy
Re: best sausage casing? need recommendation
« Reply #6 on: August 24, 2020, 01:06:20 AM »
Use natural casings . They may take a little more finesse but once you use them a bit its not that big of deal . Think about the best Brat, "Kilbasa", Polish, etc. that you have eaten . Most likely natural casings .

Collagen and synthetics have their place  for sure . Just not here IMO.

There are plenty of commercial spice blends that will give you a good product . But as advised in above post try a bit first , if not in meat at least straight . I would recommend the same for any spice recipe you make yourself.

Getting a recipe dialed to your taste is half the fun .

Add enough fat when using game meat .

Once you get it all cased up let it set under (refrigeration) for 24-48 hours if at all possible before you smoke,cook,or freeze.

Dont worry unless you really F it up it will still be good .  :)

Not enough fat in brats is like eating sawdust stuffed in a casing.
Welcome to liberal America, where the truth is condemned and facts are ignored so as not to "offend" anyone


"Borders, language, culture."

Offline Angry Perch

  • Past Sponsor
  • Trade Count: (+7)
  • Explorer
  • *****
  • Join Date: Oct 2011
  • Posts: 12555
  • Location: Sammamish/ Sequim
Re: best sausage casing? need recommendation
« Reply #7 on: August 24, 2020, 08:06:36 AM »
Lots of online sources for casings, but any meat market that makes sausage should be able to sell you a hank of hog casings to get you going.
Low T Beta Male
Domesticated simpy city dwelling male
Low T/ high estrogen = illogical thinking
You must have a learning disability
Low IQ mut [sic] faced bimbo.
You see it here with some of the less intelligent and stable types.
Leveler boy.

Offline dutchmanaz

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Tracker
  • **
  • Join Date: Jun 2019
  • Posts: 80
  • Location: HOT. DANG hot. Arizona
  • Groups: dutchmanaz
Re: best sausage casing? need recommendation
« Reply #8 on: August 25, 2020, 08:03:14 AM »
alliedkenco.com  has been my go to source for most sausage making supplies.

Offline Dhoey07

  • Trade Count: (+7)
  • Frontiersman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Sep 2011
  • Posts: 3348
  • Location: Parts Unknown
    • No Facebook for this guy
Re: best sausage casing? need recommendation
« Reply #9 on: August 25, 2020, 08:19:17 AM »
Go into Egger's, they'll have casings for you  :tup:

Offline elkboy

  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Dec 2010
  • Posts: 1796
  • Location: Corvallis, Oregon
Re: best sausage casing? need recommendation
« Reply #10 on: August 27, 2020, 04:45:05 PM »
Awesome!  Thanks everyone!  I really appreciate the input.

I have a Cabelas DC Pro grinder-  was just planning to use the stuffer funnels that came with it.  I do see online that a lot of people don't like to use the funnels in combination with the grinder, but use a vertical sausage press instead. 
How many of you all use the funnel with grinder, and how many use a press? 

Thanks again- I really appreciate this forum!

Offline nwwanderer

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (+3)
  • Frontiersman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Sep 2010
  • Posts: 4693
Re: best sausage casing? need recommendation
« Reply #11 on: August 27, 2020, 05:33:42 PM »
The man that runs the meats lab at WSU would probably supply some and he has a boat load of experience, Dan Snyder

Offline callturner

  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (+2)
  • Longhunter
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jun 2020
  • Posts: 757
  • Location: nine mile falls Washington
    • n/a
  • Groups: nra
Re: best sausage casing? need recommendation
« Reply #12 on: August 27, 2020, 06:02:34 PM »
I use hog casing for german sausage, 2 1/2 " collagen for summer sausage and salami, and the small collagen cases for peperoni sticks. I use a 10 lb stuffer instead of a grinder because it is easier for me to do the way MY recipes are made. I grind and store in tubs mixing every day for 3 days to break down the meat.

Offline Angry Perch

  • Past Sponsor
  • Trade Count: (+7)
  • Explorer
  • *****
  • Join Date: Oct 2011
  • Posts: 12555
  • Location: Sammamish/ Sequim
Re: best sausage casing? need recommendation
« Reply #13 on: August 27, 2020, 08:31:48 PM »
If doing small and/ or infrequent batches, you can get by with the tube on the grinder. But a dedicated stuffer is so much faster.
Low T Beta Male
Domesticated simpy city dwelling male
Low T/ high estrogen = illogical thinking
You must have a learning disability
Low IQ mut [sic] faced bimbo.
You see it here with some of the less intelligent and stable types.
Leveler boy.

Offline elkboy

  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Dec 2010
  • Posts: 1796
  • Location: Corvallis, Oregon
Re: best sausage casing? need recommendation
« Reply #14 on: August 28, 2020, 09:07:15 AM »
The man that runs the meats lab at WSU would probably supply some and he has a boat load of experience, Dan Snyder

All right, right across campus from me!  Thanks!  Some advantages to working at a land grant school...

 


* Advertisement

* Recent Topics

Nevada guide draw Mule Deer by High Climber
[Today at 07:18:34 AM]


Anterless 1334 muzzle loader by Bendejo
[Today at 07:17:52 AM]


Cowiche Quality Buck by buglebuster
[Today at 07:10:20 AM]


2025 Draw Results by Elkaholic daWg
[Today at 07:02:27 AM]


Son drawn - Silver Dollar Youth Any Elk - Help? by Rugergunsite308
[Today at 06:27:17 AM]


Bow mount trolling motors by CP
[Today at 06:03:13 AM]


SE raffle tags holder by HntnFsh
[Today at 05:39:57 AM]


11th Annual 'Pull For Scouting' Clay Crushing Classic by high_hunter
[Today at 12:27:18 AM]


AKC lab puppies! Born 06/10/2025 follow as they grow!!! by high_hunter
[Today at 12:21:33 AM]


Ritzville Rifle Buck - GMU 284 by high_hunter
[Yesterday at 11:49:16 PM]


Antlerless Moose more than once? by shootem
[Yesterday at 11:25:51 PM]


Nooksack Muzzleloader Bull Tag by high_hunter
[Yesterday at 10:42:24 PM]


My wife drew quality deer DESERT rifle 10/18-10/26!!!!! by high_hunter
[Yesterday at 10:17:15 PM]


Palouse buck deer by blumtnelkndeer
[Yesterday at 10:14:00 PM]


Drew Quality by Jimmer
[Yesterday at 09:34:00 PM]


Quality Swakane by Rainier10
[Yesterday at 09:09:17 PM]


Observatory quality bull rifle by buglebuster
[Yesterday at 09:00:02 PM]


A little Martini Cadet varmint rifle I have been working on by JDHasty
[Yesterday at 08:43:33 PM]


Pogue Quality by geauxtigers
[Yesterday at 08:38:35 PM]


2025 OILS! by HUNTNORTHWEST
[Yesterday at 07:46:27 PM]

SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2025, SimplePortal