I'm almost ready! Sausage...which casings? :/

[ChickenPotPie]

Okay, I'm back from a long trip and have the time. I know which animals I'm going to cull. I'm going to process several rabbits and two tom turkeys. I want to make sausage.

My main (mental) obstacle? I can't figure out or decide which casing to buy or where to buy them. :/ I want to make small, link, breakfast sausage because that is what I'm sure my young family will like best for a first try.

I'd love your suggestions for what kind of casing to use and where to buy it. Please and thank you.

ETA: Woops, double post. How did that happen? Mods?

 

[modern_pioneer]

if you get a minute, pop in here and have a quick read!!

http://modern-pioneer.blogspot.com/2010/02/homemade-sausage.html

Its been a while since I have blogged but I wanted to share mine with you... I still have not made any since last season, I continued to make some breakfast links and added maple syrup (homemade) to it. It was sticky when cooking it and was good!!!

Best part of making your own, you know what your eating!!

 

[SKR8PN]

http://www.sausagemaker.com/

 

[Niele da Kine]

You could look in the refrigerator section of your grocery store to see if they have casings, not all stores carry them. If you know anyone butchering a hog this year, they might give you some casings. Basically, it's just scraped intestines. You might be able to use the turkey or rabbit casings although they'd be real small sausages.

Take a length of the intestines, smoosh all the oooky stuff out. Rinse some water through them. Then turn one end inside out and put a bubble of water there to help turn the whole thing inside out. Put the intestine on a cutting board and scrape it with the back of a knife to get the soft coating off. You'll end up with what looks like a long white fibrous cord. That's your casings. It's not that hard to do, after your first try you'll have how much pressure to use figured out. After they are cleaned, I usually keep them refrigerated in a jar of salted water until they are used.

 

[EllenDee]

I would always go the natural casing - before I started making sausages I thought man made collagen sounded better, but having made sausages I would say always choose a natural casing. They just seem to stick together better, and there are tons of types aviable for a thick of thin sausage.

 

[ORChick]

Do you have any butchers near you? They will have casings, or can order them. Even the supermarket butcher, probably.

 

[beerman]

As a executive chef I agree with Sausagemaker.com we use their books in culinary school.