Blackpowder Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 I am about to enter the world of the home sausage maker. The question is can you store natural casings in a freezer until they are required. Thanks in advance. Blackpowder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aris Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 (edited) I am about to enter the world of the home sausage maker. The question is can you store natural casings in a freezer until they are required. Thanks in advance. Blackpowder Just store them in salt in the fridge - you can store them for years like this. They literally have to be buried in salt, and keep them in an air-tight container like a tupperware as they can ponk a bit Freezer may well damage them. Edited March 25, 2014 by aris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camokid Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 i freeze mine.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin lad Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 As aris says store them in salt in airtight container though we never let ours fo beyond 6 months i wouldn't freeze them as with anything meat wise that's been frozen it will start to break down the tissue and weaken it meaning you may get split case's when you stuff them if you don't want to use all you get in one go store them in smaller amounts so you don't have to keep opening and closing the airtight container Colin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aris Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 You can get half-hanks of hog casings (40-45m) from www.sausage-casings.co.uk - that will do about 50lbs of sausage. You may also consider getting them pre-spooled on rods - saves a lot of hassle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbietherimmer Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 (edited) I am about to enter the world of the home sausage maker. The question is can you store natural casings in a freezer until they are required. Thanks in advance. Blackpowder I bet you make a couple of batches and it gets packed away. (rubbish ones at that!) Ive known loads of folk over the years have a bash and end up giving up as you never get anywhere near the quality and consistency that the butcher can. Best of british but its doomed from the start Edited March 25, 2014 by robbietherimmer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackpowder Posted March 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 (edited) I,ve been lucky enough to sample from others several 'makes' of venison sausage. I liked them much better than any I have had from any butcher. Only if starved of bangers would I buy supermarket sausage. Blackpowder Edited March 25, 2014 by Blackpowder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin lad Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 I bet you make a couple of batches and it gets packed away. (rubbish ones at that!) Ive known loads of folk over the years have a bash and end up giving up as you never get anywhere near the quality and consistency that the butcher can. Best of british but its doomed from the start why would you say that lots of people make great quality sausages i can make them as good as any butcher can colin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aris Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 why would you say that lots of people make great quality sausages i can make them as good as any butcher can colin Sausage making is an art and a science - but certainty not rocket science. Make your way to the forums at sausagemaking.org and learn :-) No reason you can't make as good a quality sausage as a butcher - and certainly anything better than you get at a supermarket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackpowder Posted March 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Hi Colin and Aris, many thanks for the sound advice. Blackpowder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herr Plinker Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Sausage making is an art and a science - but certainty not rocket science. Make your way to the forums at sausagemaking.org and learn :-) No reason you can't make as good a quality sausage as a butcher - and certainly anything better than you get at a supermarket. +1 - spot on aris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin lad Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 have a word with your local butcher see if he can buy you some in then ask if he will vac pac them in smaller batch's enough for say a 10lb mix per time colin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtaylor Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 As above I have just stored them in the fridge packed in salt. I had some in the fridge for over a year which were fine when I came to use them. When I was butchering the guy I learned from told me not to freeze bacon for more than a few months as the salt can thaw it and then refreeze whilst still in the freezer, turning it rank or changing the flavour. Ignore the negative comment about, bloke sounds like a bit of a *****. I've made some excellent sausages. If you are making venison sausages then I would say don't scrimp on the fat. A good pound or so of belly pork works well. The best I made were with some wild boar belly mixed in with the venison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackpowder Posted March 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Thanks RT its gonna be pigeon to start with me thinks. Blackpowder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aris Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 One place beginners come short is fat and salt. Salt should be between 1% and 2%, and fat between 15% and 30% deeding on te type of sausage. Typically I use 1% salt and 20% fat - all by weight. Fat gives succulence and transfers flavour. If doing pigeon, consider it to have no fat - you will have to add some. As as been said, pork belly is a good cheap flavourful source. Keep your fat between 2 and 4 degrees C when mincing - you may consider partially freezing to keep the temp down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dougy Posted April 3, 2014 Report Share Posted April 3, 2014 Just read through a few posts on the sausage making threads, as all ready said on here, skins should be kept salted buried in the salt, not like its expensive. Freezing needs to be avoided it doesn't have any benefits against salting in fact the opposite. Try and put you meat in the freezer to the point of it becoming firm, you water should also be icy cold. Basically all the equipment including the meat should be as cold as possible, its to avoid bacteria cultures starting, and you wont normally use preservatives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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