Storage
The Casing Boutique guarantees all natural sausage casings with a shelf-life of one year. In order to ensure this guarantee, store your casings in a cool, temperature-controlled environment of between 5°C and 10°C – ideally in the fridge. If your sausage casings are stored between 10°C and 20°C, their shelf life will diminish to six months. Store casings away from direct sunlight and heat at all times.
Preparation
Before stuffing your sausages, it is essential to rinse all salt off the casings by soaking them thoroughly in fresh water. The ideal bathing temperature is between 20 and 30 degrees. Avoid water any hotter than 30 degrees as it may promote bacterial growth and damage the strength and integrity of the casings.
Soaking Guidelines
- Sheep casings need to be soaked for at least 45 minutes.
- Hog casings need to be soaked for at least two hours, or better still overnight.
- Beef casings need to be soaked overnight for a minimum of 12 hours.
Non-tubed casings: as well as soaking, non-tubed casings need a good run of fresh water through the inside to rinse out any residual salt.