loose casings on snak stix

[schmalts]

What is the cause of casing (red collegen) casings when I do snack sticks? My flavor is great but the loose casings are not appealing to many. Is it underfilling? Do you pre-soak yours?

[TxBigRed]

What is the cause of casing (red collegen) casings when I do snack sticks? My flavor is great but the loose casings are not appealing to many. Is it underfilling? Do you pre-soak yours?

Do not soak collagen casings! There are only three things that I can think of that would cause a "loose" casing.1) Underfilling, but even that, the casing should stick to the meat.:2) Air pockets in the meat mixture, make sure you load your stuffer very tightly to avoid any air in the meat mixture,: 3) smoking at too high of a temperature that causes the fat to melt out leaving air voids between the meat and the casing. Other than that, I am not sure.

Dave

[curious aardvark]

best way round it is to either use natural casings or buy one of these and do away with casings altogether :-)

Basically collagen casings are fine and if you eat the sticks as soon as they come out the smoker they are well stuck to the meat.
I have found that if you then vacpack the stix the moisture forced out of the meat moistens the collagen and at that point it seems to stop sticking to the meat. It might also absorb mosture from the air and do the same thing.
Basically collagen doesn't actually 'cook' like natural casings it just seems to dry out.
Natural casings actually shrink to the meat as they cook and stay that way.

Basic collagen is not protein lined like summer sausage casing - so has no 'glue'.
Basically if once cooked it absorbs any moisture it comes loose.
I've started just peeling the casing from collagen sticks before eating, comes off easily in one go - feels like a used condom ;-)
And who want's a pregnant sausage

[SmokinLee]

Although this don't make any sense. An Ice water bath will reduce significant shrinkage. Or maybe this only works with natural caseings.

[mulepackin]

What is the cause of casing (red collegen) casings when I do snack sticks? My flavor is great but the loose casings are not appealing to many. Is it underfilling? Do you pre-soak yours?

Where they loose when you took them out of the smoker? If so, underfilling would be the most likely culprit. If not, did you ice bath them? That stops the cooking process rapidly, and maintains plumpness. If they were plump, then shrunk, you can give em a quick dip in boiling water to plump them up again.

[Gunslinger]

Do not soak collagen casings! There are only three things that I can think of that would cause a "loose" casing.1) Underfilling, but even that, the casing should stick to the meat.:2) Air pockets in the meat mixture, make sure you load your stuffer very tightly to avoid any air in the meat mixture,: 3) smoking at too high of a temperature that causes the fat to melt out leaving air voids between the meat and the casing. Other than that, I am not sure.

Dave

This is my guess. Are they dry and crumbly?

Although this don't make any sense. An Ice water bath will reduce significant shrinkage. Or maybe this only works with natural caseings.

Funny, huh? It causes the human sausage to shrink significantly.

Did you use a binder? How hot did you smoke them? Did you sure them. More info please.

[curious aardvark]

they just peel when they get 'damp'.

Mine do anyway lol

[schmalts]

I did not soak them in water.
They were not loose after smoking, but are after they are thawed out afte vac packing and frozen. Maybe that is the thing, they can't be vacced and thawed without it happening

[Gunslinger]

I did not soak them in water.
They were not loose after smoking, but are after they are thawed out afte vac packing and frozen. Maybe that is the thing, they can't be vacced and thawed without it happening

Sounds about right.

[TxBigRed]

I did not soak them in water.
They were not loose after smoking, but are after they are thawed out afte vac packing and frozen. Maybe that is the thing, they can't be vacced and thawed without it happening

I do that all of the time and have not had that problem? Don't know

Dave

[mulepackin]

I do that all of the time and have not had that problem? Don't know

Dave

Me too, no problem with that.