The Ultimate Guide to Properly Soak Natural Casings

The Ultimate Guide to Properly Soak Natural Casings

The process of soaking natural sausage casings stands as a fundamental practice in sausage-making. This essential step ensures that the natural casings become tender and pliable, significantly reducing the likelihood of breakage. Moreover, properly soaked casings enhance the binding properties of the meat, leading to a superior and cohesive final product. By investing time and care in this preparatory phase, you can ensure that your finished products achieve optimal texture and structural integrity.

Here is a comprehensive guide to the Oversea Casing recommended soaking procedure:

Getting Started

  • Take the natural casing hanks out of the packaging. If the casings are in nets, leave the nets on during soaking. This helps keep the casings from tangling and makes them easier to handle.
  • Make sure you have a large container to place casings inside and readily available access to water. 

Step 1:

  • Thoroughly rinse all visible salt off the casings with fresh, cool water.

 Step 2:

  • Fill soaking container with a 50:50 ratio of casings to fresh water. Ideally, fill container from the bottom up to prevent air pockets.
  • Soak the casings overnight.
  • Note that properly soaked casings should have their nets or strands floating at the top of the soaking container by the next day.

Step 3:

  • Transfer soaked casings to a new, clean container.
  • Fill this bin with warm water at approximately 95°F or 35°C. Please note that if the water temperature is too high this can result in breakage and casings can develop a "rubbery" texture. 
  • Soak the casings in warm water for approximately 30 to 60 minutes.

 Ready for Stuffing

  • Transfer the soaked nets to containers filled with warm water (95°F or 35°C) at the stuffing machines.
  • Ensure all salt is thoroughly removed from the casings to allow smooth movement on the stuffing horn. Casing strands should not stick to the stuffing horn. 
  • The casings are now ready to use for stuffing sausage.
  • Carefully remove the casings from the netting, being mindful not to tear the netting.
  • Individually apply them onto the linking horn from the open end of the casing. To avoid casing bursts, use the correct size linking horn.