What Are Beef Middles?
Since the discovery of salt’s preservative properties, meat processing has been an industry central to cultures worldwide. With more than 250 varieties of sausages sold around the globe, the casings are just as important as the meat itself.
Cattle are among the animals whose meat and other body parts go into this process, such as weasand, rounds, bung, bladder, and middles. We know that they contribute to the meat-packaging process, but what are beef middles?
Breaking Down Beef Middles
Beef middles are the thick sections of a cow’s large alimentary canal (or the colon) used to package sausage and deli meats, averaging about 40 m in length and 45-65 mm in diameter. Namely, beef middles—a type of natural casing—are used for dry and semi-dry meats.
What Are Natural Casings?
Natural casings are made from bovine (cow/buffalo), ovine (sheep), and porcine (pig/swine) digestive systems. In fact, they’re the oldest and some of the highest quality meat packaging materials., The casings themselves are tubes made from animal parts that act as protective covers for sausage or deli meat mixtures. Due to their flexible structure, they can hold various shapes, sizes, and materials.
Though artificial alternatives are available and renowned in their own right, animal-sourced casings remain popular because of customers’ lasting interest in buying products made from natural materials. That’s where beef middles come in.
Beef Middle Origins
As previously mentioned, casings are harvested from several parts of the cow’s body. The beef middles in particular come from the large alimentary tract. This organ contains five different layers of tissue:
- Mucosa – This layer consists of epithelial, glandular, and circulatory tissue, accompanied by fibers, muscle cells, and connective tissue cells.
- Submucosa –The submucosa provides structural integrity, composed primarily of collagen and elastic fibers, along with blood vessels and fat tissue.
- Circular and longitudinal muscle layers – These two layers consist of smooth muscle fibers arranged around the casing segment in perpendicular directions.
- Serosa – The serosa acts as a membrane, adding extra protection through a thin layer of collagenous and elastic fiber. The outer cell layer of the digestive tract provides a smooth, durable surface essential for processing.
Though only the submucosa layer is utilized in sheep and swine natural casings, beef casings such as beef middles often maintain many of the layers in the final products.,
How Beef Middles Are Processed
The production process of beef middle casings has been perfected from centuries of practice. From the animal’s life in a pasture to the final consumer’s plate, every step matters.
1. Cleaning and Preparation
After removing it from the animal's body, processors empty and clean the beef middle by flushing it out. They also trim fatty and connective tissue, since these elements can become rancid over time. The tract is then turned inside out and slimed, removing the serosa and mucosa layers before the curing process begins.
2. Preserving
Through salting, curing and/or drying, the beef middles undergo a preservation process before being filled. Not only does this process reduce water content in the natural casing, but it also prevents bacterial growth. Using dry salt or fully saturated brine, beef middles should be cured for at least 30 days for optimal preservation and food safety.
3. Sizing and Grading
Before being sized and graded, beef middles must be rinsed with water and desalted. To grade casings, processors evaluate the calibre (diameter), length, and quality of each natural casing. The diameter is measured using an electronic instrument called a “piano” or calibre block. Then, they test for holes in the casings by filling them with water or air.
4. Packing and Salting
The final step before the beef middles are shipped out around the world is to pack and salt them. Processors re-pack the casings into bundles or on tubes, covering them again with salt or brine. At this point, the beef middle casings are ready to be delivered to your business’s doorstep.
Common Uses of Beef Middles
Beef middles can be used in the making of a handful of sausage and deli meat products. They’re best for your fresh sausage products where premium quality really shines through. Beef middle casings offer a consistent texture and shape for dry and semi-dry sausages of all kinds.
Popular Regional Recipes
Explore sausages from all over the world, and process your premium deli meat with beef middle casing by using these tried and true varieties:
- Leona style bologna – This sausage is the American twist on the similarly prepared German sausage Berliner bologna, first created by German immigrants in Ohio.,
- Cervelats – Cervelats—the most popular sausage in Switzerland—are a fine emulsion of pork or pork and beef, cured, dried, and smoked.
- Dried salami – Originated in Southern Italy, soppressata is popular among dried salami and well-suited for beef middle casing.
- Summer sausage – The North American cousin of the cervelat, summer sausages are most popular in Midwestern states. Summer sausage remains a popular inclusion in seasonal retail assortments, especially during the holiday distribution cycle.
We recommend pairing the beef middle causing with these meat mixtures due to their thicker and tougher quality. However, this toughness also means most beef casings should be removed before consumption.
Advantages of Beef Middles
From large-scale sausage producers to local butcher shops, beef middles remain a high quality natural casing due to their durability and contribution to flavor.
Strength and Uniformity
The application of natural beef middle casing in sausage and deli meat production reaps rewards directly from the intrinsic characteristics of the animal product. The thickness and durability of the casings can be attributed to the submucosa collagen layer from the beef middle.,
The natural positioning of collagen fibrils in the organ not only provides structure, but an ability to expand and contract while remaining intact. This elasticity gives the final product a desirable and uniform appearance.
Flavor Retention and Cooking Benefits
Since beef middles are an organic product, they complement the flavors of added sausage or deli meat rather than compromise them. While the meat is being smoked, cooked, or dried, the casing naturally enhances taste, as flavors transfer from the permeable material to the product.
Not to mention, beef middles can outperform other types of natural casings when it comes to processing time, ripening, storage, and texture performance.
How to Store and Prepare Beef Middles
There’s no doubt that beef middle casings perform in quality, consistency, and taste. Storing and preparing them with care is equally important to maintain their integrity. From shelf life to soaking, these natural casings go a long way with an expert hand.
Shelf Life and Refrigeration
To ensure their maximum lifespan—which can be up to 4 years—beef middle casings should be kept at a temperature of at least 39.2°F (4°C). We recommend keeping beef middles in their sealed bag and storing them in an industrial chiller.
Soaking and Rinsing Instructions
Though your order will arrive with specific instructions, take note of these general guidelines regarding the preparation of your beef middle casings:,
- Rinse out the salt – Start by giving your casings a quick rinse in a bucket or large bowl to remove the bulk of salt used in the curing process. Move the casings around gently while rinsing to avoid dry spots.
- Soak the casings – Bathe your casings in a tub of fresh water at room temperature (70°F/21°C) for at least 30 minutes. You can also soak them overnight, though this might cause some fragility.
- Rinse again – After they’re finished soaking, flush your casings internally and externally with fresh water.
- Soak again – Before introducing your fine emulsion into the casings, you’ll want to give them another quick bath in a clean tub of fresh water. The water should have a slightly higher temperature of around 80°F (27°C). This small but significant step will help them slide off and on your equipment much more easily.
Once you’ve successfully processed your sausages or deli meat, take the time to properly store your leftover casings. This involves coating the beef middles with a generous layer of salt and sealing them in an airtight bag or container. The high-sodium environment will ward off any bacteria. Keep the casings chilled or frozen to maintain their high quality.
Process Premium Meats with Oversea Casing
Beef middles are natural casings made from the thick section of a cow’s large intestine, prized in the industry for their strength, elasticity, and flavor-enhancing abilities in dry and semi-dry meat products.
If you’d like to give beef middle casings a try, add our quality beef casings to your next order. From their origins to preparation, our beef casings are natural, consistent, and shelf-stable for industrial-scale production. We also offer a variety of other GFSI-certified high-quality natural and artificial casings to keep your sausages superior and your customers satisfied.
Shipping and Subscription Services
Whether your business is based in Ohio or Southern Italy, our worldwide shipping (and no refrigeration needed) will streamline and simplify your manufacturing process. Oversea Casing is here to make your industrial-scale production more convenient, with no large minimum orders required and a subscription service for easy reordering.
Order from Oversea Casing today for premium casing solutions that keep your production efficient, your products exceptional, and your customers coming back.
Sources:
Dannwoellertthefoodetymologist. In Cincinnati, not all German Metts Were Created Equal – Meet the Hamilton and Leona Metts. https://dannwoellertthefoodetymologist.wordpress.com/2015/10/21/in-cincinnati-not-all-german-metts-were-created-equal-meet-the-hamilton-and-leona-metts/
European Natural Sausage Casings Association. COMMUNITY GUIDE to GOOD PRACTICE for Hygiene and the application of the HACCP principles in the production of natural sausage casings. https://food.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2017-09/biosafety_fh_guidance_guide_good-practice-haccp-ensca.pdf
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Sausage Casings. https://www.fao.org/4/x6556e/X6556E03.htm
For Dummies. Charcuterie: A Word about Sausage Casings. https://www.dummies.com/article/charcuterie-a-word-about-sausage-casings-271062
Ministry for Primary Industries. Supplementary import risk analysis: Sausage casings of
bovine and porcine origin. https://www.mpi.govt.nz/dmsdocument/8725-Draft-import-risk-analysis-Natural-sausage-casings
National Library of Medicine. Casing Contribution to Proteolytic Changes and Biogenic Amines Content in the Production of an Artisanal Naturally Fermented Dry Sausage. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7554767/
North Dakota State University. The Art and Practice of Sausage Making. https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/extension/publications/art-and-practice-sausage-making#:~:text=on%20the%20packages.-,Grinding%20and%20mixing,and%20mix%20thoroughly%20by%20hand.
Science Direct. Collagen arrangement and strength in sausage casings produced from natural intestines. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0268005X22001321
Science Direct. Sausage Casing. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/food-science/sausage-casing
Science Direct. Smoked Sausage. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/food-science/smoked-sausage
Science Direct. Summer Sausage. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/summer-sausage#:~:text=The%20term%20'summer%20sausage'%20is,sometimes%20as%20low%20as%204.6.
Tasteatlas. Cervelat. https://www.tasteatlas.com/cervelat
Tasteatlas. Soppressata. https://www.tasteatlas.com/soppressata