need some advice..

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tsin

Smoke Blower
Original poster
SMF Premier Member
Feb 27, 2013
105
10
Cheyenne Wy
I am making my first batch of hot dogs..I soaked my sheep casings overnite in water and vinegar.. and I cant go 2" with out a blow out.. Do I throw them out or is there a fix.....Thanks Tom
 
How much vinegar did you add.... too much acid can "dissolve" casings and meat products..... Try stuffing not so full.....

Hard to tell exactly what may be going on.....

Some sheep casing experts will be here.... I've never tried them....
 
I added jus about a cap full to 2 cups of water..I emulsified the meat maybe I'll add a little water to the mix..or use my jerkey shooter .Thanks for your reply Dave..
 
I through the sheep casings They were full of holes..I went with hog casings they look like knockwurst..LOL  O well maybe next time..
 
I always flush my casings (hog or sheep) with tap water after soaking and any pin holes will show up .You can cut them out prior to stuffing but with that many holes you were done for. Sheep casings are much finer than hog and will burst when slightly overstuffed. I usually pop a few when I start out and adjust the stuff accordingly.Please show us your dogs when you are done.
 
I have another bag of sheep casings I will try another time I used Hog casings and they came out braut style But OK could not get pic of the final out come The sheep casings were splting while I was putting on the stuffing tube..My opinion is I got a bad batch of casings   But open to other thoughts  ....
 
We appreciate All the advice next time I will not use vinegar  This was my first time using sheep casing I have used hog numerous times never a problem We made Knockwurst like sausage .The taste was Awsome...
 
 
Sheep casing is used because they are very tender. I have never read any advise for using vinegar in the soak.
Some folks I have read use a bit of vinegar in the soak for odor control.

I use the sheep casings from Butchers & Packers, have not been disappointed yet. I always wash and rinse mine the night before, both inside and out (checking for holes or breaks), then I set them in cold fresjh water overnight. Seems that the longer they soak the more pliable they become.
 
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These are from Frisco Seasonings out of Omaha I go there frequently so I bought from them I couldn't even put them on the tubes without them splitting  so I will look elsewhere I will try again..
 
Thanks FoamHeart The next time I will order from Butchers and Packers..Lesson Learned   Thanks All ...Tom
 
If you can use sheeps casing and you do not get your eyes crossed, there is nothing about casing you have to fear!

Starting them on the horn can cause slight frustrations......ROFLMAO

The longer you soak them the easier it gets.
 
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soak, soak, soak, soak, soak, soak....................  Wash in between soak...... Looking at the casings where you bought them they should work. The darker and saltier the casings the more soaking and washing is required.....Your suffering the same fate as so many others who do not properly prepare the casings..... Butcher and packer casings require less soaking as they are of high quality and are in a salt saline solution already but they still need to soak for a day or two changing the water frequently until they become silky smooth .

Maybe I need to find the crappiest pack of casings and do a thread on how to prepare salt packed natural casings......

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/159729/how-to-handle-natural-casings

Any Pics?
 
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