Natural Casing Help

[t-l-k]

Hey guys I need some wisdom from those of you who have stored natural casings. Back in the middle of March, a little over two months ago, I got some hog casing from Waltons and made some different sausages. I left the unused casings in a plastic bucket submerged in water and added two cups or pickling salt. They have been stored in a refrigerator below 40 this whole time.

I opened the bucket for the first time tonight because I hope to make more sausage this holiday weekend. The water is still clear but I noticed a sour smell. It's not an overwhelming smell as soon as the lid is opened. Just noticeable when I put my nose to the bucket and give it a good sniff.

Are my casing bad? Did I mess up by leaving them submerged? I'm thinking to start flushing them with fresh water every couple hours. Should I add some vinegar to the water while flushing?

 

[daveomak]

I store my casings in pure kosher salt...   When removed, add some vinegar to the water to soak them...  rinse well...   smell.... they should be good...  Next time, store in salt only...   rub in the salt well so all parts of the casings is salted...    they should last forever... 

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

 

[t-l-k]

Thanks for your response Dave.

Are there any recommendations for a vinegar to water ratio as I flush out the casings? I want to kill any potential bacteria, but I don't want to go overboard and deteriorate the casings.

 

[daveomak]

The below quote is from the link I provided above.... 

Take your unused casing, drain them, place them into the container for storage and add the 1/2 cup of non iodized salt and put back into the fridge. You can add 1 cap full of vinegar if desired. I usually do