Read Mastering the Craft of Making Sausage for Free Online Page A

now measure about 4 inches (10 cm) wide. Sew it along the side and around one end; this will produce a round casing with a diameter of about 2¼ inches (5.7 cm). If the cloth material is new, it is best to launder it before it is used. Laundering will remove the fabric conditioners that are present in new material. Turn this closed-end tube inside out, wet it with vinegar, and stuff it with sausage. The vinegar prevents the cloth from bonding to the sausage.
    CELLULOSE CASING
    Cellulose casings are not edible, and they must be removed before the sausage is eaten. They are used for skinless sausages, such as breakfast links, hot dogs, and Mexican chorizo. When sausage links are cooked, the protein in the meat just under the casings coagulates and makes a natural “skin” that holds the sausage together when the cellulose casing is removed. Skinless frankfurters are made in this way. (If you look closely at a commercially made skinless frankfurter, you will be able to see a faint slit mark where a sharp blade has cut through the cellulose casing to facilitate its removal.) Home sausage makers rarely use cellulose casings, and they are not suggested for use in this book. However, if you want to try them, contact Allied Kenco Sales (please see Appendix 5).
    PLASTIC CASING
    The price of plastic casing is about the same as fibrous casing. Because it is waterproof (if care is taken to seal the ends properly), plastic casing is useful for large sausages that will be steamed or poached. The use of a waterproof plastic casing for steaming or poaching ensures that the sausage will not be harmed by water entering the casing. However, smoke will not penetrate plastic, so they should not be used for sausage that will be smoked.
    The use of plastic food wrap when steaming or poaching fibrous casings helps to provide water-resistant properties similar to those of plastic casings. Please see Chapter 6 for details.
    Plastic casings are more difficult to obtain than fibrous casings, but one source is PS Seasoning & Spices, a company that sells sausage-making equipment and supplies . PS Seasoning & Spices offers two sizes: 2½-inch (6.35 cm) diameter and 4-inch (9.8 cm) diameter, and both are orange. Please see Appendix 5 for contact information.
    GROUND MEAT BAGS
    Ground meat bags resemble plastic casings. They may be used for breakfast sausage; the raw breakfast sausage is stuffed in the bag, chilled, and then sliced into round, patty-like disks and fried. They are not suggested for use in this book, but most mail-order suppliers can supply them. (See Appendix 5.)
    Casing Clips
    An aluminum cap-like device called a casing clip can be used to close the end of a synthetic fibrous casing. (Some retailers may still use the original name, Clark clamp .) First, the end of the casing is folded several times until it is small enough to fit inside the casing clip. Next, this folded end of the casing is inserted into the clip, and the clip is secured by squeezing it with pliers. They are easy to apply, and they provide a dependable closure for the end of the casing. There is a photo of a casing clip in the Synthetic fibrous casing section earlier in this chapter. Casing clips can be purchased wherever sausage-making supplies are sold; please see Appendix 5.
    Curing Powder
    The following is a bit technical, but a basic understanding of curing powders is necessary for those who make sausage.
    Curing powder is also known as Cure #1, Cure #2, pink salt, pink powder , or cure . It normally contains either sodium nitr ite (NaNO 2 ) or a combination of sodium nitr ite and sodium nitr ate (NaNO 3 ). These preparations are widely used by commercial meat processors, amateur smokers, and sausage makers. Many sausage formulas presented in this book require a curing powder.
    These nitrites or nitrates in the curing powders are largely responsible for the pink color of some types of sausages. Nitrites or nitrates also cause the pink color of ham, bacon, and luncheon