The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Food & crafts => Food processing => Topic started by: Rhea on July 17, 2015, 11:50:25 am

Title: Sausages - Hog vs Sheep casings
Post by: Rhea on July 17, 2015, 11:50:25 am
I'm getting ready to make my first batch of sausages, and I've been looking through the recipes in the weschenfelder sausage book.

Some use hog casings and some use sheep, and whilst I know it gives a difference in texture I'm not sure if the recipe will turn out wrong if I use the wrong casing? I've got loads of hog casings, and so don't want to buy any sheep as I won't get through them, but feels wrong ignoring the recipes for my first ever batch.  Any suggestions?
Title: Re: Sausages - Hog vs Sheep casings
Post by: HappyHippy on July 17, 2015, 06:59:21 pm
Sheep casings are narrower than hog casings, never heard about it affecting the texture.....interesting  :thinking:
Title: Re: Sausages - Hog vs Sheep casings
Post by: devonlady on July 18, 2015, 09:25:35 am
Use what you have, it won't make any difference to taste or texture, you'll just have good, fat sausages :yum:
Title: Re: Sausages - Hog vs Sheep casings
Post by: hughesy on July 20, 2015, 12:36:18 pm
Sheep's casings are much narrower giving a thinner sausage. The biggest issue is that they are also quite delicate and can be difficult to fill without bursting them. They are also a fair bit more expensive per kg of sausage.  Stick to the hogs until you have a bit more experience.
Title: Re: Sausages - Hog vs Sheep casings
Post by: Rhea on July 20, 2015, 07:30:53 pm
After spending all day Sunday making sausages, I never want to see another one again.....
Title: Re: Sausages - Hog vs Sheep casings
Post by: Foobar on July 30, 2015, 04:56:57 pm
I find hog casing a bit more chewy.
Title: Re: Sausages - Hog vs Sheep casings
Post by: farmers wife on July 30, 2015, 09:48:47 pm
British Hog casing from weschenfelder.  There is a brilliant sausage making forum  http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewforum.php?f=15 (http://http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewforum.php?f=15).  I made my mix from scratch using a plain GOS sausage the taste was great.  I used the ready made packs but found them salty and they contain additives which I wanted to avoid. Always work out the salt as a percentage.