snack sticks with collagen

[curious aardvark]

I haven't used a lot of collagen casing. tried it a couple of times and wasn't impressed.
However as I'm now attempting to start flogging snackstix, ie making a lot more than I'm used to. The preparation and fiddlyness of sheep casing's going to get old pretty fast.

Looks like 19mm collagen is the best i can get.
now, assuming I pinch (like I do now) before twisting - can i easily twist into 8 inch links ? (that's question 1)
2) if I don't cut the links until after they're smoked - will the twisted collagen have fused or will it simply un twist and give me an open end. In which case I'm probably better off cutting into lengths with scissors before smoking (or not ?)

At the moment I can't hang the links in loops like in gunnys tutorial. so they'll be smoked flat in trays (seems to work well - so far).
I'd like to have distinct sealed end sausage at the end of the day, but if not I won't lose any sleep over it :-)

Thoughts, you collagen veterans, please :-)

45 metres of 19mm collagen is going to cost me £8.60 About $14.
How expensive is that compared to what you lot pay ?

[Uncle-Honky]

Alex I am no veteran sausage guy, but in my experience with collagen, they seemed to bind better when dried and then smoked. I did a batch of andouille that I dried and then smoked 4 or 5 hours. The twists kept a bit better than non smoked casings. When I just dry them they tend to unravel themselves, which can be quite frustrating.
The site I have purchased casings from sells 19 mm that stuffs 15 lbs. for $18.

[Fishawn]

Do the Collagen casings still give you the "snap" when you bite into them?

[salmonclubber]

Collagen casings are great they just dont link very well if you have the time you could tie them to length with string i just cut them after i get them done its a lot easier

[curious aardvark]

as far as the snap goes - yep.
I didn't notice any real difference in cooked sausage when i used them in the past.

The negative points of collagen casing: they don't stretch, if you over stuff they will burst. You pretty much need to twist as you go.
cost noticeably more than natural casings.

They are good for snackstix precisely for these reasons. they don't stretch, so you get very even and professional looking results.
Zero preparation time. I tend to wet them before putting on the stuffer tube but you don't need to. (in gunnys tut looks like he wet his too)

Pricewise looks like mine arn't too bad then.

Anyway I've ordered some so we'll see how they go :-)

[Fishawn]

Good Luck CA...... If you want me to lie?.... Or use me as a reference, I am here for ya bud!.....

I love the looks of your snack stix, You'll be sold out in no time! (Paul Macartney) eats them I think?

[Gunslinger]

CA, I don't twist them, I just give them a pinch and that's all that's needed.
They are quite flexible when they're wet, but don't use them wet. They pick up moisture imediately from the meat as you are stuffing. And once stuffed, I let them dry for 24 hours.

[curious aardvark]

You'll be sold out in no time! (Paul Macartney) eats them I think?

lol now there's a thought - I do make veggie friendly jerky, but vegetarians are notoriously tight fisted, and veggie jerky/snackstix are a lot of work.

I'll stick to meat eaters for now :-)
Another batch stuffed and awaiting the smoke (tonight hopefully).
Now just got to flog 'em.
Going to see a chap this afternoon who might be able to shift some for me :-)

[blues_n_cues]

i'm liking the collagen more now.the naturals tend to weaken after sitting or soaking too long,or i just got a bad batch last time.i'm debating on the crimps & tool for sausage but thats probably not practical for snack stix.

[Big Guy]

You can't twist collagen, it will un wind. I tie each link with butcher cord, double knot, smoke then remove the cords, that way you get perfect links. I put down two pieces of tape on my sausage table 8" apart. I tie all the sausages between these so they are all the same lengths. There will be a few short pieces at the ends of each length. I keep these to snack on later.

stuffing and linking



going into my smoker



all smoked and ready to chill out then remove the strings.

[curious aardvark]

lol thanks but the whole point using collagen is to simplify the process.
It's probably quicker and less hassle to prepare sheep intestine for stuffing than it is to tie a bit of string between each sausage. I am just not going to do that :-)

I figure if I keep the links together and smoke with twists i place, it ought to set the collagen, if not I'll just do it like gunny does.

But the watchwords are quick and simple.

Blues and cues - yeah I've noticed that all the on pack instructions and most of the info on the net says to saok the skins for hours.
Mine get ten minutes if they're lucky.

Whole procedure.
Measure out length (actually pull it till it gets knotted and then cut lol)
I rinse off the salt under a low running tap, running the length through my fingers. I then open the skin, fill about a sausages worth of water and run that quickly through looking for big holes.
The skin then goes into a bowl of cold water with a small amount of vinegar in.
I then fill the stuffer with sausage meat and stuff.
Time from salt to sausage for the skins - usually about 10-15 minutes.
In fact it's ready to use from the moment the hole checking water has run through it.
The vinegar just sterilises the skin and gives it a bit more stretch.
If I left the skins in the bowl for an hour or longer (did it once as I got interrupted just before stuffing) Then the skins become very fragile and too soft.

Also you can't stuff sheep casings as full and tight as hog. It's just a much thinner membrane.

But apart from the one time they got soaked too long I've never had any stuffing problems with sheep.
I just like the idea for the stix of zero prep for the casing :-)

[Kyote]

well, the big guy hits a home run as always. CA won't it block out flavor penatration like oiling up a piece of beef R pork to apply rub on.

[curious aardvark]

(hmm. okay what did I say, 'stuffing sheep' yeah that's probably it lol)

Stuffing sheep casings ?

[curious aardvark]

right got the casings. 19mm - my small stuffer tube is about 16, so a decent fit.

So much easier than messing about with sheep casings.
Made up a new flavour pork snackstix, twisted links about 7inch stix.
They look great. I ran a few through the dehydrator and was quite pleased wth the way the collagen twists locked.

Basically the 'trick' is to leave them twisted in strings during cooking and they work fine.
Got the rest in the smoker at the moment.

[Gunslinger]

Glad you like them CA. They certainly make a nicer looking product.