Two questions

[MuleyFever]

First: My brat casings sometimes are very tough and hard to bite through. Why? I am using LEM natural hog casings.

Second: I am making 8 sticks of sausage. How do you freeze them to keep them from getting freezer burnt? They don't fit in a freezer bag.

 

[ChrisS]

1) sausages need to be hung to dry for an hour or so before packaging. This should clear up the toughness. If you already hang dry them, not sure. Also, we use all natural USA casings from Syracuse casing (http://www.makincasing.com).

2) I vacuum seal all my sausages.

 

[RamDreamer]

I'll second that you need to let them air dry for a while after pack them. Also when I vacuum seal the sausage I usually cut them in half and then seal them. Just because it's easier to store them and I am usually the only one in the house that eats them.

 

[MuleyFever]

Bought a Foodsaver today and will vacuum seal the sausage.

For the brats. I dont have a smoker so I just stuff them and put them in the freezer. Then I thaw and grill them. So I should stuff them then let them dry. Should I dry them in the fridge?

 

[ChrisS]

Depends on the air temp and your environment, but an hour or two in a typical 65 degree room is fine. I dry mine in the kitchen or mudroom. These were summers I made last year:

I probably would use a fridge if it was like 85f with 95% humidity. But an hour or two won't spoil them in normal conditions. My friends and I do about 500lbs of pork sausage every fall and air dry it on racks in the garage. They'll have enough salt to knock back any wee beasties for a bit.

 

[MuleyFever]

Thats interesting. I have read and seen on videos that people put their sausage in an ice bath or the freezer right after cooking to bring the temp down as quickly as possible. I assume to stop bacterial growth.