where to buy sausage casings

Independent butchers or higher end supermarkets that make their own sausage should be willing to sell you some, or maybe even give it to you. Last time I made sausage the supermarket just gave me casings and pork fat for free.

What kind of sausage are you making?

This post was edited by foodonastump on Sat, Feb 22, 14 at 18:25

Kind of like an Italian sausage.

I asked at the healthy market where we buy Irish bangers, Italian sausage, etc. They won't sell the casings separately.

That's why I often get it for free, because they're not prepared to sell it. There's always amazon...

FOAS, you're very lucky to get them free.

Natural casings are difficult to find around here and they aren't cheap! Definitely try a local butcher/meat market.

My local Italian market sells it if i ask. They are always surprised but for a dollar i get enough to make 5lbs. I've also bought it from a local chef supply store but it is a bit more money.
If out of luck locally, a few on-line sausage suppliers have it.
It does keep a long time in the fridge if kept salted.
If i run out during the process i just make meatballs with the extra sausage mix...seems to always happen.
Weston.com is the one i have used recently. Not sure it it is the best but it is very easy to use and few breaks and holes if any. The thinner smaller sheep casings are thin and difficult. Fortunately i can get those at my market and they are far superior than ordering on-line.

Sleevendog- How long do you think salted is good? I forgot I had a package in the fridge last time I made sausage. It's new, in a zip-top bag, but clearly no air-tight seal. No dates on the package. I probably bought it about a year ago.

I used to be able to get casings from our local butcher shop. They don't sell them individually anymore, and the supermarket won't/can't (?) either.

Try your ethnic markets first. If not, you can order them online from sausagemaker.com (in NY) or butcher-packer.com in Detroit. There are others, but those two are the ones I've ordered from. Amazon also has them (supplied by Sausage Maker). I've been really pleased with the quality from both companies.

If you dry the leftover casings and store them well covered in kosher salt, they will last 1 to 2 years in the fridge. Don't freeze them! Then just shake off the excess salt, soak in warm water, flush and rinse well before you use them again and they will be ready to use. I've done that up to three times and don't notice any deterioration in the casings. I reuse the salt for the next batch of casings, too.

There's no such thing here as a butcher shop or meat market, although my local independent market does make their own sausage. They won't give/sell me casings, though, so I also get mine from Butcher-Packer out of Detroit. They are the least expensive place I've found and their customer service is good, shipping is fast and they have a big selection of "stuff" besides just casings.

FOAS, they tell me that I can keep properly salted casings in the refrigerator for a year, so you're still OK, but I wouldn't keep them a whole lot longer.

Annie

Annie, I'm not sure why you say there's no such thing as a butcher shop or meat market. It may be a matter of semantics, but I go to the Polish meat market all the time... they make their own sausages, hotdogs, deli lunchmeats, etc.. I was amazed because the last time I went I saw casings available for the first time there.

PM she said "here." :)

Sorry!!! FOAS, I read it repeatedly and kept missing the 'here' part! LOL! Glad to know that, because I was feeling a bit retarded about there being no such thing as a meat market. I figured Annie would know! :O)

foas, my casing package, (i kept the original cardboard wrapper using a rubber band around the leftovers, for identification in the fridge) ...it says to fridge after opening, in the original packaging, (similar to food saver bags), getting out as much air as possible, and in salt. Just says air will dry them out. No mention of time, but salt is a good preservative. I have a vague memory reading they last around a year or two. So maina has the same info as i have.
Most chain groceries can't sell it because they don't have it. Most of their meats and sausage come in pre-frozen and packaged. They don't make it in-house.
I think if a local true butcher, the type that does everything from making sausage, cutting exactly what you want from marrow bones to grinding to order, may just be unprepared to sell just the casings. I'm always afraid mine might say no.

This post was edited by sleevendog on Sun, Feb 23, 14 at 9:28

PM, you know what's funny, I knew what she meant but after your post I had to read the sentence several times before I found the clarifying "here." I just caved and ordered progressive lenses yesterday, what's your excuse? ;-)

Sleevendog, Fre$$$h Market opened around the corner a couple months ago. They have a fresh kielbasa that we really enjoy. I went to get some recently and was told, "Sorry, we're out, should come in Thursday." Come in?! So much for assuming that it's made in house. Fairway makes their sausage in-house; they're the ones who give away fat if you catch them early in the day, and casings if you catch them in a good mood. That said, I was a little disappointed when I needed "something" for baking and learned that their dough comes from a plant, it's just baked in house.

If you want to steam or smoke the sausage instead of grill them, you can use parchment paper instead of casings. I saw them do that on ATK and thought I would give it a try, although I haven't done it yet. They cooked them inside a chicken or something like that. Anyway, it was part of a stuffing, and then they just removed the cooked sausages and unwrapped them.

Lars

I ask for casings at Fairway every visit. They always say no. I ask to purchase green coffee beans also, while staring at the 55lb sacks at the base of the suv sized roaster. They always say no. I've not yet asked for fish heads and backs yet as i have a few pints frozen. My local single family run Italian market is much more friendly that way.
I lived in the city 20yrs and had anything within walking distance. Fairway is no longer the friendly neighborhood butcher/fish monger/grocery. I keep expecting one of them at least to say maybe we SHOULD sell green coffee beans and i'll look into that. I just get a snappy "no".