Sausage Making 101: Shaping
Sausage Making 101: Step 4 - Shaping
Editor’s note: This is the fourth of a four-part series taking you through the basics of sausage making.
Check out the other installments:
As your sausage filling exits the stuffer and enters the casing, shaping is the final step before the finished product is ready to be cooked & enjoyed. Shaping is crucial whether you’re making one big sausage, or want to divide it up into links.
However you want your finished sausage to be shaped, using the proper technique matters to prevent blowouts and tears in the casing. Here’s everything you need to know to shape the sausage properly, the final step towards making excellent sausage from home that’s ready to cook at any time.
Shaping Your Stuffed Sausage: What You Need
As your sausage filling exits the stuffer, here’s what you need to make sure it’s properly shaped:
- Food Grade Gloves
- Water (For lubricating the casing)
- Kitchen or Butcher’s Knife (To slice the sausage after shaping)
Shaping the sausage as it’s fed into the casing is all about proper technique; the right approach to feeding and tying ensures air bubbles and other potential errors that cause blowouts won’t occur. When shaping, remember your casing should only be 75% full; an overfilled sausage is likely to burst upon cooking. Before continuing, ensure you’ve read our article on sausage stuffing for all the information you need to achieve the perfect result.
Shaping the Sausage
As the filling is fed into the sausage casing, be mindful of what type of casing you’re using. For better elasticity during shaping, the outside of natural hog and sheep casings should be lubricated with a bit of water first – a good idea even if you've already soaked them for 8 hours. Introducing some water here ensures they’ll be as elastic as possible without breaking.
If you’re planning on making one large sausage, congratulations, it looks like you’re all set; a perfectly filled, flavorful sausage is yours to cook and enjoy. However, if you want to tie that sausage into smaller links, there’s just one more step.
Pinch the casing and rotate the filling around at each desired length, tying a small knot on the ends of each. Separate the casing from the stuffer, and don’t forget to prick another hole on that end. Then, tie it up.
Now, you’ve just made perfectly juicy, flavorful, and properly-shaped lengths of sausage. Whether you want to cure them, freeze them, or grill them, the choice is yours.
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