How to Remove Sausage Casing?
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The casings that give sausage its shape are often edible as well, providing an outer surface that can brown and crisp up during cooking. In some cases, like small sausages, the snapping of the skin as you bite into it forms part of the sausage's time-honored appeal.
During the cooking process, edible casings like ours support the meat without adding flavor. However, depending on your preferred heating method, the casings may add a layer of crispness. For example, pan-fried sausage links may be slightly crisp on the outside and softer in the middle. Edible sausage casings can also add to the overall enjoyment and visual appeal of a sausage recipe.
However, sometimes you may wish to remove the casing. You may need loose sausage for a recipe, or simply not like the texture of the casings. Some artificial casings are simply inedible.
However, if you want to reshape the loose meat or turn it into crumbles, you can also remove them in a few different ways.
How to remove sausage casings: uncooked sausage
The easiest way to remove the sausage casings is to remove them while the sausage is still uncooked. The casings can be easily removed with a simple knife.
Use the tip of the knife to cut through the sausage from end to end. The cut should be shallow enough to pierce the casing - don't cut all the way through the sausage.
Turn the sausage over, cut side down.
Grasp the open end of the casing with your thumb and forefinger and pull back on the casing.
Use the newly released ground sausage or store for later use.
To make this process easier, place the uncooked sausage in the refrigerator for about 15-20 minutes before slicing. This will help prevent the filler from sticking to the casing.
How to remove sausage casings: Cooked sausages
You can still remove the casings after they have started cooking. More care is needed here, but it is still a simple process.
Simmer the sausage in hot water for 2-3 minutes
Remove the sausage from the hot water and rinse it with cold water to prevent it from cooking further.
Dry the sausage with a paper towel.
Using a knife, make a shallow cut the entire length of the sausage.
Gently peel back the casing.
Finish cooking the skinless sausage.
While some sausage lovers swear by the satisfying bite of freshly cooked sausage from the casings, no one can deny the wonderful flavor of sausage. Learning how to remove sausage casings isn't about taking something out of the sausage, it's about finding new and creative ways to add the sausage to other culinary creations.