In Too Afraid to Ask, we’re answering food-related questions that may or may not give you goosebumps. Today: What in the world is sausage casing made of?
“How the sausage is made” historically had nothing to do with sausage and everything to do with arts, politics, and—of course—secrets. But today we will dare to learn about how the literal sausage is made. The frank, the link, the banger, the wiener, the weenie, the snag…whatever you want to call it.
Most sausages are made by forcing chopped or ground meat, fat, and seasonings into a skin of sorts (called the casing), which then gets tied or twisted to create individual links. These days we also see category-breaking breakfast sausage patties and loose sausages (essentially, spiced ground meat) on the market that don’t require a casing. But traditionally—as in, thousands of years ago—virtually all sausages were encased inside the intestinal tracts of various animals.
Outliers aside, the vast majority of sausages need “some sort of container to hold their shape until they’re cooked,” says Shaina Loew-Banayan, the chef-owner of Cafe Mutton in Hudson, New York, one of our Best New Restaurants of 2022, which serves a range of house-made links. Technically, anything that fulfills this purpose could be considered a casing. “In my experience, cooking some sausage meat inside a latex glove makes for a perfect prank; there is nothing more unsettling than finding a meat hand in the fridge,” says Loew-Banayan. The commercial sausages you buy at the store or butcher, however, are made with a slew of natural, manmade, and plant-based options.
Here’s everything you ever wanted to know (and maybe some of what you didn’t) about sausage casings.
What is sausage casing made of?
Originally, sausage meat was only ever enveloped by various animal organs. Called natural casings, these by-products are still popular today. You’ll also see various synthetic sausage casings on the market, including vegan options sometimes used for plant-based sausages, and others which are either edible (collagen) or inedible (plastic or paper wrap intended to be removed before cooking or eating). Here are the three main types and where you might expect to find them.
These are derived from the intestines of animals. Primarily made of pig, cow, goat, and sheep intestines, they’ve been used for centuries. Texts written 4,000 years ago by ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia documented meat stuffed into intestinal casings; technically, it’s the submucosa, a collagen layer that makes the intestinal organ strong and flexible. (In most cases, the fatty outer layers of muscle are removed from the organ, along with the inner layer of mucous membrane—leaving only the stretchy stuff behind.) Usually at the slaughterhouse, the isolated submucosa is salted to dry and preserve the casing.
Today, plenty of butchers still prefer a natural casing for sausage making, and you’ll see a variety of organs used: There’s haggis, which is offal stuffed in a sheep’s stomach. Some large format sausages might be contained by a cow’s appendix (known in the industry as, unfortunately, the bung). And at Cafe Mutton, Loew-Banayan opts for a smaller sheep intestine when making “skinny guys like hot dogs.” But virtually any type of sausage designed to be cooked and eaten in the skin could be made with a natural casing.
This category includes processed casings—those not naturally occurring inside an animal. Nonedible synthetic casings might be made from cellulose, a wood- or cotton-derived ingredient that’s often used for sausages which are smoked or steam-cooked, because it’s more permeable than other varieties, says food scientist Topher McNeil, PhD. Pepperoni, bologna, and liverwurst are likely cooked in cellulose, which needs to be removed before eating. And plastic casings are frequently used to cook sausages that are customarily sold pre-peeled—most hot dogs and deli meats like mortadella.
Edible synthetic casings are made from collagen that’s usually derived from the inner layer of animal hides. While all collagen casings contain a small amount of cellulose for added heft, tougher inedible versions contain greater amounts. Collagen casings are more affordable than natural options and are typically used to make mass-market sausages, says Josh Graves, a trained butcher and the operations manager at Olympia Provisions, which manufactures various meat and charcuterie items in Portland, Oregon.
These are totally free of animal ingredients. Polysaccharide—a material similar to cellulose that’s made of glycerin, starch, a seaweed derivative called carrageenan, and water—is a popular choice. You’ll also see alginate, a gel made from seaweed that extruded filling passes through, enveloping the sausage, says Graves, the choice of Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods. Other vegan sausages, McNeil says, might be cooked in a synthetic casing but sold skinless.
Are there any kosher or halal sausage casings?
Halal and kosher casings exist across categories and are prepared according to both sets of dietary rules. “So, no pork,” says McNeil. Graves says natural kosher and halal casings are more likely to be made with beef or sheep intestines, and synthetic options can be used so long as they’re produced appropriately. To ensure the sausage casings are kosher or halal, look for products that are certified with the requisite labels. You can find plenty of kosher brands here, and halal options include those made by Nema, Boxed Halal, Deen Halal, and more.
Can you taste a difference between the various casing types?
“I usually find that any casing flavor is too mild to be noticed over the flavor of the sausage,” Loew-Banayan says. You probably will notice a textural difference, though. “I think natural casings are the best in terms of getting the unique snap you want in a really good sausage,” says Graves. And if you’ve grilled a skinless veggie sausage before, you’ll know it’s harder to achieve those char lines and keep it from sticking to the grates.
How can you figure out which type of casing was used?
According to USDA requirements, both natural and collagen casings only need to be declared on product labels if the source of the casing is different from the meat used to make the sausage (for example, pig intestine encasing a chicken sausage, or beef collagen wrapping a pork sausage). So if the ingredient list on your pack of brats includes “Pork, pork fat, water,” and various seasonings, you can assume a natural pork or pork collagen casing is being used. Sausages sold in nonedible casings need to display a prominent statement—such as, “Remove casing before eating”—near the product name.
Now that you know how the sausage is made, make the sausage.
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