Sausage Casing Types: Which Casing and Size to Use

Short answer:

The casing decides how a sausage looks, how it bites, and how it handles in the smoker. Pick the wrong one and a good recipe still comes out wrong. I've stuffed all three kinds for years, and once you know what each one is for, the choice is easy.

What are the main types of sausage casing?

There are three you'll actually use at home:

• Natural casings are cleaned intestine from hog, sheep or beef. They're edible, they have the best snap, and they breathe, so smoke takes well. Each one is a little different in width and they come packed in salt or brine. Hog casings are the classic brat casing. Sheep casings are thinner and narrower, which makes them the snack stick and hot dog casing. Beef rounds are wider and naturally curved, which is where ring bologna gets its ring.
• Collagen casings are made from processed animal collagen and are formed to an even size. Most are edible. They're uniform, easy to load, need little or no prep and don't tear the way sheep casings can. The trade is a little less snap. Smoked collagen sticks are the easiest way to start making snack sticks.
• Fibrous casings are made from a paper-like fiber and are not edible. You peel them off before eating. They're strong, they hold a large diameter perfectly straight, and smoke passes through them. This is the summer sausage and big bologna casing.

Which casing and size for snack sticks, brats, summer sausage and ring bologna?

These are the casings and sizes the DeepWoodz recipes use:

Sausage	Casing	Size (mm)	Size (inches)
Snack sticks	Natural sheep (or collagen)	19 to 21 mm	about 3/4 inch
Hot dogs	Natural sheep	24 to 26 mm	about 1 inch
Brats and fresh sausage	Natural hog	32 to 35 mm	about 1 1/4 to 1 3/8 inch
Ring bologna	Natural beef rounds or fibrous	38 to 42 mm	about 1 1/2 to 1 5/8 inch
Summer sausage	Fibrous	about 63 to 76 mm	2.5 to 3 inch
Bologna	Fibrous	about 114 mm	4.5 inch

Natural casings are sold by a size range because no two are exactly alike. Collagen and fibrous are sold at one exact size. One inch is 25.4 mm, so to convert, divide millimeters by 25.4.

Natural or collagen for snack sticks?

Both work. Sheep casings give a real snap and a slightly uneven, handmade look, but they're delicate and take patience to load on a narrow stuffing tube. Collagen gives you perfectly even sticks with less fuss and fewer blowouts, which is why a lot of people start there. If you go collagen for sticks, use a smoked or processed collagen made for smoking, not a fresh sausage collagen. The stick recipes in the app call for 19 to 21 mm sheep casings, and the snack stick smoke schedule works with either.

What casing for brats?

Natural hog casing, 32 to 35 mm. That's the snap people expect from a brat, and hog casing handles the grill and the beer pot without splitting if you don't over-stuff it. Collagen brat casings exist and they're easier, but they don't bite the same. More on that in venison brats and breakfast sausage.

What casing for summer sausage?

Fibrous, 2.5 to 3 inches. It holds a tight, straight chub through a long smoke and slices into even rounds. Some fibrous casings are made to peel off easily and some are made to cling to the meat, so pick the peel style you want. You do not eat it. For the full process see how to make venison summer sausage, and pull it at 155°F internal.

What casing for ring bologna?

Beef rounds, 38 to 42 mm, are the traditional choice because they curve naturally and you tie the two ends together to make the ring. Fibrous ring casings in the same size work too and are more uniform. See how to make venison ring bologna.

How do you prep each type of casing?

• Natural (hog, sheep, beef): rinse the salt off, then soak in lukewarm water. Mississippi State University Extension says to soak salted natural casings in lukewarm water for 30 minutes, then run cold water through them to flush out the salt. I hook one end over the faucet and let water run all the way through. That also shows you any holes. Keep them in a bowl of water while you stuff so they stay slick.
• Collagen: most go on dry, straight from the package. Water makes many of them gummy and they tear. A few kinds do want a quick dip, so read the package and follow it.
• Fibrous: soak in warm water before stuffing, usually around 30 minutes, until they're soft and pliable. A dry fibrous casing won't stretch and will split on the stuffer.

Whatever casing you use, the stuffing technique matters as much as the prep. See how to stuff sausage.

How much casing do you need per pound of sausage?

It depends almost entirely on the diameter. Narrow casings hold very little per foot, so snack sticks eat casing fast:

Casing size	Feet per pound of meat	Feet for a 10 lb batch
19 mm collagen (snack sticks)	about 5.3 ft	about 53 ft
21 mm collagen (sticks, links)	about 4.1 ft	about 41 ft
32 mm natural hog (brats)	about 2.7 ft	about 27 ft
38 mm collagen ring (ring bologna)	about 1.5 ft	about 15 ft
42 mm collagen ring (large ring bologna)	about 1.3 ft	about 13 ft
65 mm (2.5 inch fibrous summer sausage)	about 0.57 ft (7 inches)	about 6 ft

Buy about 15% more than the math says. Casings tear, and the first foot off a hank usually gets wasted. Fibrous casings come pre-cut and often pre-tied, so you count casings instead of feet. For your exact batch and size, use the free sausage casing calculator.

How do you store leftover casings?

• Natural casings: drain them, pack them in plenty of plain salt (non-iodized), seal the container and keep it in the refrigerator. Don't keep them in plain water. Stored in salt in the fridge, they keep for a year or more. They can be frozen, but freezing weakens them and they tear more on the stuffer, so the fridge is the better place. Casings you already soaked can go back in salt, but use them first.
• Collagen casings: keep them dry. Seal the package tight and store it somewhere cool and dry. Humidity makes them sticky and brittle.
• Fibrous casings: dry ones keep a long time in a sealed bag in a cool cupboard. Once you've soaked them, use them that day.

Every recipe in DeepWoodz Sausage Recipes lists the casing type and size it was built for, right next to the ingredients. Enter how much meat you have and the whole recipe scales to it, cure included.

Bottom line

Sheep or collagen at 19 to 21 mm for snack sticks, hog at 32 to 35 mm for brats, beef rounds or fibrous at 38 to 42 mm for ring bologna, and 2.5 to 3 inch fibrous for summer sausage. Soak natural and fibrous casings, put most collagen on dry, buy 15% extra, and store leftover natural casings in salt in the fridge.

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