snack sticks

[mudflap620v]

I'm planning on making a batch of teriyaki snack sticks and haven't worked with the collagen casings a whole lot.After stuffing the casings can you link them like you do the natural casings or do you need a different approach?

[DanMcG]

Collagens won't link, I tie them off with string.

[crustyo44]

The first time I made snacksticks with 19 and 21 mm collagen casings I just filled the casings and snipped them with a pair of scissors to the lenght I wanted.
Put them in the fridge overnight. Lay them on racks if you smoke them.
Larger collagen casing you will have to tie with butchers string.
Good Luck.
Jan.

[mudflap620v]

Thanks,I'll try that then.It sounds quite a bit more time consuming than the natural casings.They'll have to be hung in the smoker since I don't have any racks to lay them on.Thanks again.

[DanMcG]

not sure how much you're making but it doesn't take long to tie off a batch.

Depending on your smoker tie both ends of a 4-5 foot link and fold it in half over your smoke stick, then cut to the size you like after they finished cooking

[JerBear]

I agree with DanMcG. Also, if you're going to bake them off instead of smoke you can twist them into a link the length of your sheet tray then fold it 180º, run the other direction, twist, etc...etc... As noted they won't hold a twist in series but nestled so they can't untwist worked for me.

Also, one trick I found is that I cut the casing into 1/3s before putting it on the horn. I found out the hard way that the whole thing wouldn't thread on like the standard hog casings and was a headache.

Lastly, because you're not going to eliminate underfilled casing through linking make sure to stuff them full because you can't prick them to release air bubbles. (another lesson messily learned)