Sausage stuffing – the most common mistakes

Do you love homemade sausages? We totally understand! The original and unmistakable taste of homemade foods is just unique. Buying sausages in the supermarket can never replace the homemade stuff because you get a some kind of “meaty” stuff, which is filled with various additives and artificial substances. Well, when making homemade sausages the act of stuffing is one of the most important things. It is not a particularly complicated matter, but the process requires certain skills and dexterity. Let us take a closer look at some of the mistakes people usually do.

Bad sausage casings or low-quality guts

Buying casings is very important. If you buy poor-quality casings (or guts), most likely you will be not able to untangle it sufficiently, or they will break during filling. Working with low-quality casings is very annoying.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

Poorly prepared casings

You cannot simply pull out the casings and put it on the sausage stuffer. First, put them in a pot of warm or lukewarm water and rinse well. They will be moist and working with them will be much easier – you can slide them to the stuffer easily.

Too much pressure in the stuffer

Do not use too much pressure in the stuffer. The casing might not be able to handle it and it may burst. Both the person stuffing the meat in the machine and the person stuffing the casing should communicate.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

Release the air from the stuffer

First, slide the casing onto the stuffer nozzle and then push out the air from the stuffer. There is always air…
.Do not worry if some meat comes out. Now you are ready to stuff the meat into the casing. Air trapped inside sausages looks bad and stuffing is much more difficult when air is present.

Dry stuffer nozzle

You should always “touch” the meat first to make the glove slippery and then lubricate the nozzle with the glove.We also recommend squeezing out a little bit of meat before sliding the casing on the nozzle.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

Not enough pressure in the meat stuffer

Not enough pressure and meat in the stuffer can also cause problem. The more meat you will be able to put inside the stuffer the less air will be there and your work will be more efficient.

Optimal meat mix

Before stuffing pour hot water over the aged meat. Otherwise, the mix will be very stiff and stuffing will be difficult or even impossible.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

Ineffective cooperation between individual people

Do not stuff sausages alone and get help from friends. Best if one person operates the stuffer, the second one handles the actual stuffing into the casings and the third prepares the casings. The fourth person can handle the “auxiliary” work, which includes cutting the strings, pouring plum brandy for all involved and preparing some goodies and snacks…

Preview photo: Radek Štěpán