Blood puddings, merguez, sausages or saucissons: no matter what kind of casing you are going to use, it has to be prepared.
When you get your
natural casing, it is preserved in salt in a plastic bag. Whether you are making blood sausage, sausages or saucissons, you will need to prepare your casing.
Open the bag. The casing is packed in the salt. It is stiff and cannot be used immediately. You will need to rinse it. Put your casing under running water to remove most of the salt and fill a basin with warm water in which to steep it. The salt has dehydrated the casing, so it will need some time to become supple and elastic once again.
Rub the casing between your fingers to clean the outside. When you get to the end turn it around and leave the end hanging over the edge of the basin.
When you finish the outside, you move on to the inside. Open the end delicately, hold it open and scoop it in the basin so that water goes into it. Push the water towards the other end to rinse it well.
Now your casing is ready. You can refresh the water in the basin, but leave the casing to steep in warm water until the time when you will thread it onto the funnel.
Tip
Always leave the end on the edge of the basin. This way, you avoid having to work your way along it all to find the end!
More info: If you are not using all your casing, leave it in the bag. It will keep in the bottom of the fridge for several months.
