Buying and Stuffing Sausage Casings

Cleaned and salted intestines (called casings) come in various sizes and can usually be bought in 1-pound tubs, enough for a lot of sausages. Lambs’ intestines are used for small link sausages; hogs’ intestines for medium-size sausages, such as those given here; and beef intestines for very large sausages, such as mortadella. Unless you live near a pork store, you may have to get your butcher to order them for you or you may have to mail-order them (see Sources). Because the salt preserves the sausage casings (they can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a year) and they’re inexpensive, it’s worth tracking them down and stocking a small supply. Some sausage casings are sold with the salt already rinsed out. If you have extra casings that came with the salt rinsed out, or that you rinsed out yourself, toss them with enough salt to coat them well and store them in the refrigerator.