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Making sausages for the first time can seem a little daunting, but choosing the right casing can make the whole process much easier.
If you’re new to sausage making, Sausage Ingredients NZ recommends starting with 32–35 mm natural casings. This is a great all-round size that is easy to work with and suitable for a wide range of homemade sausages.
Our most popular all-round choice for beginners.
Hog casings are strong, flexible and forgiving, making them a great option when you’re learning how to stuff and link sausages. They are suitable for pork, beef, lamb, chicken and mixed-meat sausages.
Great for: BBQ sausages, breakfast sausages, traditional sausages and gourmet sausages.
Sheep casings are another excellent natural option for beginners. They produce a slightly more delicate sausage while still giving you that natural casing snap and tender bite.
They work particularly well for smaller-style sausages and are suitable for a variety of meat and seasoning combinations.
Great for: breakfast sausages, smaller gourmet sausages and traditional-style sausages.
Never made sausages before? We recommend starting with our 32–35 mm natural casings.
This size gives you a little more room to work with while you’re learning how to fill, twist and link your sausages. It is a versatile size that works beautifully with many different sausage recipes.
Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can experiment with different casing sizes to create thinner, thicker, shorter or larger sausages depending on the style you want to make.
Your first few sausages might not look perfect, and that’s completely normal! With a little practice, you’ll quickly get the hang of soaking, filling, twisting and linking your casings.
Start with a good quality natural casing, choose your favourite sausage recipe and give it a go!
At Sausage Ingredients NZ, we’re here to help you get started with your sausage-making journey.
🌭Sausage Ingredients NZ Beginner’s Tip
Start simple.
Choose a good quality sausage seasoning, a suitable meat with some natural fat and 32–35 mm natural casings. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can start experimenting with different meats, flavours, herbs, spices, fruits and casing sizes.
Making sausages at home is all about practice – so don’t be afraid to give it a go!
For beginners, Sausage Ingredients NZ recommends 32–35 mm natural hog or sheep casings. This is a versatile size that is easy to handle and works well for a wide range of homemade sausages.
Hog casings are a great all-round choice, while sheep casings provide a slightly more delicate option.
You can use pork, beef, lamb, chicken or a combination of meats. The most important thing is choosing meat with enough natural fat to keep your sausages moist, juicy and full of flavour.
For beginners, pork shoulder and beef cuts with some natural fat are excellent choices.
Avoid using meat that is too lean, as this can result in dry sausages.
Fat is an important part of a good sausage. It helps provide flavour, moisture and a better texture.
As a general guide, aim for around 20–30% fat, depending on the type of sausage you are making and your personal preference.
Always follow the mixing instructions supplied with your particular sausage seasoning.
Different seasoning blends have different recommended rates, so measuring your seasoning accurately will help you achieve a consistent result every time.
Adding chilled water helps distribute the seasoning evenly throughout the meat and helps create the right sausage texture.
Mix the meat thoroughly until the water is absorbed and the mixture becomes sticky and cohesive.
Keeping your meat cold during sausage making is very important.
Cold meat is easier to work with and helps keep the fat firm. Warm meat can become soft and greasy, which can make stuffing more difficult and affect the finished sausage.
Tip: Keep your meat, equipment and water as cold as practical throughout the process.
Natural casings are usually packed in salt. Before using them:
1. Remove the amount of casing you need.
2. Rinse away the excess salt.
3. Soak the casings in clean, lukewarm water.
4. Rinse water through the inside of the casing.
5. Keep the casings moist until you are ready to fill them.
Keeping the casings moist makes them much easier to handle and slide onto your sausage filler.
Find the opening of the casing and gently slide it onto the filling nozzle.
Don’t rush this step. If the casing feels dry or difficult to slide on, keep it wet and take your time.
Leave a small amount of casing hanging off the end of the nozzle so you can start filling and tie the end when finished.
One of the most common beginner mistakes is overfilling the casing.
Fill the casing firmly but don’t make it extremely tight. You need enough room in the casing to twist and link your sausages without causing the casing to split.
With practice, you’ll learn how much pressure to use.
There are several reasons natural casings can burst:
The casing has been overfilled.
The casing has dried out.
The filling pressure is too high.
The casing has been damaged.
The sausage mixture is being pushed through too quickly.
Don’t worry if this happens when you’re learning – it is very common!
Slow down, reduce the filling pressure and keep your casings moist.
Once the casing has been filled, gently pinch the sausage at the length you want.
Twist one sausage in one direction, then the next in the opposite direction. Continue along the length of the sausage.
Don’t twist too tightly, as this can put too much pressure on the casing.
There is no single correct length. It depends on the style of sausage you’re making.
For beginners, around 10–15 cm is a good starting point for many standard sausages.
You can make them longer or shorter depending on the recipe and the style you prefer.
Yes. Once your sausages have been made, keep them refrigerated and follow good food-safety practices.
If you are not cooking them soon, they should be packaged and stored appropriately according to your food-safety requirements.
Cook sausages gently over a moderate heat rather than using extremely high heat.
This helps the sausage cook evenly without burning the outside before the centre is cooked.
Always ensure sausages are thoroughly cooked before eating.
Absolutely not!
Your first sausages may not all be the same size, and your links might not look perfect – and that’s okay.
Sausage making is a hands-on skill. After a few batches, you’ll become much more confident with filling, linking and controlling the amount of meat going into the casing.
Don’t rush!
Keep your meat cold, prepare your casings properly, don’t overfill them and take your time when stuffing and linking.
Once you’ve made your first batch, you’ll quickly understand why homemade sausages are so enjoyable to make.
