4 Advice to Choose a sausage clips

Sausage clips play a crucial role in the production of sausages, ensuring the casing is sealed properly, preserving the product's quality, and maintaining food safety. Whether you’re a small-scale producer or running an industrial sausage-making operation, choosing the right sausage clips(ja,uk,es) is essential for efficiency and final product quality. In this guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know to choose the best sausage clips for your needs.

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Understanding Sausage Clips

Sausage clips are small metal or plastic fasteners used to seal the ends of sausage casings. They are designed to secure both natural and synthetic casings, preventing the sausage filling from leaking out during cooking or storage. The right clip ensures your sausages remain intact and fresh, making them vital to the sausage-making process.

U711 Clips

Types of Sausage Clips

There are different types of sausage clips available, and selecting the correct type depends on your production method and the casing material you use. Here are the most common types:

Aluminum Sausage Clips

Aluminum sausage clips are lightweight and easy to apply. They are often used in industrial settings because of their strength and durability. These clips provide a tight seal and are resistant to corrosion, making them ideal for long-term storage of sausages. They are compatible with both natural and synthetic casings and are available in various sizes.

Plastic Sausage Clips

Plastic sausage clips are another popular option, especially for smaller-scale sausage production. They are affordable, easy to apply manually, and perfect for home or artisanal sausage-making. However, they may not be as durable or offer as strong of a seal as metal clips, making them more suitable for short-term use.

Preformed Clips

Preformed sausage clips come in a specific shape, ready for immediate application. These are highly efficient in automated production lines, as they are easy to load into clipping machines. Preformed clips offer consistent sealing, which is crucial for maintaining product uniformity in large-scale operations.

Choosing the Right Size

When selecting sausage clips, size matters. The clip must be appropriate for the diameter of your sausage casing. If the clip is too small, it may not secure the casing effectively, leading to leaks or ruptures. If the clip is too large, it may damage the casing or create a loose seal.

Measure your sausage casing’s diameter before purchasing clips, and ensure that the clip size matches your specific needs. Some manufacturers provide guides to help you match casing sizes with compatible clips, ensuring a perfect fit.

Manual vs. Automatic Application

The method of applying sausage clips is another factor to consider. For small-scale production or home use, manual clipping machines are sufficient and cost-effective. However, for large-scale or commercial sausage production, automatic or semi-automatic clipping machines can greatly increase efficiency and reduce labor costs.

Automatic machines can apply clips rapidly and with consistent pressure, ensuring each sausage is sealed perfectly. If you’re producing sausages in large quantities, investing in an automatic clipper will improve your output and quality control.

Food-Grade and Safety Standards

Since sausage clips come into direct contact with food products, it is essential to choose clips that meet food-grade and safety standards. Look for clips that are certified for food contact and are free from toxic materials. Aluminum clips, for example, should be corrosion-resistant and meet all health and safety regulations.

Manufacturers often provide documentation certifying their clips’ compliance with food safety standards, which is crucial if you are producing sausages commercially.

Durability and Reliability

Durability is key, especially if your sausages require long-term storage or will be transported over long distances. Choose clips that are resistant to environmental factors such as moisture, temperature fluctuations, and corrosion. Aluminum clips, for example, offer excellent durability and can withstand the rigors of industrial production environments.

Questions and Answers About Sausage Clips

Q: Can sausage clips be reused?

A: No, sausage clips are typically designed for single use. Once applied, they are sealed tightly, and attempting to reuse them can compromise the integrity of the seal.

Q: Are there eco-friendly options for sausage clips?

A: While most sausage clips are made from metal or plastic, some manufacturers are exploring eco-friendly materials. However, the most important factor is ensuring that the clip meets food safety standards and provides a secure seal.

Q: How do I know which clip size to use?

A: The size of the clip should match the diameter of your sausage casing. Always refer to the manufacturer’s size guide for the best fit. If in doubt, reach out to your clip supplier for recommendations based on your casing and production needs.

Q: What happens if I use the wrong clip size?

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A: Using the wrong clip size can lead to improperly sealed sausages. If the clip is too small, it may cause the casing to break or leak. If it's too large, the clip may not hold the casing securely, leading to product failure during cooking or storage.

Conclusion

Choosing the right sausage clips is essential for ensuring your sausages are sealed properly, maintaining quality, and ensuring food safety. Consider the type of clip, the size of your casing, and your production method to make the best choice. Whether you’re producing sausages at home or on an industrial scale, selecting the correct sausage clip can enhance your efficiency and the overall quality of your products.

Sausage casings are an essential part of making sausage. After all, when we have a look at what sausages are made of, we have, of course, the stuffing with the meat, the sausage seasoning, and the meat casing. After all, a sausage isn't a sausage without something to stuff it in. But sausage casings are also important in ensuring your end product is flavorful, processed evenly, and has great texture.

The type of casing used is typically dictated by tradition but also varies by processing technique, ingredients, and size. Most sausage casings are natural, collagen or fibrous, with a wide array of sizes and applications depending on the type of sausage. 

But what is the casing on sausage? Is the sausage casing edible? What are sausage casings made of? PS Seasoning professional chefs answer all your questions about sausage casings.

What is the Casing on Sausage?

Sausage casing is the material that encases the filling of a sausage. Natural sausage casings are usually made of animal intestines but can also be made from collagen, or cellulose material. 

What are Sausage Casings Made of? 

Generally, sausage casings are made either from beef or sheep intestines, collagen, or cellulose. Though more rare, some sausage casings are made of plastic such as lunch meat and bologna.

Types of Sausage Casings

Natural Casings

Natural sausage casings are made from the submucosa of the small intestine, a layer of the intestine that consists of naturally occurring collagen. The use of natural casing goes back centuries — it’s one of the oldest forms of sausage-making, a classic in the sausage tradition. They are the most popular choice today because of the “snap” they make when bitten. Natural sausage casings are also flexible, tender, easy to stuff, and are durable enough to hold up to smokehouse processing. Natural casings are commonly used for fresh sausage, smoked sausage, snack sticks, brats and more. 

Your natural sausage casings will come either packed in salt or a saline solution. The saline solution is designed for quick use, so once you rinse them off, you can use them within about 30 minutes after soaking in warm water. If salt-packed (in other words, heavily salted), you need to rinse off the salt from the natural casings, soak them in cold water and run cold water through them. After about half an hour of soaking in warm water, they can be used for stuffing sausages. These natural casings can be repacked in salt and stored in the freezer for up to a year.

Hog casings

Hog casings are the traditional choice when making any type of link sausage like bratwurst, Italians, and kielbasa. This type of natural casing is also commonly used for making smoked polish sausages, ring bologna with a small diameter and landjäeger.

29-32 mm  Small Brats • Link Sausage • Landjaeger 32-35 mm  Brats • Italian Sausage • Rope Sausage 35-38 mm  Polish • Kielbasa 38-42 mm   Bologna

Sheep casings

Sheep casings are the most tender of the natural casings. The smaller diameter of sheep casings makes the perfect for making small link sausages like breakfast sausage and hot dogs, to snack sticks.

20-22 mm  Breakfast Sausage • Small Snack Sticks 22-24 mm  Breakfast Sausage • Snack Sticks 24-26 mm  Small Hot Dog • Wiener 26-28 mm   Large Hot Dog  • Wiener • Landjaeger

Beef Rounds

Beef rounds get their name from their characteristic round shape. They have minimal fat and are ideal for fresh, cooked or smoked sausage such as Ring Bologna, Polish, Mettwurst, Holsteiner, and Blood Sausage. These beef casings are very heavily salted in order to conserve them, so you need to rinse them in cold water then run warm water through them. The best treatment is to soak the beef casings overnight in cold water and soak them in warm water for about 30 minutes before beginning your sausage stuffing work.

Beef Middles

Beef middles are straight long  casings that have a heavier texture wall with some fat. These beef casings are ideal for dry and semi-dry sausages like Salami, Liverwurst, Bologna, or Summer sausage.

Beef Bung Caps

Made from the end of a cow’s large intestine, beef bungs are large-diameter sausage casings that are typically used for large bologna, headcheese, souse, capicola, and mortadella.

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Collagen Casings

What is a collagen casing? Collagen casings are processed, edible sausage casings produced from the collagen in cow or pig hides, bones, and tendons. While they don't give much of a snap, they’re inexpensive and give more uniformity in weight and size compared to their natural counterparts. Collagen casings are packaged in sheets around a tube that can easily be loaded on your stuffing horn, with no soaking required. They come in two varieties based on processing: 

Fresh Collagen Casings

As the name implies, fresh collagen casings are used specifically for fresh sausages like bratwurst and breakfast links. These tend to be more tender casings that are unable to withstand hanging in a smokehouse.

Smoked Collagen Casings

Smoked or processed collagen casing are a bit stronger and thicker than fresh collagen to hold up to the processing schedule in the smokehouse, and can be used for making snack sticks, ring bologna, hot dogs or wieners. Their durability holds up well when hung on smoke sticks during processing. Collagen casings are available in clear and mahogany colors (no taste variation).

19 mm  Smoke Mahogany  Small Snack Sticks 21 mm Fresh Clear  Small Breakfast Sausages 21 mm  Smoke Clear or Mahogany  Snack Sticks 23 mm  Smoke Clear  Large Snack Sticks • Small Pepperoni 26 mm Smoke Clear  Hot Dogs • Wieners 30 mm  Fresh Clear  Brats • Link Sausage 40 mm Smoke Clear  Ring Bologna • Liver Sausage • Kielbasa 43 mm Smoke  Clear  Ring Bologna • Liver Sausage • Kielbasa

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Fibrous Casings

Fibrous casings are inedible sausage casings made from a form of cellulose material that peels away easily when cooked. They are also made from a specific tree called the Abaca. The fibers in the Abaca tree are very strong yet easy to work with — they’re very stretchable. Fibrous casings are most commonly used for making pepperonis, summer sausage, bologna, liverwurst, and other fine smoked sausages. Their durability allows tight stuffing, making them ideal for fine or emulsified sausages.

Fibrous casings should be soaked for at least 25-30 minutes in warm water (80-100 F). Lay the sausage casings flat in warm water and submerge completely, with the tied ends lower so that any trapped air can escape. After soaking, squeeze excess water out before stuffing your sausages.

There’s two main kinds of fibrous sausage casings — clear and mahogany. You can also get them printed with a design. The benefit of a mahogany casing is you’ll get a consistent color when you are smoking the sausage. 

1"   Thuringer• Pepperoni • Salami • Cracker-Sized Sausages 2-2.5"   Traditional Summer Sausage 4"   Large Summer Sausage • Hard Salami  8"  Olive & Pimento Loaf • Mortadella • Deli & Sandwich Meats