How to Separate Sausage Links at Home – Tips to Keep In Mind

Weekend brunch bash, friends are coming, and sausages on the menu – what a day! However, you suddenly realize that you have no idea how to separate sausage links.

Relax. Here comes the help.

Separating sausage links may is a simple process; it is often challenging. If you aren’t mindful, you may puncture the casing with your knife and spoil the sausages during the cooking.

Fortunately, by employing a few strategies, you can avoid catastrophe.

The first thing to do is freeze the uncooked sausages for around 15 minutes. Then take them out and cut each sausage link with the tip of a knife or a pair of sharp scissors. You may or may not remove the casing, depending on your discretion. And that’s it. Now cook the sausages with separated links!

Follow the article to know the strategies in detail – how to separate sausages links at home.

The top 5 sausage links you may try;

What Are Sausage Links?

Sausage links are a juicy and spicy combination of ground beef, fat, seasoning, and occasionally ingredients placed into a casing and then knotted or twisted at regular intervals to form individual links.

Traditionally, link sausage is filled inside natural casings produced from animal intestines, but artificial, synthetic casings are now available – that most commercial sausages use.

Cylindrical and encased in a skin, a sausage is always a favorite. It’s one of the oldest prepared dishes, whether cooked and consumed immediately or dried to different extents. People from most countries enjoy sausages during breakfast, brunch, or lunch. However, some countries consume sausages at the highest level, which is astonishing.

Sausage is a hit. However, is the food healthy or harmful? Let’s check out the nutritional value of an Italian (75g) Sausage to decide your mind.

What Are The Ingredients Of Sausage Links

A sausage is a sort of meat product that is often manufactured using ground meat, most commonly pig, beef, or chicken, as well as salt, spices, and other flavorings. Other components like grains or breadcrumbs may be used as fillers or enhancers.

When To Separate Sausage Links?

When preparing sausages, the filling is usually stuffed into casings to help shape the product.

Sausage casings are generally edible. Casings can be organic (made from animal skin or intestines) or artificial (made from plastic) and can eat both.

Some individuals like to remove the casing of the sausages before cooking and eating them.

Let’s talk about when it’s best to cut and split sausage links before we go into how to do it.

Technically, you can separate sausage links before and after being cooked. As a result, even if you cook your sausages while they’re still attached, the flavor won’t change.

Separating sausage links before cooking, on the other hand, will be considerably easier.

Some even suggest removing the casings before cooking the sausages will give them a far better flavor.

Cook the sausage links over medium heat after they’ve been separated. The sausage casings will explode if the temperature is too high.

How To Make Individual Sausage Links?

Individual sausage links may be simple if you know how to do them properly. It may appear complicated at first, but after you get the feel of it, you’ll be able to do this job relatively fast.

Begin by stuffing the casing with the meat. But be cautious not to overfill it since you’ll still need some air to build the linkages. Also, make sure that you are working in a clean workplace.

The length of sausage casings varies. As a result, the number of sausage links is ultimately determined by the length of the casing. It is normally recommended to connect every 5 inches or so.

Of course, this is dependent on your preferences and the number of sausages you intend to prepare.

Place the casing on a clean surface once you’ve done filling it. Then, squeeze the case every 5 inches with your forefinger and thumb. But don’t do it all at once; instead, compress the case so that only the first link is made.

The next step is to grab both sides of the case and position the link in the center. Then, spin it around at least a couple of times to strengthen the bond.

Repeat the previous procedures for the following 5 inches. Repeat until you’ve reached the end of the sausage casing. Remember that the casing should constantly be rotated in the same direction.

It is the simplest and most basic technique to link sausages. Butchers do something similar, but with a little more twisting and turning.

Before stuffing the casing, it’s also a good idea to rinse and soak it.

After you’ve completed linking the sausage casing, use a toothpick to puncture any air holes that may have occurred during the filling procedure. To ensure that the sausages cook evenly, leave some air within the casings.

Finally, put the sausages in the fridge for at least one day. It allows the sausage casing to dry, lowering the moisture levels of the meat.

They can only be kept in the fridge for two days, but they may be kept in the freezer for three months. When you take them out of the freezer, you must refrigerate them for at least 24 hours before cooking.

How to Separate Sausage Links At Home

It is considerably easier to cut sausage links than it is to tie them.

Simply take the sausage casing out of the refrigerator and set it on a clean surface. Hopefully, the connections are no longer wet.

If you remove the sausage from the fridge too soon, the meat inside will get too sticky, and you will be unable to separate it from the casing if you wish to remove it later.

To separate each link, cut the link with the point of a knife. You should proceed with caution so that you do not cut the casing as well.

Also, make sure to do this before cooking the sausages. This method will make things considerably easier.

If you like, you may remove the complete casing at this stage. Keep in mind, though, that this may cause your sausage to lose its shape when you begin cooking it.

As previously stated, sausage casings are edible, so you may as well keep them. Some individuals prefer to remove the casing after cooking the sausage; however, this may cause your sausage to break apart.

If you choose to remove the casing after the sausages have been cooked, allow the sausage to dry first fully. You may even rinse it with cold water. The idea is to do this while the sausages are still cold since it will be simple to remove the casing this way.

Tips To Keep In Mind when Separating Sausage Links At Home

• Prepare everything beforehand
• To separate sausage links, you can use a pair of scissors as well.
• Try to cut separate linked sausage before cooking it.
• You can keep the sausages in the freezer before separating the sausage links.
• If you want to remove the casing, you should freeze the sausages for a while. It’ll be easier.
• While removing the casing, you should be careful and use the tip of the knife gently. 

FAQs;

• Do you separate sausages before cooking?

Yes, generally separating sausage links before cooking is a good idea. That way, your sausages won’t fall apart. 

• How do you cut and twist sausage links?

You just have to hold, pinch, and twist every 5 inches of the sausage to twist the sausages. After that, take a sharp knife, and with the tip of it, carefully cut each sausage link. 

• How do you open a sausage link?

With the point of a knife, cut the sausage end to end. The incision should be shallow enough to penetrate the casing, but not so deep that it cuts through the sausage. Turn the sausage over, sliced side down. Pull back the casing by grabbing the split casing on one end with your thumb and index finger.

• How do you remove sausage link casings?

With the tip of a  knife, Just cut the casing gently and remove it by grabbing the other side. 

• How do you cut a sausage without it falling apart?

If you don’t want your sausage to fall apart, you should Freeze it for a while before separating the sausage links.

Take Away

Many novices may be perplexed about how to separate sausage links at home. While creating and cutting sausage links may appear to be a difficult process at first, after you’ve mastered it, you’ll be able to do it like an authentic butcher.

It is totally up to you to split the sausage links before or after cooking. However, we strongly advise you to do so before beginning the cooking process. When you’re finished, it’s time to serve your exquisite sausages.