The Natural Look
Manufacturers say the 'snap' to the bite of natural casings is one reason why they are popular with consumers.
Consumers enjoy the taste of natural casings. But casings' tastes depend on where they come from and how the animals are raised.
Peruse the supermarket aisles that include bratwurst and smoked sausage products and the common thread amongst the various brands is natural casings.
"Look at the manufacturers of quality sausage and you will find they use natural hog casings," notes a major producer of natural casings. "They certainly would not use them if there wasn't a market. They are meeting their customers' demands."
In the mid-1990s, when many consumers are looking for "natural" products, natural casings are ideal.
Executives of companies that produce natural casings do not believe that the product was ever lost in the maize of technological innovations that produced cellulose and collagen casings. But with increased awareness of healthy diets, natural casings are getting a second look.
"It was never lost, but no question it is strengthening," points out one natural casing producer. "Man-made casings have a place in the world, no question. But the discerning consumer is picking natural casings."
Another natural casing producer adds: " 'Natural' is part of our market scheme. The demand is growing worldwide because the casings are natural and because they are cost-effective.
"There is a place for all types of casings in the marketplace," he adds. "There are not enough natural casings in the world that could satisfy the demand."
Where do they come from?
There might not be enough natural casings-beef, sheep and hog-in the world, but practically the entire world is producing natural casings.
All have a distinctive taste to them:
Sheep casings: The United States is not a major player in the sheep casing market. While the product's quality is first-rate, a natural casing manufacturer points out that not enough sheep are slaughtered. Last year, about 4 million sheep were slaughtered in the United States, compared with 30 million sheep in New Zealand.
That country, as well as Australia, are the top producers of sheep casings in the world.
Sheep casings are the highest quality small-diameter casings for use in frankfurters and pork sausage. These casings combine tenderness with sufficient strength to withstand the filling, cooking and smoking operations. Color can vary according to country of origin.
Beef casings: Because of the high cost of processing and grading beef casings at the slaughterhouse, the United States is a non-factor in this category.
"It is too cost-prohibitive," a manufacturer notes. "Too many people are needed to do the work, and you cannot get the money back in the market."
Most beef casings used in the United States come from South America, which is a major player in the category along with Europe .
The three most used beef casings are bungs, rounds and middles.
Bungs are used for capocolla, veal sausage, large bologna, and Lebanon and cooked salami. Rounds are used for ring bologna, ring liver sausage, mettwurst, Polish sausage, blood sausage, kishka and Holsteiner. Middles are used for Leona-style sausage, dry and cooked salami, and many types of bologna.
Hog casings: This is the most popularly-produced natural casing in the United States, and the major casing used in Europe and China.
Hog casings are used for country style sausage, fresh pork sausage, pepperoni, large frankfurters, bratwurst and kielbasa. They are sold in 100-yard hanks. There are three different types of hog casings: regular bungs, sewed bungs and middles.
Natural casings imported into the United States come mainly by boat, but sometimes by plane. However, the mode of transportation is not important because when natural casings are packed in salt, they can be shipped around the world without refrigeration and can last indefinitely.
Different tastes from
different countries
If consumers buy a steak produced from cattle raised in the Midwest United States, they can tell the difference from a steak produced with Australian beef or Japanese Kobe beef.
In the same way, natural casings have different tastes based on country of origin.
"The differences lie in the species of animal, the way it is raised, the diet it is fed," a natural casing manufacturer notes. "Some casings will be thinner texture, while others are stronger or clearer. Each product is identifiable."
One manufacturer has another take on why natural casings are popular.
"The natural curve of a sausage is appealing while it is on the shelf," he says. "Consumers expect to see a sausage that is curved. There is also good snap to the bite."
But he adds: "It's an unadulterated product; that's important."