Halaal Meat South Africa

Sausages hold iconic status in the hearts and minds of many people – just think of the English with their bangers and mash, the Germans with their bratwurst or the Spanish with their chorizo. And of course, let’s not forget, the South Africans and their boerewors!

We’re a nation that loves our sausage and N1, leading Johannesburg and Cape Town meat wholesalers, provide a wide variety ranging from country style, beef, and chicken to ostrich, lamb, and mutton. We all have our favourites and will often discuss what blend of meat and spices goes into making the perfect sausage, but what we don’t think of as much is the casing – that humble carrier that allows us to enjoy one of our favourite foods.

Turns out the Texans are just as crazy about sausage as we are and while we all know that there are mainly two types of casing (natural and synthetic) Texas Monthly drilled down to present this in-depth Glossary of Casings:

NATURAL CASINGS

These are the internal organs of an animal, usually the intestines (although stomachs and bladders are also used occasionally). The intestines are cleaned and processed, then salted and packaged. The biggest visual giveaway that a place is using natural hog casings (the most common casing used in Texas barbecue) is that it “will have natural imperfections” and be curved. 

  • Beef Casings – Cleaned and processed cow intestines. This includes beef rounds (small intestines), middles (large intestines), and bungs.
  • Beef Rounds – 38- to 46-plus millimetre circumference. Naturally curved and used for linked sausages and suitable for Halaal certified meat products. 
  • Beef Middles – 50- to 65-plus millimetre. Naturally straight and used for salami. 
  • Beef Bung – 90- to 125-millimeter. Used for larger salamis and bologna.
  • Hog Casings – Cleaned and processed pig intestines. 
  • Lamb Casings – Cleaned and processed lamb intestines. These are the smallest and thinnest natural casings. They’re used for jerky sticks, hot dogs, and breakfast links. 

SYNTHETIC CASINGS 

“If you see a sausage that is perfect in size all the way through,” it’s a synthetic casing. These casings are used because they are more uniform than natural casings, and they can be made in any size.

  • Cellulose Casings – These casings are generally used on sausages and hot dogs where the casing will be peeled off before packaging. They’re designed to allow smoke penetration.
  • Collagen Casings – Synthetic casings that are made with animal products. Usually, the collagen is formed into tube casings, but at least one company sprays the collagen onto the sausage as it’s being formed and it solidifies as the final casing. This casing is hard for smoke to penetrate.
  • Fibrous (Paper) Casings – Inedible casings used for sausages that will be peeled after slicing.
  • Plastic Casings – Inedible casings used for larger meat products like bologna. The product is packaged with the casing still on, but it’s generally peeled off before slicing.