Is there an edible, vegetarian substitute for sausage casings?
My research(basically wikipedia) shows that natural sausage casing is made from a layer from the intestines of animals such as sheep and cows. The alternative to natural casings are artificial casings. The most common edible kind is the collagen casing, typically made from animal hides. This isn't vegetarian either. The remaining kinds, cellulose and plastic, aren't edible and are usually removed to form skinless franks.
Are there alternatives in the market? Is it possible to produce a substitute casing at home using skins from vegetables or fruits(like the peeled off skin of an apple, given that it can be reshaped)?
I all do honesty, I'm not even sure what properties a proper sausage casing should exhibit. I don't know if they should be water proof or how they should react to heat.
Edit
I didn't take into account that different properties in the sausage casing are desired based on the cooking method. I prefer a sausage casing that I could par-cook/poach franks in. I was looking to adapting a recipe for beef franks to use lamb instead as well as attempting to create a vegetarian mix to see if I could make a reasonable facsimile to a real hotdog.
I don't want this question to be localized, so I'll leave my specific reasons for wanting a vegetarian casing aside, however it would be useful to those who have dietary certain restrictions (like only eating halal meats or if one in a vegetarian or vegan) to make sausages at home instead of purchasing them in stores.
Best Answer
If you're looking to parboil, likely your best bet is one that you've already dismissed -- inedible casings that you'd remove after cooking. You might even be able to get away with clingfilm, parchment paper or non-stick aluminium foil.
If you really want an edible casing, they do exist, just enter 'vegetarian sausage casing' into your preferred internet search engine, and you should find them. (I assume they're all reselling the same product, as the only option I've found is for 15/16", ~10lb strand)
As you also mention that part of your issue is not wanting to eat intestines, there are also collagen casings which are more readily available, but aren't vegetarian.
update:
To deal with the issue of packing the sausage so you don't have air bubbles :
Place a line of meat down the center of what you're using, roll it up tightly, then seal the ends.
To get the meat lined up tightly: fold the back end of the sheet over the front, hold down the edges and use the edge of a sheet pan to press the meat tightly towards the back. If you're using something that might tear easily (eg, aluminum foil), you can work on top of another sheet of paper (waxed, butcher, freezer, etc.) and fold it over before pushing back, but don't roll it up to make the final sausage.
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Quick Answer about "Is there an edible, vegetarian substitute for sausage casings?"
Vegetarian Sausage Casings Vegetarian sausage casing is the newest type of sausage skin, and they're 100% plant-based. They are usually made from water, vegetable glycerin, starches, and sugar.What can you use instead of sausage casings?
If you are looking to smoke the sausage without a casing I would suggest forming your sausage into a leaf, grape or banana or into a corn husk. The banana or corn husk are not edible but the grape leaf would be good to go.What is vegetarian sausage skin made of?
These Vegetarian Casings are easy to use and are completely edible. They are made from water-soluble polysaccharide (which in layman's terms is a type of carbohydrate similar to cellulose). They come on a 12mtr concertinaed rod. Simply cut to the length you require and slide on to your sausage nozzle.Are artificial sausage casings edible?
Plastic casings are not edible, and since they are impermeable, they are used for non-smoked, high-yield products. Some artificial casings require soaking in hot tap water before use and need to be punctured with a knifepoint before stuffing to eliminate air pockets.What are edible sausage casings made from?
"Collagen" casings (man made edible) are generally made from collagen derived from animal hides. Inedible casings are generally made from either cellulose or plastics.Homemade vegan sausages using vegetarian casings
More answers regarding is there an edible, vegetarian substitute for sausage casings?
Answer 2
If you are looking to smoke the sausage without a casing I would suggest forming your sausage into a leaf, grape or banana or into a corn husk. The banana or corn husk are not edible but the grape leaf would be good to go. I was going to suggest eggroll wraps or spring roll wrappers but I don't think that would be smoker friendly.
Answer 3
Your local asian supermarket might have vegetarian intestine, which is probably made from alginate. But if it's frankfurters/hot dogs you're trying to make, you don't actually need the casings to be part of the sausage. You can just use plastic wrap and shape your sausages with a sushi mat.
Answer 4
I stumbled across this while searching for substitutes for sausage casings and I had the idea that coffee filters could work. I have some turkey sausage mix chilling in the fridge and will try rolling it up in a coffee filter and twisting/tying the ends and steaming until firm. Then I can unroll when cooled and either grill or brown in a pan. This method could be used for smoking too, if the wrapped sausages were placed in a pan for smoking. Might even get bigger smoke flavor since the coffee filter is permeable.
Answer 5
I know that removable cheesecloth is used by some for sausages, but that is as others have commented regarding purpose, fermenting, drying, smoking, semi-dry, or other aspects for the sausage. I personally have only ever used animal-based casings for making my Swedish grandparents' recipe for potatiskorv.
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