How to Remove Sausage Casings

Below you'll find step-by-step instructions for how to properly remove the casings from your sausages.

Now, you may be tempted to just snip the top off and squeeze the meat out of the casing.  If you do, you may leave some sausage meat behind in the casing.

The proper way is to cut the sausage down the middle and then unravel it - preventing food waste and maximizing flavour! See below.

Step 1: Cut along one side

• Cut end-to-end lengthwise along one side of the sausage with a sharp paring (small) knife.
• Don't go too deep! Just deep enough to cut the casing.

Step 2: Lift edge

• Lift the edge of your cut and unravel the sausage from the casing with your fingers.
• It should roll out as one piece.
  
  

Step 3: Break up meat

• Now, you can break up the sausage meat with your fingers or another kitchen utensil.
• Discard the leftover casing.
  
  

And that should be it. Use it in recipes that tell you to use sausage meat or use it as a substitute for ground pork. 

• If you're still stuck, be sure to watch someone remove the casing from a sausage step-by-step in 30 seconds.
• Some people are tempted to just snip the tip of the sausage off and squeeze it out, but you can actually leave a bit of sausage meat behind if you do that.

While you're here, we've compiled a few of our popular sausage recipes:

This article is part of our on-going commitment to make pork cooking information accessible for Ontarians (and the world).

Only quick and easy guides here, no fluff. If you are interested in more how to cook pork information, see here:

• How long to cook pork tenderloin in an oven, BBQ, slowcooker, etc.
• How to butterfly a pork tenderloin
• How to butterfly a pork chop
• How to easily brine pork
• How to remove the membrane from back/side ribs
• How to remove silverskin from a pork tenderloin
• The internal temperature for properly cooked sausage is 160F (71C), like all ground pork.