Using an industrial sausage linker can save you quite a lot of time when it comes to making and linking sausage, especially when you have to do large quantities. However, there can be a bit of a learning curve. When you're just starting out, it is normal to run into a few of these common problems. Luckily, they are all pretty easy to solve.
Your casing keeps bursting.
If your casing is bursting open mid-link, one of two things is happening. You may not be soaking your casing for long enough before using it. Make sure it is fully immersed in warm water for at least an hour — two hours is even better — so it gets soft and easier to stretch. If you are sure your casing has been soaked enough, then the problem might be that you are filling it too quickly, and therefore expecting it to stretch too quickly. Turn the filler speed down a couple of settings.
There's air in your sausages.
You definitely do not want air in your sausage, as it will cause them to burst when cooked. First, check to ensure your sausage mixture is compacted as you're feeding it into the hopper. If the sausage mixture is "fluffy" with air when you feed it into the linker, it is going to come out the same way. Second, try turning your filler speed down. Sometimes when you fill too quickly for the texture of the sausage, some air ends up getting sucked into the apparatus and pushed into the sausage links.
Your sausage links are larger or smaller than you want.
There's actually nothing going wrong here. Like many new sausage linker users, you just didn't realize your linker is adjustable! Every machine works a little differently, so check your manual for details. But there should be a way to adjust the size of the links. Some machines let you select the number of inches you want your links to be. Others let you choose the number of links per yard of sausage. The idea is the same; adjust your link size to meet your unique needs.
Using an industrial sausage linker is not too tough once you get the hang of it. If you run into one of the common issues above, now you know what to do. For all other issues, consult your operations manual; they tend to have a lot of details and advice.
Share3 February 2021
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