Casing hopper for meat emulsion machine, and method of use thereof

A sausage encasing machine has a frame, a meat emulsion pump, a hollow meat emulsion stuffing horn with a discharge end and being longitudinally moveable on the frame. A conventional power means is provided to longitudinally move the stuffing horn. A conventional meat emulsion pump, a rotatably mounted chuck, and a lengthening device are mounted in alignment on the frame. A casing hopper is pivotally mounted on the frame between the pump and the chuck and is adapted to hold a plurality of shirred hollow elongated casings. A cradle mechanism is movably mounted in the hopper and has opposite spaced moveable finger assemblies therein for guiding an elongated shirred hollow elongated casing in the hopper to a position of longitudinal alignment with the stuffing horn. A method for positioning an elongated hollow shirred casing in position on a sausage making machine for penetration by an elongated stuffing horn involves the steps of placing a plurality of the casings in a hopper in parallel stacked relation to each other. A moveable cradle is provided in the hopper to hold an elongated hollow shirred casing from among the plurality of casings in the hopper. The cradle is moved to locate the elongated hollow shirred casing in an operating position to be filled with meat emulsion. The stuffing horn is moved longitudinally into and through the casing into the operating position. That casing is released by the cradle, and the casing in the operating position is filled with meat emulsion.