A casing for forming a rippled meat product includes a generally tubular stockinette fabric integrally knitted with a restrictive structure. The restrictive structure may include one or more helical threads. The differential expansion of the stockinette and the restrictive structure when the casing is stuffed creates a helical bulge in the surface of the meat product. The restrictive structure may include a chain of longitudinal connections that promote a decrease in the longitudinal spacing of the turns of the helical thread in response to the radial expansion of the helical thread during stuffing. Such a restrictive structure also facilitates a method for releasing the casing from the meat product following processing by severing the endmost connection in the chain. Alternatively or in addition, the restrictive structure may include a series of longitudinal jumps that similarly promote a decrease in the longitudinal spacing of the turns of the helical thread in response to the radial expansion of the helical thread during stuffing. The resulting slack or bunching in the stockinette fabric between adjacent turns or circumferential loops of the helical thread allows the meat to bulge outwardly.