Too dry.

[hinoon]

Well just taste tested my very first attempt at making venison snack sticks. I would give myself a C on the end result. I used excaliber jalapeno seasoning and added cheddar cheese (high temp).My ingredients were, 3/4 cup &3 tbsp. of seasoning, 1 cup & 1 tbsp. of carrot fiber binder, 1 1/4 tbsp. ECA, 1 1/4 tsp of sure cure, and 26 oz. of ice water. I followed the smoking time table to a t. My end product was ok taste wise, but the consistency was poor and they were pretty dry. The only thing I might have done wrong is leave my vents open the entire cooking time. I also used no water tray. From everything I have been reading, to prep up for this adventure, the idea is to get all the moisture out of the product. I think I am wrong on that assumption. Please help me out all you sausage gurus. I really want to get this right.

[cuddless]

Why use fillers

[hinoon]

I forgot to add that I used 7 lbs. of venison and 3 lbs. of pork trimmings.

[vjbutler]

hinoon I make a lot of snack sticks with very lean meat including venison and goose. My first attempts were much the same as you describe. The fat content you are describing is exactly what I use. How much fat/grease is at the bottom of the smoker when the batch is finished? When I have tried to do a 10 pound batch in a small smoker it can take 18 or more hours to finish if you are sticking to the maximum temp of 170. The small heating elements can’t produce enough heat to bring the meat up the desired temperature in the time most of us are willing to spend making a batch of snack sticks. When we urn up the heat to shorten the cook cycle the fat melts out and the sticks taste dry. On a positive note the jalapeno seasoning you chose produces one of the best game snack sticks I have ever tasted once you get the ratios and cook process figured out.

[Jonathon]

hinoon Adding a water pan would help slightly, it adds a few percentage points to the smokers chamber but I think its main advantage is that it speeds the cooking process. Think of how much hotter 90 feels when its humid than when it is bone dry?

I’d guess that your vents being wide open the entire time was the real issue. You want that initial drying stage with the dampers (vents) open but after that you should shut it down to keep moisture in the meat. There are some people who are looking for very dry snack sticks, they are generally looking for something very specific and usually a shelf stable product but for taste having more moisture is a better thing.

[Joe Hell]

cuddless More meat isn’t exactly a ‘filler’ and you get more product without sacrificing quality!