1st time Smoking Snack Sticks

[Dawson Coates]

I need some help, it’s my first time smoking snack sticks and the internal temperature is not rising. I am using a pit boss 2-series vertical electric smoker. I believe the thermometer is reading correctly because the snack sticks themselves are not that warm to the touch. I have been smoking them all day. Any help is appreciated.
Thank you!!

[Joe Hell]

Dawson Coates it can sometimes take a ridiculous amount of time which is why some guys use a water bath to finish. If you followed a slow warm up schedule you could bump the temp 10-20 degrees to see if that gets it moving.

[Dawson Coates]

Joe Hell Thanks! I have increased the temp way up there and it seems to have helped some. Getting to 165 is going to be a struggle.

[Parksider]

Dawson Coates BE CAREFUL!!! too much heat will fat them out. Focus on getting the right amount of smoke and color. Lots of pics on previous posts and instagram. Then like Joe Hell said put them in a water bath at 170F to do the actual cooking. Sounds like they could go into the water now. Get a temp probe into one of the sticks and then into the water to finish 160F ish then cold water shower. Good luck!!!

[fishboy]

Dawson Coates what temperature is your smoker and what temperature is the internal of your snack sticks?

[Dawson Coates]

fishboy it was up to 200 and IT was around 120. I figured out that my smoker was definitely over filled I finished them off in the oven. It’s a huge learning process.

[Jonathon]

Dawson Coates It is a learning curve for sure but when you nail it, there is nothing like having people rave about something you made that not everyone can make! The finishing it up in water is a life saver for lots of people with smokers that can’t get the relative humidity very high. Another option is adding sponges to your water pan, it increases the surface area of the water without taking up a ton of room. Check it out here https://meatgistics.waltonsinc.com/topic/1099/cured-sausage-205-advanced-thermal-processing

[hotkarl]

Dawson Coates Cooking snack sticks kicked my butt for years… the only way I will finish cooking snack sticks is in a water bath now. Cuts down the total cook time in half and retains all of the moisture.

I’ve been using roasters and warming the water temp to 165. Load the snack sticks in the water, the water temp will dip to about 150, once the water temp is back up to 160 start checking the internal temp of the sticks until they hit 160. This process take about 30 minutes. Just make sure you get your water up to temp and very stable ahead of time. You can make the sticks fat out much faster if you are not carefully monitoring the water temp.