Using casing pricker
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What is the correct spacing of pricking holes on 21mm casings for polish sausage and snack sticks?
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Wolf Ridge Taxidermy I’ve never had the need to use the pricker on snack sticks. The only time I use it is when I find air pockets in fresh brats.
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Wolf Ridge Taxidermy First, what type, are they smoked, fresh or clear and then second on the sticks definitely don’t poke holes in them. For the polish are you smoking them or providing them as fresh brats?
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Smoking them.
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PapaSop Team Orange Power User Wisconsin Old-Timerreplied to Wolf Ridge Taxidermy on last edited by
Wolf Ridge Taxidermy
Snack sticks… never. Summer sausage, I have but not sure why? Never an issue either way. Never had a blow out. -
Wolf Ridge Taxidermy So, I use the pricker in all sausage 30mm and larger. Closer to 30mm and fresh sausage/brats is to get the air bubbles to release. Larger diameter and dry fermented sausages is so the casing shrinks with the sausage/salami/whole muscle as it dries. No magic spacing, just hit it up thoroughly. Snack sticks are pretty tight to begin with. Not much room to shrink much further. Air bubbles are minimal unless you pump it with air by not packing your stuffer in the first place Pricker is a good tool to have when you need it!
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Steve Risse Thank you. I used 21mm collagen casings and used the pricier, smoked everything and they dehydrated a lot.
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Wolf Ridge Taxidermy Pricking them alot or a little isn’t going to change how much everything dehydrates. I am checking with our application specialist to see if there is a type of collagen casing that should be prestuck and if so what the spacing is. I will update this with any information I get.
However, I would guess the dehydrating has more to do with the smoke schedule, can you give us what you meat block was, what your smoke schedule was and if you added any humidity to the smoker and if you ice bathed them after?
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I suspect I smoked them too long before raising heat to finish temp. Meat was 50/50 venison and pork with abut 30% fat. Definitely had water tray filled, and did not ice bath them. Smoked at 140-150 for about three and a half hours before raising temp. I relatively new to smoking sausages and sticks, so still have tons to learn. I appreciate all the help you guys offer.
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I salvaged them by boiling for a few minutes. Rehydrated nicely. Great snack sticks now. Can’t let that venison go to waste.
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Wolf Ridge Taxidermy They plumped back up nicely? Any loss of taste?
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Not at all. Wunnerful, wunnerful, wunnerful.
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Wolf Ridge Taxidermy I’ll do some stuff here and when we can get this to work we will give you a shout out!
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Thank you Jonathan. Go Team Blue.
