I am new to snack sticks. Ordered my first bag of Willies seasoning mix. It gets really good reviews but some say it has a bit of a pepper bite to it. My grandson is addicted to Slim Jim’s. I would really like to make him something better for him but if it has any pepper bite to it, he won’t eat them. Has anyone increased the amount of meat to seasoning with the Willies to tone them down? Does anyone have a from scratch recipe for a mild snack stick ?
Clarko yes it does have a bite. I think its almost just as hot if not hotter than the jalapeno. I highly recommend the Bourbon Peppercorn for him. Dont get fooled by the name Bourbon. I couldn’t taste any in it. It is by far my favorite stick. Other that that id say sweet maple bacon or smoked BBQ
I just made 25 lbs of Willies yesterday and it is my favorite, I’ve made it several times but this last batch was my best one so far. It definitely does have some pepper in it, not overwhelming but if someone doesn’t like heat then you would need to either make another flavor and I’d say maybe try the W beef stick, it’s a good flavor and mild. The other option is what you are asking about and I’m not sure how much more meat you would need to add or less seasoning per pound but I would start at 10% and go from there.
The pepper bite in the Willies I found to be very minimum. I think I could feed it to my wife and she would not complain.
try the taco flavor it has no pepper and tastes like a taco ,made some and my granddaughters said they tasted like a taco there is no pepper or heat in them the maple bacon
is also good my wifes favorite with cheese
johnsbrewhouse It is my wife’s favorite and she doesn’t like real spicy stuff. The batch I made yesterday was split into a 15 lb portion and a 10 lb and I added ghost pepper cheese to the smaller portion for me and it pairs very well with it.
The sweet maple bacon is really good too, although I think it could use a bit more maple flavor
my wife likes it but I may up the seasoning on the next batch I also add cheddar cheese witch can rob flavor from the product
twilliams Thank you for the info. I’ll order those and give them a try.
AdamCA thank you
Clarko said in MILD snack sticks:
Has anyone increased the amount of meat to seasoning with the Willies to tone them down?
To your question about just using less spice (adding more meat) to tone down the heat.
Yes, it is possible to do that, but remember, there will be relatively less salt and other seasonings if you do that. The stick will have less heat, but it may also taste kind of bland without as much salt.
IF you happen to find a seasoning that is too salty AND too spicy for your taste, then go for it and add less.
Remember to still use the recommend quantity of Cure #1 for the weight of your meat block.
As the guys mentioned , you may find another seasoning you like better and eliminate the need to make adjustments.
Clarko Ranch is the mildest snack stick in my opinion. Doesnt have a strong ranch taste, just mild (don’t add dry seasoning ranch mix either, doesn’t work) and a nice overall taste.
Was looking at trying the Ranch snack stick seasoning but I see it contains ECA. How pronounced is this as far as taste? Don’t care for ECA personally but looking to make a mild stick for the grandkids. Already have the Bourbon Peppercorn and Taco on my list.
PapaSop just made the fajita and ranch last weekend, i love them. Bourbon Peppercorn is my favorite. Like Jonathon said the ranch has very little ranch flavor, you might get a slight hint of it at the beginning or end of bite.
My top 4 are #1 Bourbon peppercorn #2 Fajita, #3 Ranch and #4 Willies. Cant taste any ECA in it. The top 3 mentioned are perfect for kids and adults that dont like hot or spicy
twilliams
Great. Will add the Ranch to the list. Thanks.
PapaSop I think the ECA in it is to give it a slight tang but you won’t pick it out as clearly tangy, just like a ranch tang? I actually think they should change the name to something that describes what it tastes like better. Bacon Flavor Snack Sticks are also pretty mild.
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PapaSop when i make the bacon flavored sticks i will add cheddar cheese its one of my wife’s favorites
PapaSop Yeah, the booster would be a good idea for anything with bacon in it. Imitation bacon or any of the bacon flavored snack sticks all do better with it in my opinion.
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