MAKING HOMEMADE BEEF STICKS

[Lance]

rmb823
You can do that. Try and keep the cooking temp’s below 180 and cook them slow.
My smoking schedule is 1 hour at at 100 then I bump to 120 for an hour and then up to 170 until I get to an internal temp of 160.
I do understand your using a stove so try and keep it as low as you can.

[glen]

rmb823 Before sous vide I used to cycle the oven on and off

[Dr_Pain]

If they are too “solid”, the first thing to consider is meat to fat ratio. I normally try to stay at least 70/30. Second would be the cooking schedule BUT you didn’t mention fatting out. But from a technique standpoint you may grind too small. Hard to tell from the info you shared

[calldoctoday]

rmb823 Ideally a 70/30 ratio would be perfect, but the 80/20 should really be fine if it is mixed well. Use a manual oven thermometer to watch the temps. Open the doo a little every now & then should be fine to regulate. If you have a glass oven door, you can see the oven thermometer & know when to open, hopefully. Also, if you have a smoke box, but that in there for a little smoky flavor. I used to do that in the oven when it was real cold & I only had a stick burner, I called it Middle of the Winter Cheating. Margaret did not mind because she likes it & it reminds her of the old wood burning stoves we used to have. Some folks have said their wives would not put up with it though, so be forewarned. Best of success to you, we know you can do it. We will be happy to sample the results to render an opinion on how well you did!

[DJS303]

Don’t know the process your using for stuffing, but I used my grinder to stuff for a long time. I recently bought a sausage stuffer and my family all say that the sausage I am now making is more “tender”. I use a course grind, 10 mm plate and grind twice through it for my snack sticks. I use the cooking schedule listed on here.

[PapaSop]

DJS303 said in MAKING HOMEMADE BEEF STICKS:

Don’t know the process your using for stuffing, but I used my grinder to stuff for a long time. I recently bought a sausage stuffer and my family all say that the sausage I am now making is more “tender”. I use a course grind, 10 mm plate and grind twice through it for my snack sticks. I use the cooking schedule listed on here.

A 10mm plate for sticks?? Interesting. Never tried that.

[processhead]

rmb823
When I was just starting out, I used to make sticks in the oven too.
To keep from getting them too hot, crack the oven door open about an inch with a block of wood.

[wdaly]

PapaSop I also used a 10mm plate on my last batch. Just curious what plate you use? Is the thought that 10mm is too course, or too fine?

[PapaSop]

wdaly said in MAKING HOMEMADE BEEF STICKS:

PapaSop I also used a 10mm plate on my last batch. Just curious what plate you use? Is the thought that 10mm is too course, or too fine?

I started using a 3mm some time back for final grind. Same for summer sausage. Seems like a better mouth feel to me. Yes Jon, I said it.

10mm I’m using as a first grind, then 7mm for brats.

No right or wrong. Whatever works for you.

[rmb823]

DO you let the temp. get to 160 before you take them out? Don’t they get to dry. Because they still keep cooking after you take them out don’t they.

[processhead]

rmb823 said in MAKING HOMEMADE BEEF STICKS:

DO you let the temp. get to 160 before you take them out? Don’t they get to dry. Because they still keep cooking after you take them out don’t they.

With sticks and other sausages, you should be cooling them rapidly when they reach 160. That way they don’t keep cooking and it sets the ingredients in the casing.
You can cool them the fastest in a tub of cold water. Because sticks are so small, they can be cooled fairly quickly in a refrigerator or outside if air temperatures are cold. The faster they cool, typically the less they wrinkle.