BRYARRR_80 I would add that since you are working with large amounts of ground beef it would be well worth your time to experiment with smaller batches (1 lb) and getting the flavor you are after before scaling up the amounts for large batches.
All Beef Snack Stick Texture
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I’ve made about 350 pounds of beef snack sticks within the last couple weeks. The sticks turned out pretty good but I feel that there’s always room for improvement. The snap, smoke, and flavor is good. The thing I’m trying to nail down is the texture. Any master beef stick makers on here have any advice for improving the texture? I’m wondering about the grind size and length of mixing time? Do I need more protein extraction? Would the texture be better with a higher fat to lean ratio? 80/20 compared to 70/30? Also is there any go to additives that would help with the texture? I’m wondering if the amount of water added has a significant effect on the texture as well? A lot to think about here but any help is appreciated!
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Might help to know your current process. What grind are you doing and how are you mixing it?
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glen Regular Contributors Team Grey Sous Vide Canning Dry Cured Sausage Masterbuilt Power User Meat Hack Winner Veteran last edited by
BRYARRR_80 Also describe the texture you get vs what you want
Give a man a fish and he eats for a day
Teach a man to fish and he drinks beer for a lifetime -
Jamieson22 doing a double grind through an 1/8inch plate then mixing for 3-4 minutes while I add in seasoning and cure.
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glen I personally feel like it’s still a pretty grainy texture. I’d like it to be a little more uniform and emulsified rather than crumbly.
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BRYARRR_80 20 lbs lean meat 5lb beef fat. Grind fat 1/8” then grind meat 3/8 then thoroughly mix meat and fat then grind mixture 1/8” then add spices,water,cure, and binder. Hand mix very thoroughly . I Only use Con Yeager Circle S binder or Powered Milk as binder. 1 lb per 25 lb of product. Also I keep ingredients very cold throughout process and stuff. This process has consistently given me great results whether snack sticks or summer sausage.
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BRYARRR_80 I would grind it one time through the course grind and two times through fine-grained give it better snap
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mrobisr Team Blue Cast Iron Sous Vide Canning Dry Cured Sausage Masterbuilt Military Veterans Power User Regular Contributors last edited by
BRYARRR_80 said in All Beef Snack Stick Texture:
glen I personally feel like it’s still a pretty grainy texture. I’d like it to be a little more uniform and emulsified rather than crumbly.
Lack of a binder or enough, not enough liquid, and the most common problem just not enough protein extraction/mixing. You can add up 10% liquid and that really helps with stuffing small sized casings and then when you think you have mixed enough, then mix more. It sounds like adding more liquid and mixing longer will make the tight stick you want. I just cut this stick and you can see the texture for reference.
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first I think that you don’t have enough protein extraction when you pull it ,it should stretch and not just separate ,pork fat is creamer and fat is a flavor carrier ,grind through the coarse plate then the fine might give you a better texture
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glen Regular Contributors Team Grey Sous Vide Canning Dry Cured Sausage Masterbuilt Power User Meat Hack Winner Veteran last edited by
BRYARRR_80 mrobisr summed it up, especially “when you think you have mixed enough, then mix more” for protein extraction
I like Sure Gel as a binder -
BRYARRR_80 If you hand mixed 350 lbs of snack sticks, you have my respect, Sir.
You might want to invest in a mechanical mixer if you intend to do the large volumes. A mechanical mixer will allow you to get good protein extraction with considerably less effort. -
YooperDog Team Orange Masterbuilt Big Green Egg Dry Cured Sausage Sous Vide Canning Power User last edited by
BRYARRR_80 my consensus would be like others above, my initial was not enough protein extraction followed by grind and moisture.
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Can you over mix? If no encapsulated CA.
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YooperDog Team Orange Masterbuilt Big Green Egg Dry Cured Sausage Sous Vide Canning Power User last edited by
samspade pretty tough to hand over mix for protein extraction, especially 350lbs, LOL. On a serious note even mixing a small batch to the over mixing point is something rare, under mixing is more the norm. I spend close to that much time mixing a 10lb meat block for protein extraction.
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mrobisr Team Blue Cast Iron Sous Vide Canning Dry Cured Sausage Masterbuilt Military Veterans Power User Regular Contributors last edited by
samspade said in All Beef Snack Stick Texture:
Can you over mix? If no encapsulated CA.
By hand it would be very hard, but the meat temp does rise since body heat is being transferred to the meat so in that sense I guess you could say it is possible. Using powered mixing you can start to incorporate air into the batter so “they” say, I cannot say I have ever experienced that problem.
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