Does non-msg Willie's blend have citric acid like the msg version?

[Dave in AZ]

Last night I was going to add some Encapsulated citric acid to some Willie’s snack stick seasoning, to see what difference that twang had. A few folks have said they don’t like it, other’s say it is a nice twang, I wanted to try it but was worried about getting a bad crumbly texture from the acid as they say can happen. I really like the Willies and got some ECA to try. But then while cross checking the ingredients I saw there are two Willie’s snack stick seasonings listed, Willie’s and Willie’s MSG. And the msg one lists citric acid as an ingredient, while the non-msg one doesn’t. The non-msg one, which is what I have, even has a blurb in the description, " try adding some encapsulated citric acid to give it a little twang or enjoy it plain." The msg one, which lists just plain citric acid as an ingredient, has the same blurb almost, “try adding some encapsulated citric acid to give it a little twang or enjoy it plain. Either way, you can’t go wrong with Willie’s! This version includes MSG.”

I would expect from the name the only difference between Willie’s and Willie’s MSG to be the addition of msg, making me think regular Willie’s has citric acid too, just not listed explicitly… the ingredient list is sparser and not as detailed as the msg version.

So, if anyone knows:
Does non-msg Willies also contain citric acid? Is the citric acid in the msg version encapsulated? Is it enough to act as an accelerator for cure1, so I don’t have to add an accelerator separately if I want to stuff and smoke asap? If you added ECA, how much and was it better?
Thx for any help, I don’t want to add too much citric acid and get a bad crumbly texture if the mix already has citric acid, and ruin a batch. I already have to add a good bit of water to stuff my 16mm casings thru 10mm tube so am thinking I’m at risk for the texture as is.

[Craig Rice]

to my knowledge there is no eca in the seasoning you must add it per the conversion chart which can be found at the top of the page

[Jonathon]

Dave in AZ Just to make sure we are talking about Willie's Snack Stick Seasoning which is the one without MSG. Ingredients are Salt, Corn Syrup Solids, Spices, and Dehydrated Garlic. according to the web, I went and checked the bag too and it has does have Citric Acid. I am confused as to why it would be in one and not the other. I also don’t know if it is enough Encapsulated Citric Acid to make it where we would want to avoid or adjust using more of it.

My guess is no, because there is at least one other seasoning with Citric Acid as a seasoning for taste and they have told us we don’t need to adjust for that but this one, as it has an MSG and non-MSG version I just don’t know. So, best thing to do is to ask Excalibur, I will update the post when I know!

[glen]

Jonathon My guess would be that MSG is not much of a preservative and if the amount of salt is reduced a slight amount of citric acid is added, which is a preservative.

[Dave in AZ]

Jonathon thx Jonathon. So far Willie’s is my favorite stick flavor. If it turns out to have citric acid too, then I’ll already know it is something I like. I appreciate your time checking, I know you’re very busy–saw a new podcast today, a weisswurst video, a rASPberry mystery, and a new media guy to train!

[Dave in AZ]

Craig Rice thx, I forgot about the conversion charts, that will get me started if I end up adding some eca. Thx glen. I’ve heard msg really boosts meat stick flavor so I might just end up buying the Willie’s MSG version next time. And maybe Willie’s isn’t the best mix for me to experiment on with/without ECA taste test. Are either of you guys fans of the ECA flavor in meat sticks?

[Craig Rice]

Dave in AZ when I make the taco flavor sticks I only use the seasoning and hold overnight with 80/20 beef and pork and do not use ECA but i do add hot pepper cheese to the mix

[glen]

Dave in AZ I really like it in most Summer Sausages. Never tried it in Snack Sticks but with all the talk abut it I will probably add about 50% of the conversion chart amount and see how it turns out

[glen]

Dave in AZ Forgot to add I am a fan of MSG

[shoprat53]

I use trehalose sugar as a flavor enhancer. Also helps stabilize product when freezing. I use 1.5 teaspoon per pound of meat in all my sausages.

[shoprat53]

Why am I listed as A yearling have been coming here for years?

[Bob Stehlik]

shoprat53 You can go to “edit profile” and delete the “yearling” tag and select the one you think suits your status. Just remember to hit “save” when done.

[shoprat53]

Thanks Bob Stehlik

[Jonathon]

Dave in AZ Sorry, I still have not gotten a response on this. I am going to nudge them

[Jonathon]

Dave in AZ I take that back, I did get a response I just don’t know how to search my inbox instead of my sent items! From Jay at Excalibur
The Willies Snack stick no MSG does not contain any citric acid.
The Willlies 0390302 has less than a ½ oz of citric acid.
Your customers should not change the level of usage of Encapsulated Citric Acid.

[Dave in AZ]

Jonathon thx so much for your efforts on this! Good to know, I love the willies seasoning, and did want to try some ECA with it, without worries Id have a batch with bad texture. Sounds like my no msg package will be perfect then!