Years back, my first smoker was an old cemented in outhouse that came with the house I bought. Bought a barrel stove kit and piped it in. Wasn’t the best setup, but got me started.

Doing less than 5#, the Dough hooked has worked for me. But yes there is clean up. But I get better extraction than hand mixing. My opinion only, might not be the best solution.

Appreciate the feedback. Thanks!

twilliams I did two of the same batches of sticks last weekend, one with the Sure gel I had left and the other with carrot fiber. I personally prefer the sure gel.
I remember someone posting what they used as a Sure gel substitute about a month ago because it was milk based product w/ phosphate.
I believe it was 3/4 C Nonfat Milk powder and 11.3 g cold phosphate per #5 meat block. I going to try it on a small batch of sticks tomorrow. Will let you know how it turned out.

twilliams I did two of the same batches of sticks last weekend, one with the Sure gel I had left and the other with carrot fiber. I personally prefer the sure gel.
I remember someone posting what they used as a Sure gel substitute about a month ago because it was milk based product w/ phosphate.
I believe it was 3/4 C Nonfat Milk powder and 11.3 g cold phosphate per #5 meat block. I going to try it on a small batch of sticks tomorrow. Will let you know how it turned out.

Appreciate the feedback. Thanks!

Mixed up a bach of snack sticks last night, no ECA, to let cure till i can home tonight. had to work over. can i let go till tomorrow?

Can anybody tell me the difference between the Willies (no MSG) and the Willies with the MSG flavor-wise?
I bought and really like the non MSG unit. Was just curious the taste difference. From the amount of reviews,
Non MSG seems the way to go.

Years back, my first smoker was an old cemented in outhouse that came with the house I bought. Bought a barrel stove kit and piped it in. Wasn’t the best setup, but got me started.

Sorry. I’m missing the purpose of joining a team color. What is the benefit of joining one?

I like my sticks on the spicy side.
Besides Willies,
My top 3:
Hab Bbq
Siracha
Gigawatt

Thinking of doing some snack sticks with some wild leeks or ramps(depending on where you live). Plan on using a milder stick mix to bring out the flavor of the leeks, along some ht cheddar. My question is, should I dehydrate the leeks and grind them up or just grind them raw? Anyone out there try this before?

Thanks for the response!

I bought and planning to try to do some Excalibur Habanero Lime snack sticks.
I noticed that the Excalibur mix has citric acid in the ingredient list (which I’m sure is what gives it the lime taste).
Will I need to take precautions with this mix like you would if you using ECA?
(curing overnight or over mixing?)
I normally don’t use ECA in my sticks and let it cure overnight.
Or should I go straight to the smoker after mixing?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.