I am planning on giving snack sticks another attempt this weekend. I am planning on doing a 12.5 # block of meat 1/2 venison and 1/2 pork butts. I plan to use the sure gel for a binder. I also will use the encapsulated citric acid and know to mix it in the last 45-60 seconds.
So I will have the cure , sure gel , seasoning to mix in and then the ECA at the end. Anyone have a suggestion on how much water to add to the mixture ? After stuffing I see its recommended to smoke at these temps. 125 for 1 hour 140 for 1 hour 155 for 2 hours and finally 175 until IT reaches 160. When they are done I also will want to put them in an ice bath . Can anyone think of anything I am missing or have any tips I would love to hear them. Thanks

Will around 10 minutes be good for mixing time?

lamurscrappy said in Snack sticks ?:

No. Dont add water pan until smoke is done and leave damper about 1/4 open. You need the smoke to pass through so it stays fresh. After the 140 degree 1hour has passed with smoke. Then take smoke out, close damper, add water and increase temp.

Ok . So at the 140* degree mark I will close damper to 1/4 open and add smoke. After that hour is up I will close damper and add the water ?

blackbetty61 said in Snack sticks?:

JohninPa well I usually keep an eye on it while my sticks are in the smoker…maybe 45min to an hour guess I’ve never timed how long it takes for the water to come up to temp…once the sticks are in the water shouldn’t take more than 15 to 20 minutes for them to be done… don’t forget you’ll have to smoke them till they get to around 140° then put them in the water to finish your cooking process

Ok. Thanks
Yes , I will start my usual smoking process until I get them to around 140. Then I will pull them from the smoker and put in the water.

So I made the snack sticks yesterday. Everything went pretty good for me. Ground the meat , 50/50 mix of venison and pork butt. Added the seasoning, cure and binder along with some water. Meat was mixed with mixer attached to my grinder so had good protein extraction. Casings were stuffed nice and full and held overnight . Started smoking them yesterday at 125 for 1 hour vent open , then 140 for 1 hour with smoke and vent 1/4 open and then bumped up to 155 with a water pan and vent closed until the sticks reached 140 and then into electric roaster with 170* water until sticks reached 160* . Pulled sticks off and into ice water and then let them set out for about an hour or so . Then into fridge to cool and packed up today. Taste was very good just didn’t have a snap to them. Any suggestions

I am using a masterbuilt smoker , I can see under the smoker when I get to a certain point in the cooking cycle where the ground is wet from moisture. My only other thought is am I trying to fit too many in the smoker at a time? I may try a smaller batch next time to see if that helps. I did a 12.5# batch , next time I may split it up into 2 batches. Otherwise I don’t know what else to try.

Electric smoker , using the 19mm smoke collagen casings from waltons, also have some 21mm smoke collagen casings on hand. The casings or outside of the sticks feel damp or kind of slick like they aren’t dry enough. I just don’t know what else to try. I will be making another attempt friday.

Being this was my first attempt with them not being as dry as they should be is that going to effect anything other than taste and texture? I wasn’t sure with having more moisture in them.

johnsbrewhouse said in Smoked bratwurst questions:

JohninPa I use natural casing on my Texas hot links, Kielbasa and Bratwurst. When I smoke them, I loop them in around 18" links and tie them back end to end and hang them with no problems. These are the hot links before and after.

That kielbasa looks amazing and has my attention. Care to share how you make it.

Cabelas90 said in Snack sticks?:

JohninPa Are you using ECA?

No I am not.

PapaSop said in Snack sticks?:

JohninPa
I also use a Masterbuilt but the LP version. I’m thinking it’s not your process or a smoker issue. I’ve actually let these hang overnite to dry. Vacuumed sealed and frozen. I’m munching on a stick right now that still has moisture on the outside after being thawed and in the fridge for a few days. I actually prefer them that way now. Not dry at all but moist and delicious. Much better than the dry sticks I was making years ago.

Thanks. I prefer them to have a snap to them. Everything else is good with them . Maybe someday I will get over them not having a snap to them.

Electric smoker , using the 19mm smoke collagen casings from waltons, also have some 21mm smoke collagen casings on hand. The casings or outside of the sticks feel damp or kind of slick like they aren’t dry enough. I just don’t know what else to try. I will be making another attempt friday.

I am using a masterbuilt smoker , I can see under the smoker when I get to a certain point in the cooking cycle where the ground is wet from moisture. My only other thought is am I trying to fit too many in the smoker at a time? I may try a smaller batch next time to see if that helps. I did a 12.5# batch , next time I may split it up into 2 batches. Otherwise I don’t know what else to try.

So I made the snack sticks yesterday. Everything went pretty good for me. Ground the meat , 50/50 mix of venison and pork butt. Added the seasoning, cure and binder along with some water. Meat was mixed with mixer attached to my grinder so had good protein extraction. Casings were stuffed nice and full and held overnight . Started smoking them yesterday at 125 for 1 hour vent open , then 140 for 1 hour with smoke and vent 1/4 open and then bumped up to 155 with a water pan and vent closed until the sticks reached 140 and then into electric roaster with 170* water until sticks reached 160* . Pulled sticks off and into ice water and then let them set out for about an hour or so . Then into fridge to cool and packed up today. Taste was very good just didn’t have a snap to them. Any suggestions

craigrice said in Snack sticks?:

when you put water in your water pan it should be to the temp of the smoker @ the time not cold or to hot that will slow the heating cycle

Thanks for the tip. I was planning on heating the water some first. I will try to get it right around the same temp as my smoker.

blackbetty61 said in Snack sticks?:

JohninPa well I usually keep an eye on it while my sticks are in the smoker…maybe 45min to an hour guess I’ve never timed how long it takes for the water to come up to temp…once the sticks are in the water shouldn’t take more than 15 to 20 minutes for them to be done… don’t forget you’ll have to smoke them till they get to around 140° then put them in the water to finish your cooking process

Ok. Thanks
Yes , I will start my usual smoking process until I get them to around 140. Then I will pull them from the smoker and put in the water.

blackbetty61 said in Snack sticks?:

JohninPa yep just use your meat thermometer to check temp of the water

I got a 12.5# batch mixed up and stuffed. I think I am going to try this method tomorrow. Any idea how long it takes to get the water up to temp ?

blackbetty61 said in Snack sticks?:

JohninPa yep put the sticks right in the water… they might look wrinkly when you take them out but they should tighten up after you bloom them. I wanna say you could fit 12.5 lbs in a roaster…that’s usually how much I do when I do a batch by myself… I have a 26qt roaster…I believe…also if you search finish in water on the search page there’s a whole thread worth reading

Thanks. Might be a dumb question but I take it you just heat the water right in the electric roaster? Seems like this would make the process go quicker .

blackbetty61 said in Snack sticks?:

This is just me but after reading about finishing in water that’s what I do for everything from snack sticks,ring sausage to summer sausage…smoke till internal temp of 140° then I throw them in my electric roaster with 170° water til they reach 160° internal… then ice bath til cool and let them bloom overnight in a cooler in the garage or fridge. Next day cut to your size and vacuum pack.

Curious about the way you finish them. Do you put the sticks themselves directly in the water? Also any idea how many pounds you can fit in an electric roaster? This might be something to consider if I could fit 12.5 pounds in the roaster.