Just wondering. It would be nice to have some that didn't require refrigeration!
Someone with more knowledge will chime in, but if you put somekind of preservative in your brine/marinade it will keep. Of course then you get to eat the preservative,but if that is not a bother to you then have at it. If you smoke the meat with nothing but smoke and meat you should be able to keep it for quite awhileafter all that is how the natives did their meat and then they used it all threw the winter. I'm not an expert on this so if I have gone awry here I will be corrected.
When we make slim jim style sticks we just use salt and cure.
Store bought slim jims contain the following.
Ingredients:
Beef, Water, Corn Syrup, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Flavorings (Contains Milk Solids), Salt, Less than 2% of Smoke Flavoring, Dehydrated Onions, Maltodextrin, Sodium Erythorbate, Sugar, Sodium Nitrite, Malic Acid, Disodium Inosinate and Disodium Guanylate.
nepas
So Nepa do yours require refrigeration?
Quote from: Fair-chase on November 27, 2009, 06:22:18 PM
So Nepa do yours require refrigeration?
When i do 5 pound or smaller batches i dont fridge them. I store my sticks in 1 gallon plastic jug with holes in the top for vent. Sticks and jerky when stored in plastic bags in the fridge make moisture which causes the meat to spoil faster.
I have shipped sticks and jerky to my sons in the middle east and at time they dont get the meat for 2 weeks and its fine for them. But i spray PS on it for them.
Potassium Sorbate.
Most of the time my sticks/jerky dont last longer than a week due to consumption by family and friends ;D
nepas
My stick storage method.
(http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o290/stlthy1/DSCF4621-1.jpg)
nepas
Oops sorry Fair-chase, I thought you were talking about jerky. The only thing I have had from Slim Jim is a flat strip of form meat they called jerky.
I place my sticks in jars with holes in top also. Jerky is a whole different deal. Moisture is a key ingrediant in spoilage. How dry are your snack sticks? Mine are more like summer sausage than jerky .
The trouble I have with placing them in the frig. is they constantly sweat. Which causes them to shrink a little more which results in casings that are not adhered to the sticks. Also the outside of the casing sweating causes them to be tough. This makes the casings peel off easier which is usually what I do.
Quote from: Fair-chase on November 28, 2009, 05:15:24 AM
I place my sticks in jars with holes in top also. Jerky is a whole different deal. Moisture is a key ingrediant in spoilage. How dry are your snack sticks? Mine are more like summer sausage than jerky .
The trouble I have with placing them in the frig. is they constantly sweat. Which causes them to shrink a little more which results in casings that are not adhered to the sticks. Also the outside of the casing sweating causes them to be tough. This makes the casings peel off easier which is usually what I do.
I paper bag all my sticks and jerky before i jar them. Old Amish trick.
nepas