Try at Greg's spicy Beef sticks *update whit new pics*

[tomsbjorn]

Hello
Tomorrow i was thinking of making a first try at sausage. I got the tip to try Greg's spicy sticks as my first. The plan was to make them tomorrow and let them rest till the next day and then smoke away. I got some newbie questions.

In Sweden were live (and the rest of north Europe i think) we have another mixing in cure. We don't have cure1 or anything like that, we have something called nitritesalt. The mix is 0,6% of nitrite and 99,4% plain salt. And the supplier says 2,5% added of the weight of the meet when u make for example salami and for dry rub 5% of the weight. So my question is:
When i calculate for a 4,5kg total weight i get about 112grams of this product (in pound it's 0,25 i think), is that resenable? And do I need to cut down a bit on the salt in the recipe?

Another thing I was thinking of is in the recipe it says:
"1.In a small bowl mix hot sauce, sugar, water and salt together. Stir until sugar and water are completely dissolved.
2.In a separate bowl, mix the rest of the dry ingredients except the encapsulated citric acid. Stir until well blended."
Is the cure1 going in in the 2nd stage or do I dissolve it in the first? (Here I'm using the Nitritesalt from Sweden as a substitute fore cure1)

My last question for now is that i the recipe it says that u can start at  150-160˚F whit smoke right away but i read that some of u dry your sausage first at about 110-120F for a while.
How do u think should do?

I really like this site and I hope u would like to help me now when I'm about to lose my virginity at this   :)

[RAF128]

As far as the temps,  IMO you should dry first before adding smoke.    Damp casings won't take the smoke. 1 - 2 hours and it should feel dry to the touch.    Then smoke away.

[pensrock]

I'm Greg so I'll try to explain everything except the replacement for the cure. Hopefully Habs, NEPAS or someone else with a good knowledge of the different cures will check in with an answer.

  Lately I have been mixing everything except the encapsulated citric acid, with the water and mixing it well into the meat. Then I mix in the encapsulated citric acid and mix well again. I also now add a little more of the dried peppers to make it a little more spicy you may prefer to start with the recipe as is, then add more spice next time if you want. You will want to stuff it into the casings once mixed. If you wait till the next day to stuff it will be very difficult cause the cure will firm up the meat.
  I layer paper towels between layers of stuffed sticks, so the next day it should be fairly dry and not need the extra hour drying time in the smoker. It will not hurt a bit if you want to allow it to sit at 120 for an hour without smoke but in my opinion it is not necessary with sticks. I do use the paper towels also with larger sausages but its a little damper when hanging so I will let it dry for an hour or so before applying smoke.
  This is a good starter recipe, everyone seems to really like it, feel free to modify it to your tastes.  :)

[pensrock]

I should add, I have made these many times and put them right into a preheated smoker at 140  F, also preheat the puck burner. Once loaded I push the button to advance the first puck onto the preheated puck burner. It will take a few minutes before it begins to smoke.

When I make kielbasa or other sausages, I start with the smoker preheated to 120 F, let everything dry for an hour or so the ramp the temp up and start the smoke.

[ArnieM]

I'm certainly not an expert but I'll tell you what I know.

We have Morton's Tender Quick.  It's 0.5% sodium nitrite, 0.5% sodium nitrate, salt, sugar and other stuff.  I've used it and it works.

Pink salt, cure #1, Prague powder #1 and others are 6.25% sodium nitrite, a lot stronger than what you have.

The wisest thing to do is go by the package instructions on your cure.  They've tested it.  Don't use too much - no good for you.

[KevinG]

In the U.S. the maximum ingoing nitrite limits in parts per million (PPM) for comminuted meat and sodium nitrite is 156.

Since your mfg states 6% nitrite and 94% salt, your calculation will be .06

4.5 kg of meat = 9.93 lbs meat

To calculate how much is safe:

156 = n x .06 x 1000000 / 9.93

n = .0258 lbs of cure or .41 oz. = 11.62 grams of your cure.

But one thing I noticed is you stated salami, which is usually cured with sodium nitrate not sodium nitrite because it is not cooked. But in your last sentence you say you do cook it at 150 to 160 so you should be ok.

When you mix it in, is not super critical as long as you add it all to the meat, and then stuff it. Try to keep your meat as cold as possible without freezing, it helps prevent it from getting mushy and grinds better.

Finally, I would dry it a little before smoking. It won't hurt to start the smoke early, but it will change the appearance, and you'll just be wasting smoke. The color will probably turn a muddy brown instead of a nice deep red.

If you have a recipe that states to use something different like more salt, you may want to stick with it, as it probably has been tested and tried and liked by many people. It does seem like a lot of cure compared to the calculation above though.

Hope this helps!

[tomsbjorn]

Thanks for the replice

In Sweden the recommended amount of nitrite in meat is 150ppm and the nitritesalt I've got it's a concentration of 0.6% nitrite. The manufacturer says ad up to 2,5% to meatproducts or up to 5% for dry curing. If I calculate on 2,5 % of the total meat witch is 4,5kg (9.93lbs) i get
4500gx0,025=112,5g (9,93lbsx0,025=0,25lbs)

And KevinG I think u missread me because the nitriteconcentration in my salt is 0,6% and not 6%
That makes
156 = n x .006 x 1000000 / 9.93

n = .258 lbs of cure = 117 grams of your cure.

But as I wrote in Sweden we have the 150ppm limit and that makes a little less. The calculation i did whit that was 150ppm and it gave me the 112,5 grams that i wrote earlier. But u really helped me anyway Kevin because u gave me the formula I needed to see if the calculation I did was right. Thanks

I'v also found this that explains this more:
http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/nitrates/nitrates-cures.htm

Be back with pics I hope tonight... ;D

[tomsbjorn]

I'm hoked...
This was so much fun!

OK I had a bunch of hickups and problems but they can be fixed.
First of all I have discovered what people say about stuffing whit a mixer... It sucks big time.
Next thing on the Santa list is a manual stuffer (after a better camera then the cell  :()
Second my fitting (don't know what it's called were u put the casing on) was to big for my 22mm sheepcasing so I had to go whit plan b and use some hog who were bigger. Clumsy of me to not check properly. But I handstuffed some sheepcasing whit a fuddle, don't recommend it for big loads ;) My thumb is sore.
Here some sausage-makingpictures for u.


Meat grinded and ready for...


The mix


First attempt, not a beauty but it works.


Handstuffed sheepcasing.


Tomorrow it goes in the smoker but I had to test some in the pan. jummy...
So now I'm enjoying some spicy sticks (more like a hogstick ;) ) whit a cold one. One of the best sausage I've had, and It's only my first try. ...

Thanks for the help everyone, I'll be back...

/Tomsbjorn

[ArnieM]

It doesn't have to be beautiful, just taste good  :D  Looks like you're well on your way.  The next batch will be even better.

[KevinG]

Looking good!

[OU812]

Looks like it'll work, heck you gotta start some where.

[ArnieM]

I figure grinders grind and stuffers stuff.  If you've ever seen Alton Brown on "Good Eats", he likes multi-tasking tools.  I don't think a grinder/stuffer qualifies there.

Looks like you made out good on your sausage though. 

I have a freezer full and keep giving it away.  And, no, guys, a SASE won't hack it.  ;D

[tomsbjorn]

Some update.

Did the smoking today and boy do they look god.
Here's some pics for u


close to finish


The thicker ones with hogcasing


Sticks


Inside a sample

The are perfect as snack with a cold beer.

[RAF128]

What internal temp did you take them to?   

[OU812]

Lookin good.

You better make some more, those aint gonna last long.