Making sticks

[RAF128]

Decided to start using up some of this years deer.    Last week made a couple of pound of jerky.    Then took out a couple of packages of trim meat and had already bought the pork.
I was going to make a 5 pound recipe of beer sticks and 5 pounds of pepperoni.    The deer had been in the fridge thawing for about 4 days so yesterday out it came.    Sliced it into managable pieces for the grinder, cleaned off some excess fat and silver skin and ground it with the pork.    To make 5 pounds I use 3½ pounds of deer and 1 ½ pounds of 50/50 pork trim.   It didn't take long get everything ground, mixed and sausage stuffed.    Cleanup is always the longest part of the process ;).
The sausage has been in the fridge over night and this morning I took it out to warm.   The smoking part will start pretty soon.   I'll try and remember to get a picture or two.

[RAF128]

Just got the process started.   Sausage is hanging on dowls,   and temp on PID set at 120 for an hour.    Will smoke at 140 for a couple of hours and then 180 till finished at 152º.   Took a quick picture of hanging meat ;).    I should say I'm getting frustrated with photobucket.   Everytime I go there they've changed it and it take me 10 minutes to figure out what I have to do this time.

[Tenpoint5]

RAF I would suggest putting a piece of wood under the dowels to raise them up some. With the ends of the sticks touching the v tray they will overcook and dry out where they are touching. Just a thought.

[RAF128]

My guestimate for the length was out by a couple of inches.   Not a big deal.   Might lose and inch on each one.    I usually make them a little to short, so tried to make them a little longer.    Will adjust it next time.   I've thought about adding something on top but with my luck it would fall off while I wasn't looking and that would be worse :-\

[smokeitall]

For mine I made two pieces of wood that rest on the top rack then screwed three wooden dowels in between.  I can slide it in and out like a tray.  Last time I didnt use it and put the sticks on the trays and was happy with the results.
SIA

[OU812]

Are they done yet are they done yet are they done yet?   ;D

[jiggerjams]

Will the sausages not cook evenly due to parts of them being closer to the heat source than other parts? or do you rotate them? If you do not rotate them where abouts would you take a temp check?

[RAF128]

Well, they're not done yet.    The longer I own the bradley and the more I make with it the more I learn.    Seems no 2 cooks are the same.    Maybe it's the 10 lbs of sausage instead of the usual 5 lbs.   I usually use cold water to extinguish the pucks.   Today I used hot.   I noticed that even after the pucks were gone, I was still getting smoke or at least steam.   I took out the water tray.   Still getting steam.    Maybe it's the moisture in the sausages.    Temp seems to stall for several hours at 116.   I've seen the stall with brisket and pulled pork but never sticks.   
The temp probe was originaly in to top of one of the sticks.    It was right below the vent.    Outside temp today was -20C.   Maybe that had something to do with it but I've smoke in similar temps.
I then move the probe to another piece and put it into the middle.    Didn't seem to make a difference.    Anyway this has been longer than I expected.    The temp is rising quickly now so it shouldn't be long now.   No need for an ice bath.   I'll just take them outside for a few minutes.   That ought to cool 'em.

[Keymaster]

those are going to be good, good thing your not trying to rush them  ;D

[OU812]

Hold on there my friend, good things come to those who wait.  ;D

[classicrockgriller]

I feel for ya RAF trying to have fun in -20* weather.

I freeze when it's 35*.

[Tenpoint5]

Do we have any pics of the finished sticks?

[RAF128]

No I don't have any pics and they were a disappointment.   They were in the smoker for 10 - 11 hrs by the time they were done and were a whole lot drier that I like.   They were almost overdone.   I can't explain what h appened.  The vent to the outside was fill of water, likely condensation and when I disconnected it from the smoker the water gushed out on me and the floor.   I've been thinking about this and wondering what was different.   Why have all the others turned out and this one didn't?    Oh well.   I guess no matter how long I'm at this there is always something to learn.

[OU812]

Was the wind blowing in your vent causing the condensation to back up and messing with your cabnet temp?

[RAF128]

Nope.    I've had it do that in the past and the only thing that happened was smoke puffed out of the bradley from time to time.   This time it's a mystery.