The Ever Popular Snack Sticks

[NePaSmoKer]

I did a small batch of sticks this morning. Had some smaller casing strands i needed to use up.

Snack sticks dont last long at my house  ;D



Next up......................Jerky or a Briskit

nepas

[carnie1]

Mmmmm   Mmmmmm  They sure look good , all mine are gone too

[smokeitall]

Those look great, I think I will make a small batch this weekend.

[sgaberdeen]

Well after reading these posts by Nepa I just had to try my hand at some snack sticks. I bought some collagen casings up at Gander Mountain in Middletown NY and got some seasoning packets from Lem that did 2 lbs at a time. I mixed up a 8lb batch using 2 lbs pork butt and 6 lbs beef bottom round. Seasoned, mixed and left to sit overnight in the fridge. Next day stuffed into 21mm casings. Here's a pic of them going in into the bradley.  I hope they turn out.

                                                                                     

[FLBentRider]

Looks good sgaberdeen!

show us howw they turn out.

[NePaSmoKer]

They look good. you will like the LEM seasonings, fool proof and tasty.

nepas

[sgaberdeen]

well after about 4 hrs they hit 152 internal. Out they came and into the ice bath. Sampled a few ,Boy are they tasty. I had to beat my stepson off with a broom. Sorry no pics yet maybe tomorrow if any are left. Funny thing happened incidentally, a neighbor walking her dog saw the smoke coming out of the Bradley and came to my door to let me know something was on fire. ;D

[pensrock]

Funny thing happened incidentally, a neighbor walking her dog saw the smoke coming out of the Bradley and came to my door to let me know something was on fire.

You got to watch those sneeky neighbors. She probably thought you would give her a treat from the smoker for alerting you to a possible fire. They come up with some pretty good excuses.  ;) ;D ;D ;D

Buy seriously, what did she say when you told her you were smoking food?

[Caribou]

sgaberdeen and nepas,
They look great...I think I'll try hanging mine next time instead of laying them flat.
Do they cook pretty evenly when cooked vertically?
Carolyn

[andyg2570]

As this is sort of related - when making your snack sticks, what is the best size casing to use? I have seen 19mm and 21mm mentioned.

Thanks

[Caribou]

As this is sort of related - when making your snack sticks, what is the best size casing to use? I have seen 19mm and 21mm mentioned.

Thanks

I made my first batch using the 19mm collagen casings and they worked great.
Pretty much the size of a SlimJim when finished.
Carolyn

[josbocc]

Sgaberdeen,

I notice that you mentioned that you mixed up your meat and seasonings, left in the fridge overnight, then stuffed the next day.  How did this work out for you?

Only reason I ask is that the Hi-Mtn snack stick seasonings highly recommend stuffing right after mixing.  They say that the cure acts as a binder, and stuffing will be easier if done right after mixing.

I've got a new LEM sausage stuffer coming, which means it's open season on snack sticks.  Just curious if I can leave the meat mixed overnight, and stuff the following day, or if I should continue to stuff immediately after mixing.

Thanks,

Jeff

[NePaSmoKer]

Sgaberdeen,

I notice that you mentioned that you mixed up your meat and seasonings, left in the fridge overnight, then stuffed the next day.  How did this work out for you?

Only reason I ask is that the Hi-Mtn snack stick seasonings highly recommend stuffing right after mixing.  They say that the cure acts as a binder, and stuffing will be easier if done right after mixing.

I've got a new LEM sausage stuffer coming, which means it's open season on snack sticks.  Just curious if I can leave the meat mixed overnight, and stuff the following day, or if I should continue to stuff immediately after mixing.

Thanks,

Jeff

Yes you can leave the mixed meat in fridge overnight. The reason they say don't fridge and then stuff the next day is because the meat is harder to extrude through your stuffer being its cold. Just let the meat come to room temp is all. I have done this many times with excellent results.

nepas

[Habanero Smoker]

I don't use High Mountain cures, but besides being cold if the cure has dry milk, or soy protein those ingredients will act as a glue and make it even harder to extrude.

[sgaberdeen]

seems to have worked out fine for me, although I might have stuffed the casings that night if I had time. Another reason I like to overnight the mix is the meat seems to season more evenly. I did add a slight bit of h2o just before stuffing. They came out great.

                                                                                         Gary