Snack sticks?

[JohninPa]

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 ?

[JohninPa]

This post is deleted!

[blackbetty61]

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

[JohninPa]

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.

[craigrice]

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

[JohninPa]

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.

[craigrice]

finishing in a water bath is almost the go to anymore watch the videos and look at the chats it saves a lot of time finishing

[JohninPa]

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

[JohninPa]

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.

[PapaSop]

JohninPa
Electric or LP? Your process is spot on! What type of casing?

[JohninPa]

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.

[PapaSop]

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.

[JohninPa]

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.

[Cabelas90]

JohninPa Are you using ECA?

[JohninPa]

Cabelas90 said in Snack sticks?:

JohninPa Are you using ECA?

No I am not.

[Cabelas90]

JohninPa Ok, Just wanted to make sure. An overnight hold with ECA could cause the lack of snap with a mushy product.