Snack Stick - Going back to Basics

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

bryceb

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Aug 9, 2013
75
19
Acworth, GA
My last few snack stick batches have not turned out as well as hoped. I had a bad fat out on one and the few just not the flavor I was looking for. I'm still a novice at sticks and have had great success and some really tragic events.

So, this time, I'm going for just a straight premixed kit and nothing fancy like cheese or jalapeños in it.

Yesterday afternoon, we mixed up a batch of Hi Mountain Cracked Perrer and Garlic Snack Stick mix with 5lbs of 80/20 beef.

Then stuffed them and put them in the beer fridge overnight.

This morning, i put them in the smoker.

It'll be a good day to tend to these while I putter around the house on some projects. Time to winterized the boat and rake the leaves.
 
Looking good so far hope you have better luck. Just finished stuffing mine so they are in the fridge, til tomorrow.I must find that camera.
 
Did someone say sausage ?
drool.gif


Nice looking sticks, keep us posted on the outcome 'eh!
 
just pulled them from the smoker and I was happy to see no fat out. They are sitting out to cool and bloom. Not quite as smokey looking as I hoped, but the smell delish:sausage: we had one little end piece we sampled and its juicy and tasty.

I'll let them sit over night and wrap them in paper for a few days while I decide if if I'll bother vac sealing them... These may go too fast.

 
they look pretty good.. just curious as to what IT you took them too ??

I took them to 154deg according to my ET-732. I brought these up to temp slower than in the past. Normally I did 100 for 2 hours, the 120 fof an hour and start smoke and smoke until somewhere in the 149 area bringing it up 10deg every hour until 154. About 7 hours

This time I did the smoke for the same temps, but today, I got distracted with other projects and brought it up slower. Total time about 10 hours before they hit 154. I did notice that at the lower temps, I didn't get much smoke, but later in the smoke 130-140 IT range, I got good TBS until it was finished.
 
looking back through the pics... I don't see a smoke generator in the smoker.. were you just using chips in the chip tray ?? If so.. there lies the problem....
 
looking back through the pics... I don't see a smoke generator in the smoker.. were you just using chips in the chip tray ?? If so.. there lies the problem....

Ya.. The smoke generator is on the Christmas list. Just chips in the tray.
 
yup.. results will be MUCH better with the generator... with temps that low the heat element will not make the chips smoke...

The casings seem like they are smokey and tight to the meat on one side on most (a few were pretty even and good on the casings) and a the other side is pale colored and loose. With better smoke, would this correct this or is it an issue of maybe an uneven heat issue going on?
 
So, I threw then in the oven and brought them back up to 153deg IT. The casings have a much better snap to them now.
I'll need to do do the tile trick in the smoker... And probably look at a larger/better unit in the future.
 
Ok. .. so I changed it up a bit today. I was makin All Beef Summer Sausage and decided to run a pound of snack stick out of it. 2 hrs at 120deg,2 hrs at 145deg with oak whiseyes barrel chips, 1 hr at 145 with no smoke and then 170 until it hit 153 IT. Water bath and hung to bloom for an hr. Great color. Great snap to 5 he casing. Great flavor.
The best yet. Three 1 lb summer sausage chubs in the smoker now.

 
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Latest posts

Hot Threads

Clicky