Newbie

spudsuds · Jun 15, 2016

Just started making beef jerky and snack sticks. Made about 4 batches so far. Cant say I have been overly impressed with the end results. That is why I am here, trying to gain knowledge to make a better snack stick.

Having trouble getting my collagen casings to stay tight on the meat after smoking. Tried an instant ice water bath but the casings still seems to sag on the meat. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

mike5051 · Jun 15, 2016

Welcome to the group! I don't have any knowledge to offer for the snack sticks, but try the search magnifier at the top right. I think that you will be surprised with the results.

Mike

tubbyrob · Jun 15, 2016

Hello and welcome i put up my first post today also. Really nice to see so many active people on the forum.

driedstick · Jun 16, 2016

spudsuds said:
Just started making beef jerky and snack sticks. Made about 4 batches so far. Cant say I have been overly impressed with the end results. That is why I am here, trying to gain knowledge to make a better snack stick.

Having trouble getting my collagen casings to stay tight on the meat after smoking. Tried an instant ice water bath but the casings still seems to sag on the meat. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

What is your Process,,, type of meat and how much water are you using in your mix?? If too much water is being used it can evaporate during cook and pull product from the casing.??

A full smoker is a happy smoker

DS

spudsuds · Jun 16, 2016

3lbs lean ground beef, 1 lb sausage, 1 lb 80% lean beef. 1 cup ice cold water with mix. Smoke at 100 for 22 hrs and then bump it up to 170 till I reach 165 internal temp on the snack stick. Dip in ice water to stop cooking process. Hand to dry for 2 hours. This last batch I had to put in the dehydrator for a couple hours just to get them to dry out after I smoked them.

crazymoon · Jun 16, 2016

SS, I've never had much luck getting collagen casings wet. What size casings are you using as 22 hours seems like a long time. One hour at 110 or so to dry with vents wide open and then add smoke and bump your temp 10 degrees or so every hour until you reach the temp you want. Also your ingredients seem a bit off. Some ground beef and pork back fat with seasoning(for whatever stick your are trying to make) will do the trick. 80%-85% meat to fat ratio will work well.

spudsuds · Jun 16, 2016

Im using 21mm casings.

So am I understanding you correctly on the meat to fat ratio? 80-85 % beef and 15-20% fat? Isnt that like a pound of fat? Seems like quite a bit of fat to add

crazymoon · Jun 17, 2016

spudsuds said:
Im using 21mm casings.

So am I understanding you correctly on the meat to fat ratio? 80-85 % beef and 15-20% fat? Isnt that like a pound of fat? Seems like quite a bit of fat to add

SS,You'll need to figure out the ratio of fat in your ground beef( you could use 80-85% ground beef and seasoning only). If you were using all beef chunks then yes it would be 3/4 to 1 # for a 5 pound batch. I cook/smoke sausage (32mm-34mm) in 8-9 hours so your times for 21mm seems a bit long. Maybe the casings are falling over due to overcooking and fat rendering out ??

spudsuds · Jun 17, 2016

My last batch came out a soggy mess so Im sure they are not over cooked. I just tried this recipe and they were so greasy I threw them away. I used lard instead of beef fat. Maybe that was my problem. Lard is the only fat I can get around me. My local butcher only sells lard. I smoked at 100 degrees 22 hours and bumped up to 170 for 30 minutes till internal temp was 165. Cooled them in the fridge and hung out to dry for 2 hours. They were soggy and wet, the casings separated from the meat and I tore them off. They were terrible.

2 ½ pounds top round chuck, cubed
1 pound beef fat, cubed "Used Lard"
3 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
1 teaspoon No. 1 curing salt
4 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
⅓ cup lactic-acid starter culture "Used Powdered Buttermilk"

[h3]Preparation[/h3]

Rinse salt off the sausage casing. Soak in ice water for at least 1 hour. "Used Collagin Casings"
Combine meat and fat. Run the mixture through a meat grinder into a large bowl, using the finest setting. Add all ingredients, along with one cup of ice water. Knead vigorously until mixture is the consistency of bread dough (about 8 minutes).
Rinse casing one last time. Choose the narrowest gauge tube of your sausage press. Splash the tube with ice water, then pull the casing over it. Transfer the mixture, about two fistfuls at a time, to the sausage press and then pump the meat into the casing, splashing more water on the tubing as needed to stop the casing from tearing.
Preheat an electric smoker to 100 degrees. Hang sausage in the smoker for 22 hours. Temperature should never dip below 90 degrees or go above 110 degrees. After 22 hours, raise the temperature to 150 degrees and cook until the internal temperature reaches 150 to 155 degrees (about 30 minutes).
Remove from smoker and let cool at about 50 degrees in a dry place for 4 hours. Cut sausage into 4-inch lengths.

spudsuds · Jun 21, 2016

I agree. Wonderful welcome here with a vast knowledge of smoking meat.

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