Honey BBQ Stix Outstanding!

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oberst

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Jan 8, 2015
254
163
St Louis
I have been reluctant to use prepackaged spice mixes; just figured I could buy premium spices and add them with no more cost than a mix and be better off.  That was reinforced a couple years back when I tried a terraki mix that was at best average.  But then in visiting Rick Nepas last winter I tried a honey bbq stix he had made and it was a knockout.  Maybe I should give it a try, especially as I'm headed to Saskatchewan for a 2 week duck and goose trip.  I know the guys will like some new stix.


Had some goose and pork around and basically followed the Owens BBQ recipe but upped the pork %.  Blew out my sheep casings as I started, but then lubed the stuffer tube better and paid attention and got back on track.

Let the sausage sit overnight in fridge and then then air dried for an hour, and another hour and a half in the MES at 130 degrees to dry. Man, the sausage casing still seemed pretty wet but I put the smoke on anyway for 4 hours at 150 and things looked better than I expected at that point.


I have taken to finishing in my wife's oven, as it has a convection setting and it delivers very even heat throughout. Set the oven at 175.


I know this would have been easier had I twisted off the segments in the right lengths but I was spooked after blowing out the casings when I started and figured I'd just cut them off afterwards.  Used my temp gauge, and lucky I checked it as the alarm didn't work.  Pulled them at 155.

I know there have been discussions on gauges, but if anyone has a clear and proven favorite I'm interested.

I let the sausage sit on the counter for several hours with a fan, thinking I'd get some shrinkage, and then let them go in a paper bag over nite in the fridge.  Didn't really get much noticeable shrinkage but they still looked good.  Next time I might try a longer drying cycle but these turned out awfully darn good!


I had about a 50% fatty pork mix with the goose and lean beef so they are pretty juicy.  Also, they are definitely at their best after fully coming to room temp.  The sweet smoky flavor is really great.  I'll be bringing a bunch of geese home after this trip and several are already tagged for for honey bbq.


I'd definitely use this mix again, and am now a lot more interested in looking at other prepackaged mixes.  No doubt these sausage specialists have been fine tuning their products for years; this batch definitely reshaped my opinion.
 
Looks good! I ordered a bunch of stuff from Owens BBQ as well. Brat seasonings, snack stick seasonings and maple breakfast seasoning. Ready for deer season.
 
Good looking sticks for sure!

I thought the Owens Honey BBQ was a little sweet for my tastes, but everyone at work raved about them, so it just must be me.  I'm going to put a little powdered jalapeno in my next batch to offset the sweetness a little.
 
You are right on the sweetness but I find it's just right for a lot of folks, especially those who are a little shy of wild game.
 
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