# Looking for a "Pepper Stick" Recipe



## sound1 (Dec 1, 2012)

When I lived down in the Valley, way out on the east side, there was a little butcher shop called The Pork Shop. About anything and everything you could do with pork, they did it.

Anyway, they made all kinds of snack sticks and from the name...all pork. My favorite was their Pepper Sticks. They were almost crusted with black pepper and a fair amount inside as well. A little garlic, I'm thinking some ECA (they had a nice twang) and smoked. They don't have the "pepperoni" flavor that most seem to have.

I have looked around the site and I'm not finding anything that looks like this. 

Does anyone have a recipe I can get a starting point from?

THX


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## jarhead (Dec 2, 2012)

Here's the one I use and like.

I don't remember where I got the original recipe from and what I changed/added.

It should work with pork butts. Just keep your fat content to around 20%.

I've also used it with venison (70/30 venison/pork butt)

Jarhead's Hot Peppered Snack Sticks

10 lbs Ground Chuck (80/20)
2 tsp Cure #1
4 Tbsp Kosher Salt
2 Tbsp Course Grind Black Pepper
3 tsp White Pepper
3 tsp Nutmeg
3 tsp Celery Seed
3 tsp Granulated Garlic
1 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper
1/2 C Binder
1 cup Ice Water
22 mm Collagen Casings

Mix all dry ingredients into the ice water.
Slowly pour over the meat and mix gently and thoroughly

Rest overnight in the fridge
Stuff into 22mm collagen casings.
Put in smoker at 140 for 4 hours. Increase smoker temp 10 degrees every hour after 4 (160 max), until internal temp is 152.
Ice water bath to stop the cooking.
Air dry and cut into 6" sticks. Zip-Lock or Vac-Pack and freeze


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## sound1 (Dec 2, 2012)

THX, looks like a good starting point, I know the sticks at the shop were all pork but was thinking doing of some beef as well...It's a big no-no 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






  to send any pork products over to our son and the soldiers over in the sand box.

I asked him to get "wish lists"  from the guys.  Jerky, snack sticks, and believe it or not diaper wipes top most of the lists. We have started the jerky, the pork sticks were for folks stateside..beef sticks would work over there,

We have it down with the shipping...from here, those flat rate APO boxes, seven days door to door even to the forward FOBs,  IF you have the customs crap filled out correctly.


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## jarhead (Dec 2, 2012)

Sound1, I'm sending a box to a Chaplain in Quatar (sp?)

A Priority Mail @ 20 pounds is $40. Parcel Post is $20

The Chaplain told me that after it hits the military PO, it don't make any difference.

Save your money and send it PP. It will take 10-14 days regardless.

You are right on the pork products.

Thanks for the heads up on the baby wipes. I'll go get a box of em. Gotta ship this week for Christmas.

He also asked me to send coffee creamer because it is so expensive in the PX. Got him 7# @ Sam's.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	




 

Edit to add: If you don't have binder, get some oatmeal (not quick or instant) and run it throught the food processor/blender until it looks like a course flour.

Replace the water with beer.

Now we're talkin'


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## sound1 (Dec 3, 2012)

THX on the binder and beer info..I doesn't take much to get me smoking and this is a good cause that hits close to home. The hard part is coming up with stuff that will make the journey W/O spoiling. I doesn't last long once it gets there.

It is strange what they ask for...No PX on the FOB so many of the things we take for granted are greatly missed. 

I have a list of about 20 on this FOB and we are working to get each of them a "care Package" Those APO flat rate boxes are about $13 and seem consistently fast. I sent some last year through standard PP and it took almost a month to get there.


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