# Spicy pepperoni snack sticks



## archeryrob (Feb 11, 2020)

I found this recipe here from 

 R Blum
 and the Hot recipe is his original and the spicy is my clone that I tamed down. I can't take credit for the original recipe, but I am calling the spicy one mine.  
	

		
			
		

		
	








If you saw my previous post about pepperoni I made just 2 1/2 pounds of each style. I found the recipe I wanted and now that deer season was over, it is cooking season. So this one is about making 20 pounds of spicy pepperoni snack sticks for my enjoyment in the down time between hunting seasons.

I always mix of my spices before I get too far into the process, because living in the county you don’t hop 5 minutes over to get a good supply of spices. Walmart is 10 minutes up the road but I like hitting the Mennonite farm store in Hagerstown called Martin’s Farm Market. The spices are cheaper, plus they come in wide mouth topped containers. I hate those narrow McCormick style spice bottles that you can’t get a teaspoon in, much less a tablespoon. Plus leveling your spoons your end up spilling spices all over the counter.






Above you can see all the spices mixed and then I put a lid on it and move on to everything else.






The next ingredient is the meat. Here we have 6 packs of 1.7 pounds of deer meat, total of 10 pounds ground on medium when butchered. Plus 10 pounds of 73% ground beef. The end result leaves me with a 13.5% fat in the end product. You could substitute 80/20 ground beef if you wanted to make this and don’t have the venison to use up.






Then the venison going into the LEM Big Bite Mixer I Upgraded in butchering tools over christmas time as I just needed better stuff. I got this mixer and the LEM Big Bite #12 grinder and man they make this stuff so much simpler!!!






Then the ground beef on top of it. Mix for 15 or more minutes and you’ll get what we have below.






The pepperoni ready to be stuffed.






Filling the stuffer. This is the Cabelas stuffer, but it is the same as the LEM 5# Vertical stuffer. You want a 5# stuffer for snack sticks, not the 10# or larger. The older guys all call this out as the larger stuffers don’t get the correct pressure for the smaller casings but work great for summer sausages.






Ok, I am going to cover how I make my snack sticks and hang them in the smokehouse. The above picture is me stuffing casings on my kitchen island. The stuffer is clamped down on two pot holder pads. Then I crank out about 6′ of casings. Of course one end was tied first with 10″ of string or so. That end it brought back up and tied around the casings at 6′ to make the first loop.






Then one end of the string is run under the casing in to the middle and the far end the loop is lifted and pulled back toward the stuffer and turned to lay flat. Then the tow ends of the string are tied twice.






A loop is tied into the two end tags so it can hang on the poles in the smokehouse. I know this is confusing when typed and difficult to understand. Watch the YouTube video when I get it posted down the bottom.






The casings all stuffed and ready for the fridge to smoke the next day. Notice the texture, color and quality difference. The first, bottom, casings didn’t fill as well and just don’t look as nice. The darker ones are the Sausage Maker 21mm collagen casings and these looked and worked perfect. I think I am pretty sold on using these straight forward all the time.






The snack sticks after cooking. Sorry no food prep pictures. I cut them the width of my four fingers on my left hand and stuff ten in a small vac seal bag.

Enjoy!

*YouTube Video here* Warning, recorded with an iphone so jumps around some. Shows the hot and cold zones ina  smokehouse cooking and issues with it.


*The recipes *
This one is the Spicy Pepperoni I use for this batch





This one is the Original recipe that is for the ones wanting a seriously spiced pepperoni.


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## JC in GB (Feb 11, 2020)

Nice looking snack sticks.

JC


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## HalfSmoked (Feb 11, 2020)

Nice looks like you are set for awhile with snacksticks.

Warren


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## indaswamp (Feb 11, 2020)

Looking good Rob! You are going to love that #12 big bite grinder, that's the one I have and it is ia workhorse! 
I also like your method of hanging....


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## archeryrob (Feb 11, 2020)

Yea, I found out that grinder can get me into trouble. Story coming on the liverwurst. I froze that stuff for 1 1/2 hours and it was too much. Fat literally pushed through the 1/8" plate and left me with chunks and had to regrind it. That was fun pushing that sticky paste through the grinder again.  

Next time it needs to be cold, not frozen. I figured it didn't matter because I got all this horsepower now.  I got cocky and got owned.


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## HalfSmoked (Feb 11, 2020)

Its called live and learn.

Warren


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## HalfSmoked (Feb 11, 2020)

Thanks for the like archeryrob it is greatly appreciated.

Life does have its up and downs.

Warren


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## daveomak (Feb 11, 2020)

Rob, There are NO mistakes...  Only valuable learning experiences..

BTW...  the inside of your smokehouse looks _*AWESOME !!!!*_


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## archeryrob (Feb 11, 2020)

daveomak said:


> BTW...  the inside of your smokehouse looks _*AWESOME !!!!*_



Thanks, I always like reading when guys post in the smokehouse section about lining it with aluminum or Stainless so they can "clean" it. I just reply to them like "You know the smokehouse is basically a chimney and you think you're going to keep it spotless. I want to bring beer and watch you clean it!"


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## daveomak (Feb 11, 2020)

AND, a clean smokehouse doesn't smell right......


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## gary s (Feb 11, 2020)

Nice !!   Looks Great and Tasty

Gary


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## Bearcarver (Feb 11, 2020)

All Looks Great, Rob!!
Nice Job!
Like.

Bear


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## R Blum (Feb 13, 2020)

Looking good. Sometimes I tame mine down a bit too. I like it real spicy the wife not so much.


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## archeryrob (Feb 14, 2020)

R Blum said:


> Looking good. Sometimes I tame mine down a bit too. I like it real spicy the wife not so much.


Same here and thanks for the recipe!


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## crazymoon (Feb 22, 2020)

AR, Nice batch of snacks !!!!


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## kawboy (Feb 24, 2020)

Great! Another thing to add to my list. Not sure how much Venison I have left, so may have to use straight beef though. Looks good!


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## Ishi (Mar 1, 2020)

Wow!! Looks wonderful and the recipe card for all the different amounts Thank You very much and definitely LIKE!


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## Inscrutable (Mar 1, 2020)

Now that sounds good! Like,
Ok, now you’ve gone and got me lusting for more toys ... better grinder and a stuffer.
If I’m doing this in small batches and not routinely, anyone know if the KitchenAid attachments work well enough?


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## Bearcarver (Mar 1, 2020)

Finally got to watch the Video----Great Job with that too!!
Like.

Bear


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## archeryrob (Mar 2, 2020)

Bearcarver said:


> Finally got to watch the Video----Great Job with that too!!



I am still learning there. Found a camera and a tripod to use. Next one is building legs on an old laminate Island top with a fold up shelf on the legs on one side. A sink can drop in that and be the garage butchering table.  Or get mounted next to the island in the kitchen for crabs or parties. I got so much to do this time of year.


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