Snack stick and sweet bologna tutorials?

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tddeangelo

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Dec 15, 2015
90
61
Southeast Pennsylvania
I've been looking, but maybe I'm missing it....

As I read through threads about various bologna and snack stick recipes (both items of great interest for me as I delve into smoking), it gets kind of confusing because I'm not clear on what some of the ingredients are, what they're used for, etc. Abbreviations make it more confusing, lol, as it is for any newbie to a new hobby/pursuit. 

Is there a tutorial or "basics of..." somewhere? Would really be helpful if so....if not, I'll settle in with Google and the forum some evening and try to get my head around things. 

I have a fair amount of ground venison set aside, vacuum-packed, and frozen that I can use for snack sticks and bologna. I have a Cabela's Commercial Grade 1/2hp grinder with stuffer attachments (I am seeing that most recommend a dedicated stuffer, and I don't argue the point, but I need to roll with what I have for now), and an MES that I've used for a pork butt very, very successfully. 

I've found recipes and such, but I guess I'm still really confused, especially with the stuff used to cure the meat, how that's applied/used, etc. Mixing ingredients for flavor is fairly straight-forward, but the curing part has me scratching my head. That and prepping the casings. 

My daughter loves snack sticks,and deer season is upon us. I'd like to start making them so by our rifle deer season after Thanksgiving, I can have some homemade snack sticks to take for snacks in the field (her favorite hunting season snack!). Sweet and ring bologna as well. 

It seems if I can get my hands around doing that stuff, sausage recipes/processes will also start to make sense?

Thanks all, for any help/guidance!
 
There's tons of great recipes here. And they all vary mainly do to personal preferences. Don't use google use the search feature on this site. It works great. Search for some of these members threads:

Cougar78
Driedstick
Nepas
Disco
Chef Willie
Reinhard

There's more but that should get you pointed in the right direction.
 
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Your going to need to get some items together for smoked sticks and bologna.

Cure #1. Used at 1 level tsp per every 5lbs of meat

Collagen casings (edible) for sticks

Hog casings

Sheep casings (opt)

Fibrous SS/Bologna casings (not edible)

Hog rings (to seal SS/Bologna chubs)

Butchers twine (cooking twine)

You will need a cyclone stuffing needle to use with your grinder, It has an extra auger in the front of the grinder auger, helps push the meat into the tube. Cabelas has good kits, they are made by PS Seasonings, Owens BBQ has great mixes.

If you have a Kitchen Aid mixer it works very good to mix meat, use the dough hook.

Hope this helps some
 
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Thank you all!

I guess I just get confused at times reading the terminology/abbreviations/etc people use in the methods and recipes they post. That's why I mentioned google...not to get info, but to help me "translate" some of the posts here, lol. 

I'm pretty sure I have that auger kit with my grinder....I'll have to check. 

I ordered some LEM snack stick kits from Amazon today just to get my feet wet. I'm sure they can be made better with more homemade recipes, but it's a start. 
 
I used to do all my own mixes, however the pre mixes are very good and some are gluten free even. To much a hassle now to mix while being a full time RVr, pre mixes are better.
 
 
Your going to need to get some items together for smoked sticks and bologna.

Cure #1. Used at 1 level tsp per every 5lbs of meat

Collagen casings (edible) for sticks

Hog casings

Sheep casings (opt)

Fibrous SS/Bologna casings (not edible)

Hog rings (to seal SS/Bologna chubs)

Butchers twine (cooking twine)

You will need a cyclone stuffing needle to use with your grinder, It has an extra auger in the front of the grinder auger, helps push the meat into the tube. Cabelas has good kits, they are made by PS Seasonings, Owens BBQ has great mixes.

If you have a Kitchen Aid mixer it works very good to mix meat, use the dough hook.

Hope this helps some
I have the "needle" itself, but it appears the plastic auger add-on is not present with my grinder. 

Found the parts on Allied Kenco's site, have them ordered (the whole "kit" comes as one "part"). 

When they arrive, I'll start on this little project. My daughter is chomping at the bit. She loves snack sticks!
 
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Thank you! That seems like a pretty straight-forward process, too. 

Looks like the Cabela's grinder I have has a 4.5mm plate, and their site shows that as the smallest they sell. 

Will other #8 plates from other places fit that grinder? I'm guessing the 4.5mm plate will make for a bit too coarse a grind for bologna?
 
The plates should be universal, but I can't be 100% positive since I've always have had #12's. You might try grinding the meat two or three times through your 4.5 plate to get it to the grind you want, just be sure to keep the meat cold during the whole process, even place it in the freezer in between grinds.
 
I found plates a few places, but I'd thought about doing that...regrinding a time or two to make it a little more fine. 

My wife prefers ground meat for burgers and such to be ground really fine, too, so I should probably just buy a 3mm plate. 
 
Got the auger kit the other day. Completely blanked on ordering a foot pedal, though. Dangit. 

Have a bag of grind thawing in the fridge. I'll put the cure/mix in it tonight and let it chill in the fridge till I get home from bowhunting tomorrow, and then we'll stuff and smoke tomorrow afternoon. 

Fingers crossed!
 
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