Best snack stick casings? More tender....

[dward51]

I've had good results with AC Legg's #116 seasoning. I've tried others which I do like, but #116 is my go-to and favorite. The seasoning out of the bag is very good, but I also doctor it up for a little different flavor. Here is one of my prior threads with the recipes (#116 plus changes I used and lots of photos).

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/snack-sticks-ac-legg-116-base-with-modifications.269120/

That thread also has an excel ingredient calculator attached. You can change the amount of meat and get precise weights for your spices and cures (in grams) for that recipe. I would recommend a spice scale with 1/100th of a gram resolution if you don't already have one. $20-25 on amazon (photos of mine in the thread).

 

[pops6927]

www.makincasing.com - Syracuse Casing Co.

 

[chopsaw]

Ahhhhrr :( and LOL. I've had those ropes as well, as recently as 90s to maybe even early 2000s. A genuine beef stick is as hard to come by as a wild blue unicorn. I have to say I'm glad you told me about the fermented sticks. I was working under the assumption that the new squishy sticks being sold were just the good old sticks that had not been dried enough. I'm really not sure I can afford to take on the fermented ones yet. Although my love for them will eventually drive me to it...

The last batch of sticks I did , I ground up 2 lbs of chuck , 3 lbs of pork butt . I used Owens regular snack stick seasoning . Smoked to 152 . Pulled , no ice bath . When cool I put them in a large brown paper bag in a 36 degree fridge for 3 weeks . Came out great . No grease , dry and great flavor . Much better than the day after I pulled them .

 

[daveomak]

Learn about casings here... There are collagen casings for all applications...

"https://www.youtube.com/embed/Be1dK0BFo8c"


..

 

[forgiven1]

Dave when you make your snack sticks are you using the fresh or the smoked casings? I have heard some people say they get away with using the fresh even with hanging.

 

[daveomak]

I am currently using the smoked 21MM... I'm thinking of trying the fresh and lay them on Todd's Q-Matz.....

 

[dward51]

Also be aware even collagen casings can be old and dry out. Fresh ones will perform better. The older dry ones will tend to not stick to the meat and separate after cooling. The worst luck I ever had was with any of the LEM ones at Bass Pro or Academy retail stores. No telling how long those hung on the rack before being sold. Freshness counts even with collagen casings. The stuff you get from a sausage supply company online will be much fresher.

Also I like to use a phosphate binder, either B&P "special binder" or AmesPhos. It helps with the meat texture, mouth feel, moisture, and I have had zero issues with casings not sticking with a binder. If you use a phosphate binder you do not need soy binder or NFDM. I pretty much use binders in all my sausage and sticks now.