Beef Stick Gun

[fagesbp]

Anyone have experience making beef sticks with no casing using one of those jerky caulking guns that can give me some tips? Like a good gun, methods, how to smoke them etc

Thanks
Brandon

 

[s2k9k]

Hi Brandon, I've made them quite a few times. I have the Lem jerky shooter and it works real good. I've only used the Lem mixes and they are pretty good. Mix with 80/20 ground beef, load the gun, shoot it right on the racks and smoke at about 160* until 152* IT. Was a good easy way to make snack sticks before I got a stuffer.

 

[s2k9k]

Oh a couple of other things. I would roll the sticks after about an hour because they will get indention's from the racks. Also when done I would lay them on a lot or paper towels then roll them with towels on top, the 80/20 gets a little greasy. You can use 85/15 or 90/10 but it gets expensive around here.

 

[fagesbp]

Thanks. I have a LEM 5lb stuffer but no small collagen casings. I'm thinking of smoking them on a cookie sheet and just rolling them during smoking because my racks have 1" gaps and are not even.

 

[daveomak]

Brandon, morning.... I used my vertical stuffer and squeezed the meat directly onto screens....  Below is the thread...  Dave 

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/104352/skinless-beef-sticks

 

[fagesbp]

Thanks Dave. Yours look great. I will look around for some screens like that. I wanted mine to be a bit smaller than my smallest stuffing tube so that's why I thought of the gun. I think I can get 1 at wally world fairly cheap and if it doesn't work I'm not out much. Where did you get the screens?

 

[daveomak]

W-M in the BBQ section... about $4 for a pkg of 3....   Oil and bake first like you were curing a cast iron pan...  that helps with the sticking... and oil again before using...  Dave

 

[doctord1955]

I use the stackable cooling racks from Walmart after ive sprayed them with cooking spray!  Then when there done I have sink full of warm water to dump them in!  Then from there to a hanging basket on the other side of sink where I rinse them in cold water!  Like was said they can get greasey if you dont rinse them right!  I use a summer sausage mix that i add things to for snac stix!

 

[doctord1955]

Use a Lem Jerky Cannon

 

[fagesbp]

I was just thinking of those cooling racks. I have a few already that I bought for $1 each but they're pretty small. I just got finished writing the recipe I will use based on alot of reading others' recipes and my own personal tastes.
I always cool my regular casing sausage in water in the sink but I wasn't planning on doing it with these since there's no casing.

 

[doctord1955]

I always dump mine in warm water then put in a basket and rinse off with cold water!  Never had a problem!

 

[bigbronk]

I also use a LEM 1.5# jerky cannon, and have made uncased sticks a few times. I picked up a LEM 3/8th inch nozzle that works great with collagen casings, and everyone here seems to like those better. I have also made breakfast links with the small nozzle and several different types of larger sausage with the bigger nozzle. it works great. A real stuffer is on the wishlist, but till then this will work fine.