getting ready to make beef snack sticks

[jwilson48]

i've lurked this website for years. i've used a lot of recipes and methods from this forum on my smoking brisket, shoulders, etc. i just purchased a nice two speed 11 lb sausage stuffer from academy on clearance for $94 normally $180 game winner brand. doesn't even show on their website but its all metal and looks very well built.

i just ordered a bunch of stuff from butcher and packer including Sodium Erythorbate, Encapsulated Citric Acid, and Special Meat Binder (their version of amesphos). I see a lot of recipes for snack sticks that call for 1 or even 2 of these ingredients but haven't seen one that calls for all 3. The reason I bought the sodium erythorbate is because I read somewhere that it is needed for high temp cheese which I bought 5 lbs of for these snack sticks as well as summer sausage. The wife and kids do not like hot stuff and I do, so I will also be adding Dehydrated Diced Jalapeno Peppers to half of them.

I will be smoking in a MES30 and don't know where to start. So many recipes are so different from one another and most do not have any of the 3 ingredients above, nor do they have cheese/peppers. Seems like nepas is one of the most respected sausage/snack stick makers on this forum, but when I try to look up his recipes I find he has many! I want to make at least a 10lb if not 20-30 lb batch so I really would like it if it came out great lol. I am tired of spending a small fortune buying store bought snack sticks to take with me hunting/fishing every weekend. I am on a low carb diet so I would like to avoid anything that will add a bunch of carbs, but if it is needed to really make the sticks outstanding than i guess i'll just have to deal with it. I don't want to ramble any more than I already have can someone point me in the right direction to make all my friends jealous. Give me a recipe that will allow me to make tasty treats I can use by itself or with cheese/peppers. Also could I just add the cheese, peppers, erythorbate, special meat binder, or eca to any recipe and expect it to come out good? thanks in advance.

 

[indaswamp]

You will not be able to fit 20 much less 30lbs in a MES30 at one time. 12.5# is about the max.

 

[indaswamp]

Also could I just add the cheese, peppers, erythorbate, special meat binder, or eca to any recipe and expect it to come out good?

Not unless the recipe already has cure as an ingredient. But other than that, in general -yes.

 

[jwilson48]

i planned on doing it in 10 lb increments, just doing the whole thing over the course of the weekend. having all the meat mixed (minus the eca) and stuffing/smoking 10 lb batches

 

[jwilson48]

Not unless the recipe already has cure as an ingredient. But other than that, in general -yes.

most recipes i've looked at call for curing salt #1 so i planned on using it as well. if i use it which ingredient do i need to not use? sorry i am sure these are dumb questions i just want to make sure i get it right.

 

[indaswamp]

most recipes i've looked at call for curing salt #1 so i planned on using it as well. if i use it which ingredient do i need to not use? sorry i am sure these are dumb questions i just want to make sure i get it right.

Cure #1 is 6.25% sodium Nitrite and 93.75% sodium chloride (table salt).
Keep in mind that usually fresh sausages have a lower salt content than sausages that will be smoked. Normally, fresh sausages run anywhere from 1~1.5% salt while smoke sausage run from 1.5~2% salt. So if you are going to use a fresh sausage recipe, you will need to adjust the salt and vice versa.
When going fresh to smoked, you will have to add cure #1 at a rate of 1tsp. per 5# of meat.

 

[jwilson48]

I don't think my last question was clear. I am only looking at smoked sausage stick recipes. this is one i was looking at as i already have all the ingredients:

My beef stick recipe

5lb ground beef

1cup ice water

1tsp insta-cure

4tsp salt

1TBS brown sugar

1tsp ground mustard

2tsp whole mustard seed

1tsp coarse ground black pepper - add more if you like pepper taste

2tsp white ground pepper - substitute with black pepper if you dont have this

1TBS Paprika

1tsp onion powder - more or less to taste

1tsp garlic powder - more or less to taste

If you like it hot add the following

2TBS crushed red pepper

2TBS ground cayenne pepper - more or less to taste

mix all spices and cure#1 into 1 cup of ice cold water mix into ground beef until mixed through



Could or should I add the meat binder, Sodium Erythorbate, or the eca to this recipe? This is just an example and if anyone wants to share a great recipe they love I'd be grateful.

 

[dward51]

Cure #1 is used at a weight of 1.13grams per pound in snack sticks (that is what 1 level teaspoon per 5 pounds works out to).

I would not use the sodium erythrobate. It is for boosting the conversion of the cure in commercial products and not needed if you just let the mixed cure & meat sit in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to give the cure time to work. It will not hurt, but it's really not needed in home sausage/stick making as we have time to let the cure work (it cuts the cure time down to 1/3 of what it would be without it).

I use B&P binder #414 and ECA in my sticks all the time. A couple of pointers I will give you are if the stick recipe you have calls for soy protein or NFDM (non-fat dry milk or powdered milk) in the recipe, I would omit it and just use the B&P binder #414. I mix the cure in some water (or beer) and then make a slurry of that with the binder and other spices to mix with the meat. After it sits in the fridge, the 414 binder will make the meat firm up and the next day you will need to add some more ice cold water (or beer) to help loosen the mix back up for stuffing. Don't worry, the 414 will still have enough action left to bind the meat up some more once you start the smoking process.

Also *DO NOT* add the ECA until right before stuffing and smoking. Mix everything else and let it sit in the fridge overnight. When you add the additional water the next day to loosen up the meat mix, that is the time to also add the ECA. Only work the ECA in by hand and do not over work it. You don't want to break open the little fat capsules that surround the citric acid. Once the ECA is added, you need to start the smoking process. If the citric acid mixes with the meat too soon or if you mix it and let it just sit, it will negatively affect the mouth feel (makes it mealy), and color (makes the meat a funky grey color). The fat is supposed to keep the citric acid "encapsulated" until the meat hits around 140* or slightly more. The meat is set by then and when the encapsulating fat then melts releasing the citric acid, it gives that tangy flavor without damaging the meat quality.

Sounds like you are on the right track though....

 

[indaswamp]

Though sodium erythrobate does accelerate the cure conversion, it is also used as a water retention agent. Increasing the cations sites in the meat hold more water molecules in the links from evaporation leading to a juicer final product. If your desire is for a dry sausage like snack sticks, probably best to leave it out so the links will dry and not retain water.

 

[PerazziMx14]

Please delete

 

[indaswamp]

The question is not whether it will fit, but whether an electric smoker that size can handle that volume of meat.
In a small smoker, after about 12.5#, the more meat you put in it, the higher the temperature difference you will get between the top and bottom, and the larger the temp/ drop you will get from evaporative cooling and it will take significantly longer to cook the volume of meat. Fill it too much and this becomes a big problem as well as blocking air flow.

 

[PerazziMx14]

The volume of meat is or mostly irrelevant as long as the heating element can achieve and hold the desired temperature and the individual piece are not touching one another. To help the smoker after casing the sticks let them rest at room temperature for thirty to sixty minutes to warm up a bit before putting them in the smoker.

It will help to move the racks round periodically to make sure everything get even out heat and smoke wise.

 

[jwilson48]

great stuff guys it's really appreciated. i will omit the sodium erythrobate but will use the binder and eca. i was watching a youtube video where a guy was making snack sticks and he was using his kitchenaid mixer to mix the seasoning with the meat. that obviously won't work for large batches, but if I can fit 5 lbs in the mixer i'm gonna give that a try! can't believe i've never thought of that before. if i am able to use it for that purpose should i still hand mix the eca at the end or would i be able to use it on the lowest setting and mix it at the end in the kitchenaid mixer?

 

[PerazziMx14]

Please delete

 

[indaswamp]

Better to mix the cure, salt and spices with the liquid to dissolve the salts, then add to the meat....you will get a much better dispersion of the cure and salt this way and more even curing.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

All good replies above.

Here is my 2 cent.

Mix the cure into the rest of the dry. Dont add any binder. Add the dry in layers and mix by hand eash layer until all the dry is in the meat. If mixed well you dont need binders. Yeah i know what about NFPDM? You can use that for a flavor enhancer.

But what about water you say?

only use enough water to wet your hands to keep the meat from sticking to them. Trust me ;)

Mix good until sticky then if you want ECA mix that in last, stuff then smoke.
Like said above. DONT GRIND THE ECA

Your results may vary

 

[jwilson48]

All good replies above.

Here is my 2 cent.

Mix the cure into the rest of the dry. Dont add any binder. Add the dry in layers and mix by hand eash layer until all the dry is in the meat. If mixed well you dont need binders. Yeah i know what about NFPDM? You can use that for a flavor enhancer.

But what about water you say?

only use enough water to wet your hands to keep the meat from sticking to them. Trust me ;)

Mix good until sticky then if you want ECA mix that in last, stuff then smoke.
Like said above. DONT GRIND THE ECA

Your results may vary

Would you recommend that I use NFPDM? I assume that is non fat powdered dry milk? I have read a little on it. Do you prefer sticks with or without it?

 

[PerazziMx14]

Please delete

 

[dward51]

And I'm a fan of binders like AmesPhos or Butcher & Packer #414 in my sticks. Just don't over do the binders. Bottom line is try some variations just like you would in tweaking the flavor of a recipe. Make a small batch until you find something you really like and then up the quantity. It is also a good idea to keep notes on these tests as once you find something you like, you want to be able to repeat it and scale it up.

 

[jwilson48]

They turned out great! Especially the ones without jalapeno. I didn't rotate the racks enough and they got a little darker than I would have liked. Still happy with my first attempt