Help making venison snack sticks on a time crunch.

[xray]

Hello all,

It's been years since I've made snack sticks and keibasa. I am on a time crunch for the holidays so I have two questions.

Any help is appreciated. I will be using the Hi Mountain kit for the sticks. This is my first time using this kit. In the past, I have used my fathers recipe w/ cure #1.

1. The plan is to smoke the sticks on Dec 26th, is it okay to make the sticks on Xmas eve and have them refrigerated for longer than 24 hrs? I'm thinking this is okay, kind of like fresh keibasa, but I just want to put my mind at ease.

2. Can I just use ground pork or the Jimmy Dean's ground sausage chubs? I'm shooting for 70 to 30 deer venison to pork ratio....I'd like to save time by not having to cube and grind pork butt. If anybody has done this, how'd it work out?


Thanks again!

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Hello all,

It's been years since I've made snack sticks and keibasa. I am on a time crunch for the holidays so I have two questions.

Any help is appreciated. I will be using the Hi Mountain kit for the sticks. This is my first time using this kit. In the past, I have used my fathers recipe w/ cure #1.

1. The plan is to smoke the sticks on Dec 26th, is it okay to make the sticks on Xmas eve and have them refrigerated for longer than 24 hrs? I'm thinking this is okay, kind of like fresh keibasa, but I just want to put my mind at ease.

2. Can I just use ground pork or the Jimmy Dean's ground sausage chubs? I'm shooting for 70 to 30 deer venison to pork ratio....I'd like to save time by not having to cube and grind pork butt. If anybody has done this, how'd it work out?


Thanks again!

1. Yes you will be fine.

2. Just remember the JimmyDean will have seasoning so you may have to adjust yours if you use HM

 

[xray]

1. Yes you will be fine.

2. Just remember the JimmyDean will have seasoning so you may have to adjust yours if you use HM

Thanks Nepas, if I decide to use ground pork should I keep the 70-30 ratio?

 

[crankybuzzard]

Thanks Nepas, if I decide to use ground pork should I keep the 70-30 ratio?

Not Nepas, but yes, that would be a good ratio.

Also, if you use the JD sausage, it's going to be pretty fatty as well...

 

[xray]

Not Nepas, but yes, that would be a good ratio.

Also, if you use the JD sausage, it's going to be pretty fatty as well...

Thanks CB! I just want to get everything straightened out and setup because I will be doing this around the holiday.

My plan is to mix and stuff the sticks during the day on Xmas eve (before Xmas eve dinner)

I have to work on Christmas...BLAH!! So these will go in the smoker the day after when I'm off.

These are being done for my brother-in-law who brought in 10lbs ground venison from out of state...just trying to work something out on our short schedules.

Thanks again and I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

 

[crankybuzzard]

Thanks CB! I just want to get everything straightened out and setup because I will be doing this around the holiday.

My plan is to mix and stuff the sticks during the day on Xmas eve (before Xmas eve dinner)

I have to work on Christmas...BLAH!! So these will go in the smoker the day after when I'm off.

These are being done for my brother-in-law who brought in 10lbs ground venison from out of state...just trying to work something out on our short schedules.

Thanks again and I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

No problem, that why this site exists, to help others where we can.

You mention short schedules, how do you plan to smoke these?  Depending upon the casing size, you will be looking at several hours in the smoker at a minimum.

 

[xray]

No problem, that why this site exists, to help others where we can.

You mention short schedules, how do you plan to smoke these?  Depending upon the casing size, you will be looking at several hours in the smoker at a minimum.

I will be using collagen casings that come with the Hi Mountain kit. I'm not entirely sure on the size since my brother-in-law purchased the kit.

As for smoking, I'm off the day after Xmas which is really the only day I'm off work while he is in town. So I have that whole day :) also which is why I'd like to mix and stuff the casings 2 days prior before Xmas eve/Xmas day.

My plan is to put the sticks in at 140 degrees with no smoke, and then bump up 10 degrees every hour and try not to go over 190 until the IT of the meat is 152-55...then into an ice bath and hung to dry.

Hi Mountain instructions say to smoke the meat at 200 for 2 hrs until the meat hits 165 IT...but I'm thinking that's going to render all the fat and make a greasier stick...or dry out the lean venison.

 

[JckDanls 07]

myself.. I wouldn't use Jimmy Deans... rather just buy the non seasoned ground pork.... JD's will change the taste of the High Mountain seasoning ....

 

[xray]

myself.. I wouldn't use Jimmy Deans... rather just buy the non seasoned ground pork.... JD's will change the taste of the High Mountain seasoning ....

myself.. I wouldn't use Jimmy Deans... rather just buy the non seasoned ground pork.... JD's will change the taste of the High Mountain seasoning ....

I will be going with plain ground pork. I just wasn't sure what the best thing to use was since I will not be using pork trimmings or have the time to grind up a pork butt. But your right, JD will impart another flavor on the seasoning that comes in the kit.

 

[crankybuzzard]

My plan is to put the sticks in at 140 degrees with no smoke, and then bump up 10 degrees every hour and try not to go over 190 until the IT of the meat is 152-55...then into an ice bath and hung to dry.

Hi Mountain instructions say to smoke the meat at 200 for 2 hrs until the meat hits 165 IT...but I'm thinking that's going to render all the fat and make a greasier stick...or dry out the lean venison.

Try to not exceed 170 in the pit, much over that and you will get the fat out problem.  What I do is start at 130 with no smoke for a couple of hours to dry the casing a bit.  Then I'll add smoke and bump the temp up 10 degrees, and then each half hour I bump another 10 until I hit 170.  I pull sticks at 150 and let them hang to cool.  That usually takes them up to 152 easily.  Water bath to cool will work as well.

Keep us informed!

 

[BGKYSmoker]

 
Not Nepas, but yes, that would be a good ratio.

Also, if you use the JD sausage, it's going to be pretty fatty as well...

 

[xray]

Try to not exceed 170 in the pit, much over that and you will get the fat out problem.  What I do is start at 130 with no smoke for a couple of hours to dry the casing a bit.  Then I'll add smoke and bump the temp up 10 degrees, and then each half hour I bump another 10 until I hit 170.  I pull sticks at 150 and let them hang to cool.  That usually takes them up to 152 easily.  Water bath to cool will work as well.

Keep us informed!

I will follow your temperature guidelines. I use a needle valve in my gasser so the low temps should be fairly achievable. Smoke will be supplied by AMNTS.

I'm also going to insert one of the Maverick probes into one of the snack sticks for a "ballpark" idea for the IT. When that one is close to 150, I will probe the rest w/ my small Weber thermometer, it's not as fast as a thermopen but it's good.

I will try to get some pictures of Monday's smoke.

If I don't use a water bath, how long does it usually take to cool before you can cut them into sticks? I will probably vac seal whatever my BIL takes back with him.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

I will follow your temperature guidelines. I use a needle valve in my gasser so the low temps should be fairly achievable. Smoke will be supplied by AMNTS.

I'm also going to insert one of the Maverick probes into one of the snack sticks for a "ballpark" idea for the IT. When that one is close to 150, I will probe the rest w/ my small Weber thermometer, it's not as fast as a thermopen but it's good.

I will try to get some pictures of Monday's smoke.

If I don't use a water bath, how long does it usually take to cool before you can cut them into sticks? I will probably vac seal whatever my BIL takes back with him.

bout an hour.

 

[xray]

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• xray
• Dec 26, 2016

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• xray
• Dec 26, 2016

Sticks are in the smoker, IT is currently at 132 degrees and I'm maintaining a temp of 170 in the pit. The sticks went in at 8am. I find myself baby sitting the smoker more than usual because of the icy rain and wind that's blowing thru.