Pepperoni Snack stix on MES questions

[David Leopold]

Hey guys,

After some successful first few smokes on my MES 30, and some successful oven baked pepperoni cooks, I’m finally feeling like combining the 2!!

I have my meat all seasoned with cure sitting in fridge for the night, will be stuffing into collagen cases in the morning. Can’t remember the size of them, but it’s like fresh bratwurst sized, not snack sticks.

The questions I have are:

If I remember readi right on here you guys start the MES off around 120-130 for an hour? Then bump up what? 10 degrees each hour? Until MES is at 170 and cook until meat IT hits 153?

The next question is about the smoke. When do you add smoke to the cook?

And, I had trouble getting smoke last time I made jerky at 160 in it. I don’t yet have the AMAZN pellet smoker so I’m stuck with the wee little tray. Any suggestions?

I was thinking maybe take the logs out, crank the temp up to 200 to get the chips smoking and then put temp back down, opening the door to cool the inside before putting meat back in. Or maybe add chips, and take the chip tube out and crack the door open so the element has to stay on a little more?

 

[Braz]

Here's the routine I use.
130* - 2 hr - no smoke
140* - 2 hr - smoke
150* - 2 hr - smoke
160* - 2 hr - smoke optional
170* - till you get to IT of 152* (smoke optional)
Usually though I pull after 160* and go to the sous vide set at 152* for 3 hr.

You are going to have trouble making smoke in your MES at the lower temps as you suspect. I'm not sure what to suggest. Maybe come up with a metal or foil box, a couple or three charcoal briquets and some wood chunks or chips?

 

[foamheart]

With your MES, with low flow due to low heat Delta T, you should do 2 things.

Dust vice pellets, dust requires less air circulation. You can get dust at A-MAZ-N the same as pellets. Oh and make sure you are smoking with an aux. smoke generator that handles dust.

The other thing is add an exhaust vent extension. I sort of remember from college, now thats a damn good memory, that increasing the exhaust length was basically the same as increasing the diameter. Thereby you get a better induction.

I don't use the dust but I do use a 3ft extension above the exhaust vent. But I only use either an A-MAZ-N oval pellet smoke generator or more commonly I use the Masterbuilt Cold smoke attachment ( I like to smoke pecan shells).

How I smoke low flow

I start off with chamber and vent closed at a 275 preheat. I then open the exhaust vent, add sausage and leave the door on latch, (cracked open) and I watch the sausage's IT. Why? Well at first you are only in a de-watering cycle to dry the meat and during that time you are raising the meats temp.
At 90 to 100 IT, I go into smoking mode. That means closing the door, adding smoke and dropping the temp to about 140 box temp. Then just start watching your thermometer for IT by regulating the box temp.

I usually cook my sausage in a roaster after smoking to approx. 160 IT.

What I do different is I then cool it in the reefer over night and come back the next day and basically warm smoke it again. I try to always double smoke any cured meat. Folks really like it.

This is a vent extension, redneck engineering of course!



Andouille smoking in there



First smoke andouille and sausage



Cooked in the roaster, its a more exact cooking method I find.



After second smoke



Finally from the reefer over night, cut to length and ready to package.

I never wash my hands for a day after the smoke, I walk around looking like a pervert smelling my hands...>LOL I hope it helps some.

 

[foamheart]

Something was tickling my neck when I left this thread.... isn't pepperoni a fermented sausage?

 

[David Leopold]

It could be a fermented one in some places. Not sure. Up here in Canada, especially eastern, pepperoni is a smoked one. Think slim jim/snack stick but 1” to 1.5” diameter.

Of course we also have the typical pizza pepperoni as well. We like to use the same term for lots of completely different things all at once:)

 

[foamheart]

OK, I just made some pepperoni sticks a couple a weeks ago. I added powdered buttermilk and Phosphates.
The buttermilk and the phosphates served a dual purpose, as a binder to hold additional water and both give a twang to the taste. Everyone thought pretty well of them. They were thicker, less dry and the casing still had that nice snap to it. 'Course I use natural sheep, I know nothing of collegen, I keep saying I have to try them to expand my horizons, but when it comes time to make 'em its too late them.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/pepperoni-stix-foamheart.275595/

 

[David Leopold]

I edited my title to include “snack sticks”. In case there’s a terminology confusion from my region to the rest. Since like I said I’m making smoked sticks of what we label as pepperoni here, not fermented at all. They are cured, I used Prague 1. The most common taste profiles locally are mild, hot, TNT, and honey garlic.

I will follow the heating methods of the snack sticks and just expect a longer final time to reach IT. I have done them in the oven by preheating to 170 and then turning the oven off with meat in it. After 30 minutes I heat oven back to 170 and keep repeating until IT reached 150 then rest on counter. Usually took about 2-3hrs

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Sadly, as I found out when I first tried pepperoni snack sticks <uncased> you basically can't get a MES to make smoke at that temp. The heating element is never engaged enough to cause the smoke. You can try to start them smoldering with a blow torch in the chip tray but I didn't have success with it, I ended up rushing to get the pellet tray from Amazen in mid afternoon from a local Fleetfarm which did have them. There just isn't alot you can do about this one. I'm not sure I'd recommend shoving a blow torch through the chip loader on the side either like I read some people do. Tried it; thing wouldn't stay smoldering to make smoke.

 

[David Leopold]

Yes I have done 2 attempts now at low temps and both turned out very poor. So I will soon be searching for the pellet tray! A tough venture here in Canada as true bbq stores are hard to come by. Lots of grill equipment which we call BBQ but not much for smokers other than your typical electric or propane ones. Amazon Canada has the trays though if all else fails for me.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

I forgot to link to Amazen's Pellet Tray I'm referring to, derp. Here we go;

http://www.amazenproducts.com/product_p/amnps5x8.htm

 

[Bearcarver]

Hey guys,


The questions I have are:

If I remember readi right on here you guys start the MES off around 120-130 for an hour? Then bump up what? 10 degrees each hour? Until MES is at 170 and cook until meat IT hits 153?

The next question is about the smoke. When do you add smoke to the cook?

And, I had trouble getting smoke last time I made jerky at 160 in it. I don’t yet have the AMAZN pellet smoker so I’m stuck with the wee little tray. Any suggestions?

I was thinking maybe take the logs out, crank the temp up to 200 to get the chips smoking and then put temp back down, opening the door to cool the inside before putting meat back in. Or maybe add chips, and take the chip tube out and crack the door open so the element has to stay on a little more?

I used to play those games, before I got my Amazing smokers, 8 years ago.
For Bear Sticks & Fish:
I used to start at 110°, then bump the temp up 10° at a time to get the Dust to burn.
Then once I got it up to 180° I'd turn it down & open the door, to let the heat out, until it came on again.
Then repeat the whole cycle again.

It was a PITA, but then Todd invented the AMNS, and eventually the AMNPS, and I never looked back!!!

Bear