Smoking snack stick question

[slevin]

So I am going to be making my first batch of snack sticks and one thing I am a little unclear on is how long to keep the smoke on the sticks. Do I keep smoke on it for like 3 hours then just keep it in the smoker till it reaches 153ish? Thanks for the help!

 

[dward51]

Well, it depends....

It depends mainly on how your are smoking them.  Is this in an electric with pellets/chips for smoke, or in a charcoal or smokehouse?  If it's a pellet tray/tube or chip pan, you have more control about how long the smoke is applied as the smoke is not from your heat source.  But in a charcoal or wood fired smoker the fuel source for the heat is also contributing smoke flavor even if the wood chunks (ie, apple, cherry, hickory, etc...) have been exhausted.

As it's a lot more common to see pellets or chips and an electric smoker, I'll stick to that route...

I usually run the sticks for 1 to 2 hours at a low temp to dry and set the casing (even if collagen). Then I start increasing the temp in 10* increments every hour or so with smoke. I will run 2 to 3 hours of smoke from a pellet tray.  I generally fill about 2/3 of one run of the tray and let it burn out (which takes about 2 to 3 hours).  Generally once the sticks hit about 140-145* they will stop taking in the bulk of the smoke flavor in the meat and the color is set.  I increase the temp up to 170* and hold there until the sticks are done at the 153'ish as you stated.

Also make sure you are using some form of cure in your sticks due to the time involved. Nearly all recipes call for cure, but there are a few that do not and they should be updated.

 

[slevin]

I am using an electric Mes30 smoker with just the crapping chip tray it came with so I struggle with smoke at low temperatures. I have yet to find an amazen pellet tray in my small Canadian town. Because of that I normally give the smoke an extra hour.

I am most definitely using the Cure as I know the 4n140 rule. I am using cure number one at a ratio of one teaspoon to 5 pounds.

Thanks for your reply I do have one other question about blooming. Is there a set temperature or time I should be leaving the sausage to bloom?

Thanks for your time.

 

[dward51]

Blooming, is basically letting the sausage "air out" at room temp before bagging or packing for longer term storage.  On sticks, mine are usually done late in the evening or at night, and I just let the "bloom" on a wire rack until the morning.  I run mine flat on the racks, but if you hang sticks you can just find a way to hand them inside.

This is a batch I "bloomed" last night....  (after trimming the ends, and cutting to length and just before bagging).

20170626_090426.jpg

• dward51
• Jun 26, 2017

 

[slevin]

Thanks so much for the help. Those sticks look tasty!

 

[tom kish]

 
Blooming, is basically letting the sausage "air out" at room temp before bagging or packing for longer term storage.  On sticks, mine are usually done late in the evening or at night, and I just let the "bloom" on a wire rack until the morning.  I run mine flat on the racks, but if you hang sticks you can just find a way to hand them inside.

This is a batch I "bloomed" last night....  (after trimming the ends, and cutting to length and just before bagging).

20170626_090426.jpg

• dward51
• Jun 26, 2017

I made my first batch on Tuesday (first time using my stuffer, too), and part of your comment may have answered my question: After you've packaged them, how do you store them, and how long should they be good for?  I left mine set overnight in the fridge, then vacuum packed them the next afternoon.  I'm currently storing the packages in the fridge, but had wondered if they could be left at room temp.  

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!

Tom

 

[dward51]

They keep best in some sort of container where they can breath like a paper bag.   In a sealed container or plastic bag, you also trap moisture and they will start to mold faster than if kept in a dryer environment (I'm speaking of room temp here).  You can keep them in a plastic contain with holes poked/drilled in the lid if the lid is large enough.  It can sometimes be a dance between drying them out to much in the air over days at room temp or keeping them too sealed up and inviting mold.

They have cure in them, but cure does not stop mold from growing if they are kept in a moist environment like a zip lock bag. And mold spores are in the air all around you 24/7.  They are usually good for a week before that starts to become a problem.  The will keep longer in the fridge, but again they need to breath. There are also commercial food grade mold inhibitors like potassium sorbate you can spray on the finished sticks that will extend the room temp life for shipping and longer term room temp storage.  You can get potassium sorbate from Butcher & Packer.  You want a 0.05 to 0.1% solution to spray on the finished sticks (6 ounces of potassium sorbate in a gallon of water will yield a 0.05% solution - you can mix smaller batches in the same ratio).  Let it air dry on the sticks before bagging for shipping or storage.  It is generally reported to inhibit mold for up to 30 days at this strength.  Potassium sorbate is also a "natural" product and is also commonly used in wine making.

Depending on batch size, I will also store some vacuum packed in the fridge or even the freezer.  I try to keep a couple of day's worth open and breathing either at room temp or in the fridge.  I have potassium sorbate on hand, but I do not use it unless I'm shipping sticks or jerky to a buddy overseas (he was at a FOB in Afghanistan but is now back stateside in PA).

Note:  White mold like you would find on the outside of some fermented sausage products is not a problem, and can basically be wiped or rinsed off and the meat is good.  Green, grey or dark mold is generally the bad stuff and the sticks need to be tossed.  Make a managable size batch and you will be eating them before mold can become an issue (or use potassium sorbate).

 

[tom kish]

Thanks, that pretty much confirmed what I had thought.  Thanks for the refresher on the mold, as well as the treatment to help prevent it.  All great information!

Tom

 

[slevin]

Thanks for the great replies! My first batch was a bust and had to throw away 5lbs of it. Storm came in and I had to shut down my operation when they were only at about 138*. I tossed them to be safe. Im doing attempt #2 tomorrow. Only a 2.5lb batch just incase shit happens again.

 

[dward51]

Thanks for the great replies! My first batch was a bust and had to throw away 5lbs of it. Storm came in and I had to shut down my operation when they were only at about 138*. I tossed them to be safe. Im doing attempt #2 tomorrow. Only a 2.5lb batch just incase shit happens again.

that sucks.  I don't know if I would have tossed them if they were at 138*.  Try to find an alternative to keep the cooking going (ie, move to the grill with one burner on lower setting or with small pile of charcoal on one side for indirect heat, etc....    Or drag out one of the generators