Snack stick drying

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pellet user

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Apr 12, 2017
76
52
I have 20lbs of snack sticks smoked brought up to 160-170 deg. They are put in collagen casings. I have them cut and in paper bags in a refrigerator. They are softer than what I would like. How long can I leave them in the fridge for to dry?
 
I use pink butcher paper to do mine . I've left one batch for a month or more . Properly , cured and smoked . Fridge temp is 36 degrees verified with a therm . I like them dry .
Out of the smoker , over night in the fridge . I don't water bath sticks .
1666454950930.jpeg

Roughly 2 weeks at 36 degrees . I pulled these .
1666455023238.jpeg

Further dried to 4 weeks or more .
1666455061432.jpeg
 
I usually ferment my snack sticks with sugar and a starter culture. Then smoke them to INT of 123*F and hold there for an hour or more per USDA regs. on safe temp. for fermented sausages.

This will dry the sausages down to 20-25%. I then hang below 65*F and at least 60% humidity until they dry to 40%. Takes about 10 days usually.

Non fermented snack sticks, I'll do 'em like chopsaw...
 
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These are Kabanosy following Marianski's recipe . These are non fermented but hung in my basement post smoke . 60 degrees , but I can only get about 55 percent humidity . I hung them 3 days then moved to the fridge .
Out of the smoker .
1666457475924.jpeg

After 3 days at 60 degrees .
1666457517959.jpeg

I do the same with Summer sausage . Pink paper and in the fridge .
This is Bierwurst
Before
1666457808131.jpeg

After
1666457782037.jpeg
 
BTW, to increase the humidity, you can take a bath towel and soak it wet, then wring it out and hang close to the sticks...can even do one on each side of the sticks.....
 
Thank you . I learned it all here . That's the reason I joined . When I learned it they measured , so that's what I do . I do weigh my salt , and it was an improvement . Everyone should try the different ways to do it and figure out what works for them .
You've come a long way yourself with the chamber stuff .
take a bath towel and soak it wet, then wring it out and hang close to the sticks..
I did that stuff . Cheese cloth in a bowl of water . Cheese cloth in a bowl of salt water . I had a humidifier running in there as well . I have a closet down there that's probably 30 x 10 . Pretty big space , but it stayed at the temp I wanted . Since I started using the fridge I haven't hung anything down there .
 
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I use pink butcher paper to do mine . I've left one batch for a month or more . Properly , cured and smoked . Fridge temp is 36 degrees verified with a therm . I like them dry .
Out of the smoker , over night in the fridge . I don't water bath sticks .
View attachment 646528
Roughly 2 weeks at 36 degrees . I pulled these .
View attachment 646529
Further dried to 4 weeks or more .
View attachment 646530
Thank you chopsaw. I thought it would be okay but wanted to check with some experts.
 
Hi all from West Virginia.
We had our first snow this morning.
I have a couple questions about storing snack sticks in the fridge for up to 30 days.
I like the idea about pink paper, or I got a bunch of 2 quart brown paper bags. Would the pink paper prevent cross contamination flavor from other items in the fridge better?
Or maybe both, wrap them in pink paper and put them in a bag? Would, after a month, I be able to vacuum seal and freeze them? I use High Mountain seasoning.

CASING ISSUE:
I just did 10# of sticks. In the fridge and out to room temp twice in 5 days. Casings held good. At room temp, vac sealed and froze. After 2 days got a pack out and all casings had come loose. In and out of the fridge didn't cause it, so the freeze and thaw had to. I am thinking the expansion and contraction of the freeze caused it.
Now, I am sure some THING in my process is causing it, but there are a lot of what if's, and I have tried some of them. My hat goes off to those that found a solution. I am looking for an alternate solution. I was heading to sheep casings next until I read this.
Thanks for your input in advance.
And if I should pull this over to a new thread, I can
 
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