Snack Sticks and Summer Sausage

[bryceb]

While shopping for some Christmas presents at Cabelas the other day, I saw thier snack sticks for sale at the checkout. It made me want some, but not for what they were charging.

I had some LEM snack stick season mix at the house, but we found we like the Summer Sausage blend for snack sticks better. We had some Summer Sausage mix too, so we decided to mix them together 50/50 and use up the Snack Stick mix. I picked up 20 lbs of 80/20 ground beef.

We mixed up 5lbs batches. 2 regular and 2 with some jalapeños and hi temp cheddar.

We stuffed five 1.5x12 summer sausages of each

and 5lbs of each flavor into 19mm casings.

Into the beer fridge overnight and this morning, I loaded up the Masterforge knockoff MES30 with the sticks. A few hours at 115 with no smoke and now I've bumped it up to 140 and smoking with Jack Daniel's oak chips for a few hours.

To be continued...

 

[smokin jay]

Looks and sounds great, bryceb!

 

[SmokinAl]

Everything looks great so far!

Al

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Looks tasty!

 

[crankybuzzard]

Looking good!

Homemade beats the pants off of the big store stuff!

 

[bladeguy]

Aw man, gotta wait until the next episode??? Looking forward to seeing and hearing the results. Looks great so far!

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Good job

Looks like you had a helper too

 

[bryceb]

Good job



Looks like you had a helper too

Yep... my wife will help out on the prep and stuffing, but leaves all the smoking to me. I don't think she can stay put long enough for that sort of nonsense! ;)

 

[bryceb]

Slowly creeping up the temps. Smoker is set at 160, ET-732 is reading 154 with the probe mixed in somewhere near the tops of the sticks and the stick in the center of the rack is reading 144.

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[bryceb]

Sticks finished up yesterday evening and turned out great! My best bud Steve showed up and we finished off the last of my stash of Spotted Cow while we waited for the IT to come up to 151. Then we hung them to bloom. Not a fan of the water bath as it always seems to pull the casing away from the meat on me.

I'm going to be in Wisconsin in a week or so, and I'll have to restock my beer fridge with some more.

This morning, I put the Summer Sausage in the smoker. Same procedure. 100-120 to dry for a few hours, 140 with smoke for 3-4 hrs and then slowly bump up the temp until the IT is 152 on these, then hang to bloom.

 

[bladeguy]

Looks excellent Bryce. Just a little warning, don't know where in Wisconsin you are headed, but it is a just a bit chilly right now. :shovel:

 

[bertman]

I like your use of peg hooks in that last photo! Is that copper pipe, too? 

 

[bryceb]

Looks excellent Bryce. Just a little warning, don't know where in Wisconsin you are headed, but it is a just a bit chilly right now. :shovel:

East Troy... Tanya, high of 2deg tod as you. Too cold for this Georgia Boy. I moved out of Wisconsin 32+ years ago. Looks like its gonna warm up.some by the time I get there next week though.

I like your use of peg hooks in that last photo! Is that copper pipe, too? 

Ya, peg hooks across the Snack sick rack to hang the summer sausages. These some angle aluminum with oak wooden dowels going across.

Almost 14 hrs in the smoker and they are finally up to temp and hanging up to bloom.

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[bryceb]

I brought some into work today. I'd have liked to have let it sir in the fridge a few more days, but it's my only day in the office before the end of the year.

This stuff goes fast around here!

 

[driedstick]

Dang it man,, looks like you nailed it,,, great job, POINTS

A full smoker is a happy smoker 

DS
 

 

[rca dog]

That looks awesome !  14 hours in the smoker, eh ?  I had summer sausage in mine for twelve and I was thinking it was going to be another 12 before it got up to temp.  Point from me !