Vacuum seal casing question

[JBPilot]

I’ve finally got a good recipe for Snack Sticks that I love. I’m stuffing them into 19mm collagen casings and they’ve been sticking and doing great. What I am running into now is that when I vacuum seal them and freeze them then thaw and open them the casings have pulled off of the sticks enough to pull off of the sticks. I’m wondering what’s causing this and what I can do to fix it. I’m using LEM SS seasoning with recommended amount of cure and HT cheese. They’ve been great since I started adding 1/2 cup of NFDM per 5lbs.

Any ideas on what I can do to help the casings stay stuck after the freezer?

 

[Steve H]

I've never seen that before. But, perhaps remove the sticks from the bag frozen to prevent this?

 

[DanMcG]

I think you need to let them dry out a little in the frig before packing and freezing. To much moisture in the bag while thawing will soften the casing.

 

[JBPilot]

Thanks, it seems to me that I let them dry in a brown paper bag in the fridge but maybe not long enough.

 

[fullborebbq]

What meat are you making the sticks out of??? I have never had that specific issue, but I have never added NFDM to snack sticks.

 

[JBPilot]

Venison and bacon. It’s a pretty lean mixture. Maybe 10% fat content. They’re too dry and crumbly if I don’t. I’ll see If I can find a picture of the ones with the NFDM. I’m pretty sure I put a thread up here about them a while back. I began adding it as a binder to keep the, from pulling away from the casings after cooking and it made a big difference.

edit: here is the thread with some pictures

Another snack stick thread...

Ok so I’ve done a couple of different batches before I joined this board and I was mostly pleased with my last batch. It got some really good reviews from friends who tried them but I’m still struggling with the casing not staying stuck to the meat. I’m not sure if there was too much water, too...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[fullborebbq]

10% fat seems low. I have some casing separation at 15 - 18% fat some times. 80% Beef,20% pork blend.

 

[JBPilot]

I was afraid that it might be a little bit low. I’ve got some extra beef fat from a brisket I just smoked, I may add a little more fat to it to see how that does. Thanks fullbore!

 

[fullborebbq]

I usually use 40% 80/20 ground chuck, 40% peeled knuckle (sirloin) and 20% pork loin. It is on the edge of to lean. But my customers love the snack sticks!

 

[DanMcG]

The pic's in the post you linked look good, I'm not sure what the issue is now.
Maybe try thawing out of the vac bag like Steve mentioned, or even in a paper bag in the frig.

 

[JBPilot]

Thanks for the help. I’ll give that a try!

 

[tropics]

Why do you freeze them if you vac sealed? I have a few bags in my fridge for months and they look fine.
Richie

 

[crazymoon]

JBP, Moisture will make the collagen casing seperate from the meat.As they thaw the moisture is trapped in the bag,I agree with Tropics about not freezing.

 

[JBPilot]

I wasn’t sure they’d last that long in my fridge. I made them a few weeks ago for Christmas with family and wanted to make sure they didn’t go bad before Christmas. Do you vac seal them then put them in the fridge or just store them in brown paper bag?

 

[tropics]

I vac sealed mine I made them

Snack Sticks in the PitBoss #4

Mixed an stuffed on Sunday Preheated the smoker lowest setting 150°F Sticks on the tray sausage rack coming soon TBS is great from start to finish only took 2.5 hours Taste is great Packed up ready to go fishing Thanks for watching Richie

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Richie

 

[DanMcG]

Sticks won't last forever in the fridge,
Here's a short but good read,

Snack sticks and refrigeration

Probably a dumb question (more of a food safety question) but how do most store your snack sticks after they are smoked? The assumption is they have cure in them and fully cooked during smoking (approx 160 degrees +/-). My main question is do they need to be refrigerated? If not, how long...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[JBPilot]

Great read, thanks for the reminder. I’d read that thread but it’s been a while and had forgotten about it. Thanks guys!

 

[chopsaw]

I went back and looked at the pic in your thread . Good lookin sticks . Looks to me like you got them stuffed tight , but the lean mix is shrinking smaller than the casing wants to go . If that makes sense .

I had some that were vac packed in the fridge , that got some mold spots on them . I agree that's the best way to hold them , but like said they won't last forever .

I would try a different casing next time . There was a post on here from Walton's web site , about the difference in casings and what to use them for . Pretty interesting .

 

[chopsaw]

Here it is . Some good info in this video .

Collagen Sausage Casings - Walton's

Collagen Sausage Casings are made from an edible material and are a popular choice when making snack sticks, brats, and other fresh or smoked sausages. They are ready to use straight from the package. Walton's has the highest quality casings and an enormous amount of helpful information...

www.waltonsinc.com

 

[JBPilot]

Thanks. These are casings from Walton’s that are for sticks. I’ll try adding a little more fat content and hopefully that will help them stay stuck better. Also I’ll not freeze them next time.