How To Make Homemade Snack Sticks
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I have really been struggling with making snack sticks, with several failed attempts to the point I’m almost ready to give up.
My issue isn’t flavor, its look and texture. I cannot get that tight, lightly wrinkled look of a snack stick. My meat just doesn’t seem to bind to the casing like it should. The casing always ends up kind of loose, and when you bite into it or try and break a piece in half, the casing and meat separate which is pretty unappetizing.
I am using wild game meat, and I have been experimenting with fat ratios, some batches I know I have done too lean.
I haven’t been adding the protein binder, or citric acid (I am not sure why, not reading the recipe correct I guess) but this next batch I plan to use it and see if that helps, if I fail again though I’m ready to throw in the towel, its getting frustrating so I’d love some help and input. Snack sticks are a great way to eat up ground wild game but it sure is kicking my butt so far.
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I have really been struggling with making snack sticks, with several failed attempts to the point I’m almost ready to give up.
My issue isn’t flavor, its look and texture. I cannot get that tight, lightly wrinkled look of a snack stick. My meat just doesn’t seem to bind to the casing like it should. The casing always ends up kind of loose, and when you bite into it or try and break a piece in half, the casing and meat separate which is pretty unappetizing.
I am using wild game meat, and I have been experimenting with fat ratios, some batches I know I have done too lean.
I haven’t been adding the protein binder, or citric acid (I am not sure why, not reading the recipe correct I guess) but this next batch I plan to use it and see if that helps, if I fail again though I’m ready to throw in the towel, its getting frustrating so I’d love some help and input. Snack sticks are a great way to eat up ground wild game but it sure is kicking my butt so far.
weatherbow21 I’d try a few things. First, without a question you should use a binder if you are having texture issues, my favorite is the Carrot Binder, it’s an easy to use and inexpensive way to get a better consistency and bind. If you are going to use the Encapsulated Citric Acid just make sure you go right from stuffing to smoking, do not hold it for 12 hours like you would if you were not using it.
Next watch this video on protein extraction https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wStH-RtQUY8 it does a decent job showing you what proper protein extraction looks like and generally how long it will take to get there. If I had to guess I would say that your problems are stemming from this step, make sure the product is sticky before stuffing it into the casings.
Make sure your fat ratio is in the 20% range. That can sometimes be hard to figure out with wild game so I would recommend that you try making a batch out of pork or beef that you get from a grocery store and know what the fat content is, use binder here as well. Once you have a batch or two of this under your belt go back to wild game.
Just in case you haven’t watched it we do have a snack stick video that goes through every step pretty thoroughly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D4_SyN4TX0
Two other things that could be playing a part here are your cook schedule and what type of casings you are using and how full you are stuffing them. Ideally your cook schedule would be 125F for 1 hour, 140F for 1 hour, 155F for 2 hours and then 175F until internal meat temp of 160F(for more information on this check out this post https://meatgistics.waltonsinc.com/topic/182/how-to-make-homemade-snack-sticks-recipe). If you can not set your smoker to 125°F just set it as low as your smoker will go, if that is 150°F then set it to 150° and leave it at that temp for about 2 to 2.5 hours. For the stuffing you want to be using smoked collagen snack sticks and you want to stuff them until they are full and smooth.
I hope this helps, don’t give up, like you said snack sticks are a great way to use your wild game!
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I’m getting ready to make my first batch of snack sticks have a few questions.
If I’m using venison and pork fat would I use the Smoked Meat Stabilizer and the Citric Acid, or just the stabilizer?
If both, then in what quantity? The recipe calls for 4 oz of citric acid. The info on the stabilizer says 2 oz for 25 lbs. Would I use those amounts or just 2 oz of citric acid with the 2 oz of stabilizer?
I understand that you don’t want to store the sticks overnight if you use the acid or stabilizer, but if you don’t use them do you also lose the tangy flavor?
And finally, could I also use beef fat instead of pork fat? Would that change anything else in the recipe?
Thanks for the all of the great info you provide! It’s very helpful and informative.
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I’m getting ready to make my first batch of snack sticks have a few questions.
If I’m using venison and pork fat would I use the Smoked Meat Stabilizer and the Citric Acid, or just the stabilizer?
If both, then in what quantity? The recipe calls for 4 oz of citric acid. The info on the stabilizer says 2 oz for 25 lbs. Would I use those amounts or just 2 oz of citric acid with the 2 oz of stabilizer?
I understand that you don’t want to store the sticks overnight if you use the acid or stabilizer, but if you don’t use them do you also lose the tangy flavor?
And finally, could I also use beef fat instead of pork fat? Would that change anything else in the recipe?
Thanks for the all of the great info you provide! It’s very helpful and informative.
Darrel Great question on the use of Citric Acid and Smoked Meat Stabilizer in the same batch! You do not need to use them together as they are performing basically the same function. The Encapsulated Citric Acid is what provides the tang to the meat where the Smoked Meat Stabilizer does not. Sof if you are wanting the tang then use the Citric Acid and if you do not want the tang then add the smoked meat stabilizer.
You can use beef fat in place of pork fat, it will give you a slightly different flavor but will not change your process.
I hope this helped, let us know if you have any other questions!
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Darrel Great question on the use of Citric Acid and Smoked Meat Stabilizer in the same batch! You do not need to use them together as they are performing basically the same function. The Encapsulated Citric Acid is what provides the tang to the meat where the Smoked Meat Stabilizer does not. Sof if you are wanting the tang then use the Citric Acid and if you do not want the tang then add the smoked meat stabilizer.
You can use beef fat in place of pork fat, it will give you a slightly different flavor but will not change your process.
I hope this helped, let us know if you have any other questions!
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Jonathon Thanks for that. So using citric acid alone is fine with venison? The way I read it in the product info, smoked meat stabilizer was intended for wild game. If I use citric acid at 4oz/25lbs will I get the same safe result as the stabilizer?
Darrel Yes, using just citric acid is fine with Venison. If you use the Citric Acid you will end up with the same safe result you would get from the smoked meat stabilizer with the added benefit of the tang since the Citric Acid is going to lower the pH of the meat.
Let us know if you have any other questions!
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Darrel Yes, using just citric acid is fine with Venison. If you use the Citric Acid you will end up with the same safe result you would get from the smoked meat stabilizer with the added benefit of the tang since the Citric Acid is going to lower the pH of the meat.
Let us know if you have any other questions!
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toby-wall I usually don’t smoke for the first hour as smoke won’t adhere then anyway. I then usually leave it on the rest of the time as the smoke from the wood chips usually burns out of my pan in about 2 hours which is as long as I want to apply smoke anyway. If you are working with a commercial smoker where you can constantly pump in smoke then I would say do it from 140° until you jump the temp to 175°.
Some people like a lighter smoke and some like a heavier smoke but I usually recommend changing the type of smoke you are using for that instead of the amount of smoke. For example I tend to like a light smoke on things like chicken so I use Pecan or Apple which have a little lighter smoke flavor than Mesquite or Hickory.
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toby-wall I usually don’t smoke for the first hour as smoke won’t adhere then anyway. I then usually leave it on the rest of the time as the smoke from the wood chips usually burns out of my pan in about 2 hours which is as long as I want to apply smoke anyway. If you are working with a commercial smoker where you can constantly pump in smoke then I would say do it from 140° until you jump the temp to 175°.
Some people like a lighter smoke and some like a heavier smoke but I usually recommend changing the type of smoke you are using for that instead of the amount of smoke. For example I tend to like a light smoke on things like chicken so I use Pecan or Apple which have a little lighter smoke flavor than Mesquite or Hickory.
Jonathon So this may seem like a really dumb question, but how do you hang the meat in the smoker. I assume I just loop over the smoke stick and then make one big continuous loop across the stick alternating up across and down from side to side over the smoke stick until I get it all on there? I assume if I cut prior to cooking my 30% fat to meat ratio would mean it would heat up to melt the pork fat and I would have meat running out of casings to the bottom of my smoker.
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Jonathon So this may seem like a really dumb question, but how do you hang the meat in the smoker. I assume I just loop over the smoke stick and then make one big continuous loop across the stick alternating up across and down from side to side over the smoke stick until I get it all on there? I assume if I cut prior to cooking my 30% fat to meat ratio would mean it would heat up to melt the pork fat and I would have meat running out of casings to the bottom of my smoker.
SierraPete Those aren’t stupid questions at all, very good questions that I would bet a lot of people have! You are correct on how to hang them, keep looping them over smoke sticks until either it is full or you have gotten them all in there.
As for the fat melting out yes, this is definitely a concern. You can prevent this from happening by getting a good bind between your water, meat and fat by getting the correct amount of protein extraction and using a binder. We did a video about “fatting out” and protein extraction that should help you with this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wStH-RtQUY8 . Let me know if you have any other questions!
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Can I make snack sticks with just using ground beef with out adding any pork.
Without adding pork should I add Soy Protein as a binder.We butchered two cows and made all the meat into hamburger and trying to make a lot of beef sticks.
Any suggestions are appreciated.
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Can I make snack sticks with just using ground beef with out adding any pork.
Without adding pork should I add Soy Protein as a binder.We butchered two cows and made all the meat into hamburger and trying to make a lot of beef sticks.
Any suggestions are appreciated.
IcePro Yes you can absolutely make snack sticks out of 100% ground beef, lots of people do this with great results. The question on adding a binder is going to depend on the fat content of the ground beef you are using and since it sounds like you ground it yourself since you butchered the cows (good job by the way, doesn’t get any fresher/cleaner than that!) you might not know the fat content? If you do and it is less than 20% fat then yes I would add a binder but I would probably add Carrot Fiber instead, it’s about the same price, holds 26 times its weight in water, allergen free and does a better job in my mind.
Let us know if you need anything else!
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IcePro Yes you can absolutely make snack sticks out of 100% ground beef, lots of people do this with great results. The question on adding a binder is going to depend on the fat content of the ground beef you are using and since it sounds like you ground it yourself since you butchered the cows (good job by the way, doesn’t get any fresher/cleaner than that!) you might not know the fat content? If you do and it is less than 20% fat then yes I would add a binder but I would probably add Carrot Fiber instead, it’s about the same price, holds 26 times its weight in water, allergen free and does a better job in my mind.
Let us know if you need anything else!
Jonathon Thanks for the impute, I will use the Soy Protein as binder for now since I do not have the Carrot Fiber at this time (will need to order) and I have 50# of ground beef thawing out for tomorrow.
How do you determine the fat content on meat when processing your self?
Thanks
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Jonathon Thanks for the impute, I will use the Soy Protein as binder for now since I do not have the Carrot Fiber at this time (will need to order) and I have 50# of ground beef thawing out for tomorrow.
How do you determine the fat content on meat when processing your self?
Thanks
IcePro Sounds good, there is nothing wrong with Soy Protein Blend, it should work just fine for you. For how to tell fat content at home there really isn’t a way, it requires specialized equipment. Hope the sticks come out good!
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I made my first batch of snack sticks yesterday. I used citric acid. I was not able to fit every thing in my smoker and part of the batch had to sit in the fridge overnight. Can I still use them or do I need to trash them.
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mesbilawson Great question, you do not need to trash them at all. Depending on the temperature they have been held at and a few other factors you might get some crumbly edges after smoking them but there is no danger to smoking and eating them and the taste should still be fine!
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mesbilawson Great question, you do not need to trash them at all. Depending on the temperature they have been held at and a few other factors you might get some crumbly edges after smoking them but there is no danger to smoking and eating them and the taste should still be fine!
Jonathon Thank you so much. We are very excited to make more snack sticks. We ordered more supplies today!
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mesbilawson That’s awesome, hope your next batch is as good as the first!
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