Top 5 Mistakes Made When Making Homemade Snack Sticks!
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phoffman Without more information the only thing I can think of is the seasoning (or another additive) did not mix in well enough with the meat, fat and water and some of it did not dissolve. That could be what you are feeling when you bite into it?
What seasoning did you use? Were there any additives like Citric Acid or a binder? What casings did you use? How much water did you add and how much protein extraction did you get? Give me as much information as possible on your process and I will see if I can pinpoint any other possible issues!
A close up picture of the snack stick diameter might be helpful as well.
Jonathon Thanks for the quick response. I am making my own seasoning and there are some flavors used in it as well. The composition of 1 lb is roughly:
70% Beef (80/20)
15% Pork (70/30)
Excalibur Sure Gel (used at recommended level)
Prague powder (used at recommended level)
4% seasoning and flavor
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
These ingredients were mixed in a stand mixer for 10 minutes and Encapsulated Citric added at the last second of mixing
They were stuffed into Walton’s 16mm smoked collagen casings
Thanks again for any insight you may have!
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Jonathon Thanks for the quick response. I am making my own seasoning and there are some flavors used in it as well. The composition of 1 lb is roughly:
70% Beef (80/20)
15% Pork (70/30)
Excalibur Sure Gel (used at recommended level)
Prague powder (used at recommended level)
4% seasoning and flavor
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
These ingredients were mixed in a stand mixer for 10 minutes and Encapsulated Citric added at the last second of mixing
They were stuffed into Walton’s 16mm smoked collagen casingsThanks again for any insight you may have!
phoffman Thanks for the information. If we leave out the possibility of one of your ingredients in your home mix being the culprit then the most likely issue is the Worcestershire Sauce. It can denature the meat quickly which could be the cause of your issue. On your next batch I would say leave that out and see if it fixes it! Let us know if we can be of any further assistance.
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That’s a great question but a difficult one to answer! Usually, Worcestershire Sauce will have a pH of 3.6 - 4.1 while Soy Sauce has 4.4 - 5.4. Negative pH (below 7) can cause denaturing in your meat and if you have something like the 3.6 (low range of the Worcestershire Sauce) it can cause issues even when added in smaller amounts.
If you look at the ingredients in Mandarin Teriyaki Snack Stick or Sweet Teriyaki Jerky (you can do this by scrolling down and then clicking on “Additional Info” button) you will see Soy Sauce as an ingredient, so it can absolutely be added, it just needs to be in the correct amount. This is a major reason that we recommend prepackaged seasonings, your at home recipe can be wonderful but it also has the potential to destroy your products.
So, if you are going to experiment with Sauces with a negative pH then my advice is to start at very low concentrations and work your way up till you find a good amount that provides the taste you are looking for and does not negatively affect your finished product.
Anyone else have any suggestions?
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Question: This article mentions “filler”. I have been stuffing sausage and sticks using dehydrated milk as a recommended filler. Does that serve the same purpose? Also, I put Prague #1 in all that I’m going to slow smoke, but some call for ascorbic acid. What is the purpose of the cure and the acid?
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Question: This article mentions “filler”. I have been stuffing sausage and sticks using dehydrated milk as a recommended filler. Does that serve the same purpose? Also, I put Prague #1 in all that I’m going to slow smoke, but some call for ascorbic acid. What is the purpose of the cure and the acid?
Screamin
Dehydrated milk can function as a binder, but not as good as one of the binders we sell (https://www.waltonsinc.com/seasonings/additives)
There are more efficient binders out there, or couple the dehydrated milk with additional ingredients, and you get our Sure Gel Meat Binder. It can definitely play a role and work, but I’d prefer using another binder, or Sure Gel for the extra ingredients.Ascorbic acid functions as a cure accelerator and help protect the cured color of a product during storage. The cure is what helps us make a safer product by killing bacteria. Low cooking temperatures with snack sticks, sausage, jerky, etc. creates a perfect environment for botulism spores. Botulism can create a potentially fatal toxin and is one of the main causes of food poisoning each year, so we use nitrite in cure to retard the growth of spores. Cured meats can also have a different color, different texture, and a slightly different taste that people are familiar and accustom to.
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Screamin
Dehydrated milk can function as a binder, but not as good as one of the binders we sell (https://www.waltonsinc.com/seasonings/additives)
There are more efficient binders out there, or couple the dehydrated milk with additional ingredients, and you get our Sure Gel Meat Binder. It can definitely play a role and work, but I’d prefer using another binder, or Sure Gel for the extra ingredients.Ascorbic acid functions as a cure accelerator and help protect the cured color of a product during storage. The cure is what helps us make a safer product by killing bacteria. Low cooking temperatures with snack sticks, sausage, jerky, etc. creates a perfect environment for botulism spores. Botulism can create a potentially fatal toxin and is one of the main causes of food poisoning each year, so we use nitrite in cure to retard the growth of spores. Cured meats can also have a different color, different texture, and a slightly different taste that people are familiar and accustom to.
Austin Thanks so much for your quick reply. I think I’ll get some of your Carrot binder. Sounds like it will do the job and have an application in thickening some of the sauces I create. So, just to be sure, if I use Prague #1 cure and ascorbic acid, what I’ll really doing is adding some additional insurance against bacteria and if I mix one day and stuff the next the combination will be ok? Again, thanks for the information.
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Austin Thanks so much for your quick reply. I think I’ll get some of your Carrot binder. Sounds like it will do the job and have an application in thickening some of the sauces I create. So, just to be sure, if I use Prague #1 cure and ascorbic acid, what I’ll really doing is adding some additional insurance against bacteria and if I mix one day and stuff the next the combination will be ok? Again, thanks for the information.
Screamin I would not mix one day and stuff the next. Once you add the cure and mix, it will start working as you hold the product overnight. You can mix, stuff, and then hold overnight (if not using an additive like ascorbic acid or encapsulated citric acid). With the cure in there, the product will start to firm up and when you stuff the next day, it will become next to impossible to get it out of most any stuffer. Once you start and add cure, you need to get it into casings that same day.
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Is this everything i need. Besides the meat -
TIMFOWLER7184 No, it looks like you purchased from the wrong supplier?!
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TIMFOWLER7184 No, it looks like you purchased from the wrong supplier?!
Jonathon I bought all this before I found this forum.
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TIMFOWLER7184 Just having a good time, no worries! I’ve been out of office for a while so I was just running through all the posts I missed. The only thing I’d point out is that Encapsulated Citric Acid should only be used when making a cured sausage and if you are making cured sausage then Sure Gel is a better binder. Carrot fiber helps as it will allow your product to retain more moisture but it doesn’t aid you in protein extraction like the sure gel would.
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