First time snack sticks and thermo processing
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did you pre heat the smoker before starting ?
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Were the dampers open? I did an experiment this winter with mine. I did it outside at 6 degrees F in the snow. Still heated right up.
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@M-Saboe 1st, that low watt setting or whatever is pointless in my mind. I always run at full power, I think they put it in there to be able to have it qualify for some power saving thing or something. Only thing I can think of.
2nd seventeen is way too long. 21 outside temp is going to make things harder but still not 10 hour longer than a long smoke. I’m guessing a few things came into play here. Outside temp is one of them but I am guessing there was case hardening somehow. The fact that you set at 175 and it only reached 150 is beyond odd. To the point that I think you might have an issue with the PK100. I can set ours up in 20 ° and get it to 200° with minimal fuss. However, 2 qts is also beyond what I recommend. I tried to go back and pout notes on all How Tos that 1.5 is the top end of what you should use. Let me know if I missed one please! -
Also, this is a good time to point out that finishing up in water will save others this same issue. https://meatgistics.waltonsinc.com/topic/1099/cured-sausage-205-advanced-thermal-processing
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Open per the Meatgistics cooking schedule. Wide open for one hour at 125 then open 1/3 for the rest of the tine in the PK
@M-Saboe
I also agree that the Sous Vide method of finishing to temp really works well. In fact its my new thing. The PK100 imparts so much smoke flavor, that I no longer finish in it. Placing them in a sous vide bath does not lose the flavor of the smoke.
If you feel that there might be an issue with your smoker give this guy a call. He was very helpful to me when I was getting started with my PK100.
Bill Rink
Account Executive
PS Seasoning
Pro-Smoker & Roaster
800-328-8313
920-370-1684 cell
563-359-7967 Hm Office
billpsseasoning@aol.com -
I am struggling with my new PK100 getting meat sticks up to temperature. The first time I made snack sticks it took 30 hours or so.
I am on my second attempt. I have 25 pounds of meat sticks in the smoker. I am on hour 16. I have turned the temperature all the way to 250 degrees with 1250 watts. My internal temperature of my meat will not exceed 127 degrees. Outside temperature in Montana is -8 degrees.
Does does altitude along with outside temperature have that much effect on my new smoker?
Has anyone else struggled this much? I was really looking forward to finding great success with the PK100. -
I am struggling with my new PK100 getting meat sticks up to temperature. The first time I made snack sticks it took 30 hours or so.
I am on my second attempt. I have 25 pounds of meat sticks in the smoker. I am on hour 16. I have turned the temperature all the way to 250 degrees with 1250 watts. My internal temperature of my meat will not exceed 127 degrees. Outside temperature in Montana is -8 degrees.
Does does altitude along with outside temperature have that much effect on my new smoker?
Has anyone else struggled this much? I was really looking forward to finding great success with the PK100.taufrecht try putting a pan of warm/hot water in the smoker. The water will raise the humidity and convey the heat better. You can also heat some water in a turkey roaster to the temp of 177 degrees F and finish them off in the hot water bath until a IT of 160 degrees is reached. A lot of people are using the hot water bath/sous vide method to cut hours off the finishing time.
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Sous vide = going to bed at a decent hour.
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Modern smokers have a lot of controls and temp sensors which we have come to be very dependent on.
It is good to have an accurate backup thermometer that you can trust when things just don’t seem right. -
Sous vide = going to bed at a decent hour.
smokinbubba My first run of snack sticks with the sous vide was today.
“You never really die until you end up on the wall at a Cracker Barrel”
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smokinbubba My first run of snack sticks with the sous vide was today.
GWG8541 looking good. I use a turkey roaster right now, but will be going that route hopefully soon. It is like going going from bottling to kegging.
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I like my finished snack sticks somewhat dry and I am wondering about if that is even possible when finishing sticks in hot water? The only thing I can think of is letting them air dry in the refrigerator after all thermal processing is done, before packaging.
Paul
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I like my finished snack sticks somewhat dry and I am wondering about if that is even possible when finishing sticks in hot water? The only thing I can think of is letting them air dry in the refrigerator after all thermal processing is done, before packaging.
processhead I let mine air dry in the fridge and they get like a salami and a solid snap. Kabanosy makes a good stick, growing up the local shops would have them hanging on the rack with their other cured sausages in varying stages of dryness. Probably wouldn’t float today.
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processhead I let mine air dry in the fridge and they get like a salami and a solid snap. Kabanosy makes a good stick, growing up the local shops would have them hanging on the rack with their other cured sausages in varying stages of dryness. Probably wouldn’t float today.
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taufrecht 30 hours for snack sticks is way too long so there are a few things that could be going on here. (sorry, I know we’ve kind of moved on but I wanted to point this out)
You might have gotten case hardening, where the outside of the casing either cooks or dries too quickly. At -8 I hope you warmed up your smoker first and then tried to keep the doors open for short periods while you loaded it? Adding humidity is a good way to increase the thermal processing energy as it fights off the stall and helps convey the heat more effectively into the meat.
Last thing, it COULD be an issue with your PK-100. I remember someone else saying something similar recently. I hope they don’t have a bad batch of controllers or something out there. Using a thermometer that can check the ambient temperature in the smoker is probably idea.And, of course, finishing in water speeds everything up!
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