How To Make Homemade Snack Sticks
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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 What I do is resist the temptation to make the longest snack stick possible. I know its difficult to gauge the amount of casing you slide on the stuffing tube, but I try to go about half way. That way I have 2 -3 feet of snack stick not 4 or 5 feet.
I let those long snack sticks “rest” for about a day and right before I use them, I use a sharp knife and cut them to size then put them in the smoker or oven - providing you have trays to place them on …
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revid Super Bind is a combination of Carrot Fiber and Potato Starch, so you get water holding capacity from Carrot Fiber and the Potato Starch Gels at right about the same temperature that meat starts to really expel water, so it is able to absorb it. Super Bind is a little more expensive but is generally worth it in my mind, especially when using some wild game that you worked so hard to get. Carrot Fiber is a binder that holds 26 times its weight in water so it is very helpful in yield enhancement and giving you a juicier finished product.
If you are using 7 lb of Moose, 2lb pork fat and 3 lb of the regular pork I would use about 14-16 oz of water and 5 oz of Super Bind or 2 oz of Carrot Fiber.
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revid Super Bind is a combination of Carrot Fiber and Potato Starch, so you get water holding capacity from Carrot Fiber and the Potato Starch Gels at right about the same temperature that meat starts to really expel water, so it is able to absorb it. Super Bind is a little more expensive but is generally worth it in my mind, especially when using some wild game that you worked so hard to get. Carrot Fiber is a binder that holds 26 times its weight in water so it is very helpful in yield enhancement and giving you a juicier finished product.
If you are using 7 lb of Moose, 2lb pork fat and 3 lb of the regular pork I would use about 14-16 oz of water and 5 oz of Super Bind or 2 oz of Carrot Fiber.
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Jonathon thanks bud going to order some of that super bind now! Now anyone have a fav seasoning mix for game???
revid You can’t go wrong with the Willie’s, my family and I love it.
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How To Make Homemade Snack Sticks
Learn how to make homemade snack sticks with Walton's and Meatgistics. Watch the video, read the guide, and then post your questions or comments below
What Is A Snack Stick?
Snack Sticks are a meat snack and semi-dried sausage that are stuffed into a small diameter casing. Typically a collagen casing is used, but it is also acceptable to use natural casings or even make skinless snack sticks. Most snack sticks have a low pH from around 4.5 to 5.2, which is what gives them that familiar tangy flavor and is what helps aid in shelf stability. Another aid for shelf stability is a low water activity, which means binding water in the meat snacks to make it unavailable to support microbial growth. Water activity is not something that can be measured by a home meat processor, but we still set up our process and thermal processing to attempt to achieve a lower water activity. Snack sticks can be made from just about any type of meat, from beef, pork, chicken, other poultry, wild game, or a combination of meats. Walton’s recommends using a lean to fat ratio of at least 80/20, and many times a 30% fat ratio, with a maximum of 40% fat. Fat is where most of your flavor comes from so changing your lean to fat ratio will change the overall taste and mouthfeel of your product.
Meat Block
25lb 80/20 beef trim 1
Additives
1 package Excalibur Snack Stick Seasoning
1oz Sure Cure 2
6oz Sure Gel Meat Binder 3
4oz Encapsulated Citric Acid 4
2 to 3 lb High Temperature Cheese
19mm Collagen Casings
1 Quart Ice Cold Water 5
Process
Start the initial grind with a 3/8in (10mm) grinder plate, then grind a second time through a 1/8in (3mm) grinder plate. Always use a sharp grinder knife and plate. This will help you retain a better particle definition, color, and help prevent any smearing of the meat. If you cannot easily distinguish the lean from the fat when grinding, then it may be time for a new grinder plate and knife.
Meat Mixing
Using a meat mixer is preferred to hand mixing when making snack sticks. We need to make sure we get a lot of protein extraction, and that is a bit more difficult to achieve in hand mixing but still a possibility to do if you don’t have an actual meat mixer. We are going to want to mix for about 8 minutes, and we’ll want to reverse the direction of the mixing paddles every 1 minute. When you start the mixer, just start adding all the ingredients, except the Encapsulated Citric Acid and High Temp Cheese. These last two ingredients can be added in the last 45-60 seconds of the cycle, or just long enough to evenly disperse. Over mixing Encapsulated Citric Acid could lead to breaking the encapsulate and over mixing the cheese can lead to smearing and loss of shape.
Sausage Stuffing
Avoid creating air pockets when you load your sausage stuffer and begin stuffing until the casings are full with a smooth exterior. We will stuff into as long of ropes as we can, and then we’ll cut them to length when we actually hang on smoke sticks in the smokehouse.
Thermal Processing
For information on adding humidity to your smoke schedule go HERE
Either hang on smoke sticks or lay on racks in your smokehouse or oven. Just be sure to leave a slight gap between the snack sticks. A simple cooking schedule you can follow is here:
125F for 1 hour
140F for 1 hour
155F for 2 hours
175F until internal meat temp of 160FCooling
To help set the casing to the meat and also prevent wrinkling we need to shower the snack sticks when they are done cooking or put them in an ice water bath. It should only take around 10 minutes to get the temperature to drop down. Then, we’ll let them set out for about 1 hour before moving to the refrigerator/freezer. After we are totally done with the cooling process, then we will package in vacuum pouches for longer term storage.
Wrap up
It’s easy to get the basics on making snack sticks, but practice does make perfect. Walton’s has everything you need (except the meat) to make great snack sticks, plus we have the knowledge to help you perfect your own process. If you have any questions or need help in your process, please share your questions or comments below.
Notes
- Using a binder like Carrot Fiber, or Soy Protein Blend will not change how much water you put into your product.
- Place a small pan of water in the bottom of smokehouse during the entire cooking cycle to help increase humidity
If your smoker, smokehouse, dehydrator, or oven cannot reach temperatures as low as 125F, just start as low as possible and slowly increase the temperature over time
FootNotes
1. Or use 18 lb wild game meat and 7 lb pork fat or beef fat, though beef fat will have different texture and taste (Return to text)
2. Sure Cure packet is included with seasoning (Return to text)
3. Instead of Sure Gel also try 4 oz of Carrot Fiber (Return to text)
4. If you do not use a cure accelerator like Encapsulated Citric Acid or Smoked Meat Stabilizer, then after it has been stuffed into its casing hold in a refrigerator for approximately 12 hours or overnight (Return to text)
5. For Home Processors 2 Qts Will Make Stuffing Easier (Return to text)Watch WaltonsTV: How To Make Snack Sticks
Austin
I tried making snack sticks for the second time. This time I added citric acid for some tang. The mix never got sticky and when I stuffed the casing it was not smooth and the water seperated and ran out on the counter top. The meat was like little seperated lumps in the casings. After cooking, they tasted good, but the texture was like compressed saw dust. -
Austin
I tried making snack sticks for the second time. This time I added citric acid for some tang. The mix never got sticky and when I stuffed the casing it was not smooth and the water seperated and ran out on the counter top. The meat was like little seperated lumps in the casings. After cooking, they tasted good, but the texture was like compressed saw dust.mcmillenbr Need some more details. 5 pound batch? How much water are you using? I have never had water run out.
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Austin
I tried making snack sticks for the second time. This time I added citric acid for some tang. The mix never got sticky and when I stuffed the casing it was not smooth and the water seperated and ran out on the counter top. The meat was like little seperated lumps in the casings. After cooking, they tasted good, but the texture was like compressed saw dust.mcmillenbr I made sticks for the first time yesterday and smoked them today. I used a kit from LEM only because I got it on clearance for 5 bucks. Anyway, it is really salty but they looked good. I didn’t add any water to the batch, I did put a little worshteshire sauce but that’s it with the seasoning. I water bathed them at 155 then rehang them for about 4 hours to sweat and dry. Cut them up and vacuum sealed.
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mcmillenbr Need some more details. 5 pound batch? How much water are you using? I have never had water run out.
Lost River Jones
I was making a test batch of 1 lb. I used 1/4 C. ice water.
The cure I used was from Hi-Mountain snack stick kit, 2t. and 1 1/2 t. Citric acid. Besides different seasonings from last time the only difference was adding the citric acid for the tang. -
Lost River Jones
I was making a test batch of 1 lb. I used 1/4 C. ice water.
The cure I used was from Hi-Mountain snack stick kit, 2t. and 1 1/2 t. Citric acid. Besides different seasonings from last time the only difference was adding the citric acid for the tang.mcmillenbr 1/4 cup of water or roughly 2 ounces isn’t out of the question for one pound. With a one pound batch you might consider adding 1/3 ounce or roughly 10 grams of dried milk to hold the water better.
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Lost River Jones
I was making a test batch of 1 lb. I used 1/4 C. ice water.
The cure I used was from Hi-Mountain snack stick kit, 2t. and 1 1/2 t. Citric acid. Besides different seasonings from last time the only difference was adding the citric acid for the tang.mcmillenbr deplorablenc1
Sounds like one of the problems is not using supplies/seasoning from Walton’s!Seasoning really does make a difference in your product. I’d encourage you to try the Excalibur Seasoning at waltonsinc.com. The quality is unmatched. Also try adding a meat binder like Excalibur’s Sure Gel as well.
Sticky meat is from protein extraction, which requires protein, salt, and an adequate mixing process.
Inadequate salt content could be partially to blame. Salt is very important in making sausage, especially for protein extraction (another reason I’d use Excalibur Seasoning over over brands because a good seasoning plays an important role).
Mixing time and process is also probably a large portion of your problem.
It is very hard to get an adequate mix by hand mixing, especially on a 1 lb test batch. Using your hands is hard, compared to the mechanical action of a meat mixer, plus with your hands and just 1 lb of meat, you are going to raise the meat temperature very quickly and as the temperature raises, you will hit a point that protein extraction gets extremely difficult.To get the best end product, I’d switch to using an Excalibur Seasoning, add a meat binder like Sure Gel, and follow the rest of our process in the original post at the top of the page here, use a meat mixer, etc. If you follow the guidelines and use the products from Walton’s, that is the best way to make the best end product and avoid problems.
–Austin Walton
VP of Operations at Walton’s & Meatgistics HostShop waltons.com for Everything but the Meat!
Subscribe to WaltonsTV on YouTube (https://wltns.link/waltonstv) -
mcmillenbr deplorablenc1
Sounds like one of the problems is not using supplies/seasoning from Walton’s!Seasoning really does make a difference in your product. I’d encourage you to try the Excalibur Seasoning at waltonsinc.com. The quality is unmatched. Also try adding a meat binder like Excalibur’s Sure Gel as well.
Sticky meat is from protein extraction, which requires protein, salt, and an adequate mixing process.
Inadequate salt content could be partially to blame. Salt is very important in making sausage, especially for protein extraction (another reason I’d use Excalibur Seasoning over over brands because a good seasoning plays an important role).
Mixing time and process is also probably a large portion of your problem.
It is very hard to get an adequate mix by hand mixing, especially on a 1 lb test batch. Using your hands is hard, compared to the mechanical action of a meat mixer, plus with your hands and just 1 lb of meat, you are going to raise the meat temperature very quickly and as the temperature raises, you will hit a point that protein extraction gets extremely difficult.To get the best end product, I’d switch to using an Excalibur Seasoning, add a meat binder like Sure Gel, and follow the rest of our process in the original post at the top of the page here, use a meat mixer, etc. If you follow the guidelines and use the products from Walton’s, that is the best way to make the best end product and avoid problems.
Austin in my defense I just found the Waltons site and ordered a catalog. I will definitely be placing an order and trying out the products from you guys as soon as I window shop from the catalog. On my list first is high temp cheese, that is actually how I found this.
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mcmillenbr deplorablenc1
Sounds like one of the problems is not using supplies/seasoning from Walton’s!Seasoning really does make a difference in your product. I’d encourage you to try the Excalibur Seasoning at waltonsinc.com. The quality is unmatched. Also try adding a meat binder like Excalibur’s Sure Gel as well.
Sticky meat is from protein extraction, which requires protein, salt, and an adequate mixing process.
Inadequate salt content could be partially to blame. Salt is very important in making sausage, especially for protein extraction (another reason I’d use Excalibur Seasoning over over brands because a good seasoning plays an important role).
Mixing time and process is also probably a large portion of your problem.
It is very hard to get an adequate mix by hand mixing, especially on a 1 lb test batch. Using your hands is hard, compared to the mechanical action of a meat mixer, plus with your hands and just 1 lb of meat, you are going to raise the meat temperature very quickly and as the temperature raises, you will hit a point that protein extraction gets extremely difficult.To get the best end product, I’d switch to using an Excalibur Seasoning, add a meat binder like Sure Gel, and follow the rest of our process in the original post at the top of the page here, use a meat mixer, etc. If you follow the guidelines and use the products from Walton’s, that is the best way to make the best end product and avoid problems.
Austin
I actually just found this site while tryimg to figure out what went wrong. I ordered a couple things this morning. -
Austin
I actually just found this site while tryimg to figure out what went wrong. I ordered a couple things this morning.mcmillenbr deplorablenc1
I don’t want to pound you guys too hard! But, I do strongly believe you will get better results with our products and following our recipes, than you would with some of the other brands out there.
Glad to hear you’ve ordered, or will be!
If you ever need more help, definitely let us know, or post a new topic in the Community section, and you’ll get a ton of great input from both Walton’s and our other customers on the site! -
Austin
I actually just found this site while tryimg to figure out what went wrong. I ordered a couple things this morning.mcmillenbr I’m in the same boat! Just discovered this awesome site digging for info. Wish I had seen this a few days ago. Made sticks today and I think (from what I’ve learned here) I’m having a protien extraction problem. Seem to have moisture under my casing.
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revid It is our most Popular Snack Stick Seasoning and you can find it here (https://www.waltonsinc.com/willies-snack-stick-seasoning) for 25 lb or 100 lb batches.
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revid It is our most Popular Snack Stick Seasoning and you can find it here (https://www.waltonsinc.com/willies-snack-stick-seasoning) for 25 lb or 100 lb batches.
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How To Make Homemade Snack Sticks
Learn how to make homemade snack sticks with Walton's and Meatgistics. Watch the video, read the guide, and then post your questions or comments below
What Is A Snack Stick?
Snack Sticks are a meat snack and semi-dried sausage that are stuffed into a small diameter casing. Typically a collagen casing is used, but it is also acceptable to use natural casings or even make skinless snack sticks. Most snack sticks have a low pH from around 4.5 to 5.2, which is what gives them that familiar tangy flavor and is what helps aid in shelf stability. Another aid for shelf stability is a low water activity, which means binding water in the meat snacks to make it unavailable to support microbial growth. Water activity is not something that can be measured by a home meat processor, but we still set up our process and thermal processing to attempt to achieve a lower water activity. Snack sticks can be made from just about any type of meat, from beef, pork, chicken, other poultry, wild game, or a combination of meats. Walton’s recommends using a lean to fat ratio of at least 80/20, and many times a 30% fat ratio, with a maximum of 40% fat. Fat is where most of your flavor comes from so changing your lean to fat ratio will change the overall taste and mouthfeel of your product.
Meat Block
25lb 80/20 beef trim 1
Additives
1 package Excalibur Snack Stick Seasoning
1oz Sure Cure 2
6oz Sure Gel Meat Binder 3
4oz Encapsulated Citric Acid 4
2 to 3 lb High Temperature Cheese
19mm Collagen Casings
1 Quart Ice Cold Water 5Process
Start the initial grind with a 3/8in (10mm) grinder plate, then grind a second time through a 1/8in (3mm) grinder plate. Always use a sharp grinder knife and plate. This will help you retain a better particle definition, color, and help prevent any smearing of the meat. If you cannot easily distinguish the lean from the fat when grinding, then it may be time for a new grinder plate and knife.
Meat Mixing
Using a meat mixer is preferred to hand mixing when making snack sticks. We need to make sure we get a lot of protein extraction, and that is a bit more difficult to achieve in hand mixing but still a possibility to do if you don’t have an actual meat mixer. We are going to want to mix for about 8 minutes, and we’ll want to reverse the direction of the mixing paddles every 1 minute. When you start the mixer, just start adding all the ingredients, except the Encapsulated Citric Acid and High Temp Cheese. These last two ingredients can be added in the last 45-60 seconds of the cycle, or just long enough to evenly disperse. Over mixing Encapsulated Citric Acid could lead to breaking the encapsulate and over mixing the cheese can lead to smearing and loss of shape.
Sausage Stuffing
Avoid creating air pockets when you load your sausage stuffer and begin stuffing until the casings are full with a smooth exterior. We will stuff into as long of ropes as we can, and then we’ll cut them to length when we actually hang on smoke sticks in the smokehouse.
Thermal Processing
For information on adding humidity to your smoke schedule go HERE
Either hang on smoke sticks or lay on racks in your smokehouse or oven. Just be sure to leave a slight gap between the snack sticks. A simple cooking schedule you can follow is here:
125F for 1 hour
140F for 1 hour
155F for 2 hours
175F until internal meat temp of 160FCooling
To help set the casing to the meat and also prevent wrinkling we need to shower the snack sticks when they are done cooking or put them in an ice water bath. It should only take around 10 minutes to get the temperature to drop down. Then, we’ll let them set out for about 1 hour before moving to the refrigerator/freezer. After we are totally done with the cooling process, then we will package in vacuum pouches for longer term storage.
Wrap up
It’s easy to get the basics on making snack sticks, but practice does make perfect. Walton’s has everything you need (except the meat) to make great snack sticks, plus we have the knowledge to help you perfect your own process. If you have any questions or need help in your process, please share your questions or comments below.
Notes
- Using a binder like Carrot Fiber, or Soy Protein Blend will not change how much water you put into your product.
- Place a small pan of water in the bottom of smokehouse during the entire cooking cycle to help increase humidity
If your smoker, smokehouse, dehydrator, or oven cannot reach temperatures as low as 125F, just start as low as possible and slowly increase the temperature over time
FootNotes
1. Or use 18 lb wild game meat and 7 lb pork fat or beef fat, though beef fat will have different texture and taste (Return to text)
2. Sure Cure packet is included with seasoning (Return to text)
3. Instead of Sure Gel also try 4 oz of Carrot Fiber (Return to text)
4. If you do not use a cure accelerator like Encapsulated Citric Acid or Smoked Meat Stabilizer, then after it has been stuffed into its casing hold in a refrigerator for approximately 12 hours or overnight (Return to text)
5. For Home Processors 2 Qts Will Make Stuffing Easier (Return to text)Watch WaltonsTV: How To Make Snack Sticks
Austin
Is there a way to make snack sticks on dehydrator.
Thanks Rich -
mcmillenbr deplorablenc1
Sounds like one of the problems is not using supplies/seasoning from Walton’s!Seasoning really does make a difference in your product. I’d encourage you to try the Excalibur Seasoning at waltonsinc.com. The quality is unmatched. Also try adding a meat binder like Excalibur’s Sure Gel as well.
Sticky meat is from protein extraction, which requires protein, salt, and an adequate mixing process.
Inadequate salt content could be partially to blame. Salt is very important in making sausage, especially for protein extraction (another reason I’d use Excalibur Seasoning over over brands because a good seasoning plays an important role).
Mixing time and process is also probably a large portion of your problem.
It is very hard to get an adequate mix by hand mixing, especially on a 1 lb test batch. Using your hands is hard, compared to the mechanical action of a meat mixer, plus with your hands and just 1 lb of meat, you are going to raise the meat temperature very quickly and as the temperature raises, you will hit a point that protein extraction gets extremely difficult.To get the best end product, I’d switch to using an Excalibur Seasoning, add a meat binder like Sure Gel, and follow the rest of our process in the original post at the top of the page here, use a meat mixer, etc. If you follow the guidelines and use the products from Walton’s, that is the best way to make the best end product and avoid problems.
Austin The first time attempting making a snack stick the taste was ok, but I like that tang of Slim Jims. Well after some research I found that I needed citric acid forthat tang. Well, being new at this I went to the grocery store and picked up some citric acid. Big mistake, it was not encapsulated, thats why the meat immediately started clumping.
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mcmillenbr deplorablenc1
Sounds like one of the problems is not using supplies/seasoning from Walton’s!Seasoning really does make a difference in your product. I’d encourage you to try the Excalibur Seasoning at waltonsinc.com. The quality is unmatched. Also try adding a meat binder like Excalibur’s Sure Gel as well.
Sticky meat is from protein extraction, which requires protein, salt, and an adequate mixing process.
Inadequate salt content could be partially to blame. Salt is very important in making sausage, especially for protein extraction (another reason I’d use Excalibur Seasoning over over brands because a good seasoning plays an important role).
Mixing time and process is also probably a large portion of your problem.
It is very hard to get an adequate mix by hand mixing, especially on a 1 lb test batch. Using your hands is hard, compared to the mechanical action of a meat mixer, plus with your hands and just 1 lb of meat, you are going to raise the meat temperature very quickly and as the temperature raises, you will hit a point that protein extraction gets extremely difficult.To get the best end product, I’d switch to using an Excalibur Seasoning, add a meat binder like Sure Gel, and follow the rest of our process in the original post at the top of the page here, use a meat mixer, etc. If you follow the guidelines and use the products from Walton’s, that is the best way to make the best end product and avoid problems.
Austin you guys talk a lot mixing and the inability to get good protein extraction from hand mixing. A few of us make sticks in 5 pound batches - I am guessing its a function of the size of the stuffer. Anyway, all the mixers look to be 20 pound mixers. Are those any good with only 5 pounds of meat? Or does the meat get lost in the mixer because there is not enough? What mixer do you recommend for a 5 pound batch? Finally, what does a properly mixed batch look like? Thanks.
I’ve really made great strides in stack stick making because of hanging out here.
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