How To Make Homemade Snack Sticks
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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 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
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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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.
Lost River Jones I think the 20 lb mixer would be a bit large for that amount. Earlier today I used my kitchenaid bowl mixer with the paddle attachment and did roughly 5 lbs… It worked very well. Jonathon and Austin have posted several good videos that explain the texture you should be looking for. The video below has a description at about the 2:00 minute mark
https://meatgistics.waltonsinc.com/topic/763/cured-sausage-106-basics-of-making-snack-sticks
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fourgonefishn I personally would not do snack sticks on a dehydrator. That doesn’t mean it cannot be done, but I think you will end up with a much better product by using a smoker. If you don’t have a smoker, then I’d use an oven, and dehydrator would be my last choice. A dehydrator just doesn’t have a high enough temperature to completely cook meat snacks. You could start some of the lower temps of the cook cycle with a dehydrator, but finishing in a smoker or oven would be ideal.
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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.
Lost River Jones I would do as Joe Hell is saying, and use a kitchenaid or planetary mixer for a batch of 5 lb or less. I don’t know of an actual meat mixer than will adequately mix only 5 lb at a time. I have used planetary mixers before though, and they work well.
The look of a properly mixed batch is hard to describe. The feel is easier. It should be extremely sticky, and at the point where it will stretch if you grab a handful and pull it apart. It will also stick so much to your hands/gloves that it is hard to get completely off after picking it up. -
I’m Mr. Smallbatch. I mostly make things for me.
So in reality, 5 pounds is a big batch for me.
I am a pig, so I do gobble it up. But 5 lbs. is a big amount for an old guy who mostly eats it myself.
So… I use the wife’s KitchenAid, make 1-5 pound batches, stuff with a 5 pound stuffer.
So I only use the stand mixer as my grinder/mixer.
I like Willie’s Snack Sticks Mix, but also like home mixed ingredients, and Hot Italian Sausage Mix for snack sticks.
But the underlying theme for me is I do smaller batches. So I cannot justify to myself having the mass quantity type of equipment for my piddly needs.
Being retired, I tend to have more time than money or volume needs.
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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.
mcmillenbr The acid will denature the proteins as you are extracting them from the meat, it is actually pretty interesting to watch happen. I’m sorry it happened to you but it is a good lesson to learn early on! Remember to add the Encapsulated Citric Acid during the last 60 seconds of mixing and to keep it above 130° for at least 1 hour. That second part isnt usually a problem as it almost always takes over an hour to get from 130-160.
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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.
Lost River Jones Yes, that is exactly what happens, the meat isnt enough to let the paddles be effective. Like Joe Hell says we do have a few videos that should show you what protein extraction looks like. It can be done with hand in small batches, I do it fairly often when I am making test batches but it takes a while and I HATE how cold it makes my hands. A good tip I got from someone, and I wish I remembered who it was, was to put the String Knit Gloves under oversized nitrile gloves and that has made a huge difference for me. Just a tip!
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I’m Mr. Smallbatch. I mostly make things for me.
So in reality, 5 pounds is a big batch for me.
I am a pig, so I do gobble it up. But 5 lbs. is a big amount for an old guy who mostly eats it myself.
So… I use the wife’s KitchenAid, make 1-5 pound batches, stuff with a 5 pound stuffer.
So I only use the stand mixer as my grinder/mixer.
I like Willie’s Snack Sticks Mix, but also like home mixed ingredients, and Hot Italian Sausage Mix for snack sticks.
But the underlying theme for me is I do smaller batches. So I cannot justify to myself having the mass quantity type of equipment for my piddly needs.
Being retired, I tend to have more time than money or volume needs.pauliedmondsjr Im not sure if you saw our Live Stream on February 28th or not but we did have someone recommend using the kitchen aid mixer. Austin and I quickly discussed it and there is no reason it should not work. However, be careful as someone else sent in a chat saying they broke their wife’s kitchen aid doing this! Not sure how they did that but just something to be aware of!
Get more help with your processing questions and learn more about processing meat by subscribing to our waltonsinc.com youtube page at https://wltns.link/waltonstv I am a Gorilla, love yourself
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pauliedmondsjr Im not sure if you saw our Live Stream on February 28th or not but we did have someone recommend using the kitchen aid mixer. Austin and I quickly discussed it and there is no reason it should not work. However, be careful as someone else sent in a chat saying they broke their wife’s kitchen aid doing this! Not sure how they did that but just something to be aware of!
Jonathon
Hi Jonathon!
Yes, it is entirely possible to blow up a mixers gearbox. A friend of mine did that when he added ice to meat he was grinding.
Destroyed the gearbox of his wife’s mixer.
I tend to err towards the other side, and I’m very careful to not over tax the KitchenToy mixer. I run it at the lowest to lower speeds.
Still learning, (always learning) I’m not in a hurry, but so far the mixer has worked great for my micro brew batches.
And the wife has been cool about it. She actually suggested I look into a grinder attachment for it. I found a stainless steel aftermarket I liked and got that.
I’m always mindful to avoid forcing it.
A Friend of mine once told me, “A Poor Man has Poor ways. But they can work.”
I did catch some of your live stream, but unfortunately, it was moving to slow for me to stick around. Hint, hint… -
pauliedmondsjr Im not sure if you saw our Live Stream on February 28th or not but we did have someone recommend using the kitchen aid mixer. Austin and I quickly discussed it and there is no reason it should not work. However, be careful as someone else sent in a chat saying they broke their wife’s kitchen aid doing this! Not sure how they did that but just something to be aware of!
Jonathon My mixer fears no meat! I actually have the Kenmore stand mixer which is a higher wattage cousin of the kitchenaid (but less expensive!) that uses all of the same attachments. I just refer to it as a kitchenaid so people know what I’m talking about. The meat was no where near as stiff as a batch of bagel dough…which sometimes causes my bowl to dismount from the mixer as it kneads. lol.
Better Living Through BBQ!
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Jonathon My mixer fears no meat! I actually have the Kenmore stand mixer which is a higher wattage cousin of the kitchenaid (but less expensive!) that uses all of the same attachments. I just refer to it as a kitchenaid so people know what I’m talking about. The meat was no where near as stiff as a batch of bagel dough…which sometimes causes my bowl to dismount from the mixer as it kneads. lol.
Joe Hell that works!! ! This pic has 10lbs in a 20lb mixer. I never tried going down to 5 but I think if I did I would use your method with my wife’s mixer!
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Joe Hell that works!! ! This pic has 10lbs in a 20lb mixer. I never tried going down to 5 but I think if I did I would use your method with my wife’s mixer!
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deplorablenc1 The 20 lb mixer does great with a load of 10-12 lbs! My only regret with my 5 lb batch of snack sticks is that I only made 5 lbs. The product turned out so well that I can barely stop eating them.
Joe Hell I am going to make a 25# batch next weekend as I got the notification my Waltons order shipped!!!
I was going to post the fun from this weekend and recipe making pickled venison heart but for some reason the site doesnt give me the option to post anymore.
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