How To Make Homemade Snack Sticks
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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.
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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. -
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. -
deplorablenc1 I noticed that I can’t start a new topic either. I’m sure Austin and Jonathon are working on it.
Joe Hell deplorablenc1
Sorry guys… Something went wrong and I never noticed until now. Looks like the create topic permission was dropped somehow. Things are back, and you can create new topics in the Community section again!–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) -
Joe Hell deplorablenc1
Sorry guys… Something went wrong and I never noticed until now. Looks like the create topic permission was dropped somehow. Things are back, and you can create new topics in the Community section again! -
Joe Hell deplorablenc1
Sorry guys… Something went wrong and I never noticed until now. Looks like the create topic permission was dropped somehow. Things are back, and you can create new topics in the Community section again!Austin thank you! I like this board! I wasn’t sure if I was getting kicked out like on Twitter…haha
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Hey Austin,
Sorry if this question has come up already and I missed it! I am very new to snack stick/sausage making so this may be a simple question. My question is can you use bacon grease/ pork fat drippings in venison recipes, specifically using it in sausages/snack sticks. My only concern would be the soft fat would liquify fast and make the texture of the sausage weird. Side note: if I can’t use it for sausages can I at least use the lard to bind burgers better? Or should I discard the tub of pork fat I’ve been collecting?
Thanks,
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nbian1 At the end you say tub of pork fat, is that fat that has rendered and then solidified? I’ve never done that but there isn’t any huge reason why it wouldnt work, it is not as good as normal pork fat but it is better than nothing for sure! I dont see any issue with using it for either sausage or burgers. I’d probably use a binder in the sausage just to be safe though, but I use a binder any time I am making a cured product though.
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nbian1 At the end you say tub of pork fat, is that fat that has rendered and then solidified? I’ve never done that but there isn’t any huge reason why it wouldnt work, it is not as good as normal pork fat but it is better than nothing for sure! I dont see any issue with using it for either sausage or burgers. I’d probably use a binder in the sausage just to be safe though, but I use a binder any time I am making a cured product though.
Jonathon Thanks for the response. To answer your question, yes. I have saved up a small Tupperware container full of rendered pork fat and bacon drippings, assuming i could use in recipes just as i would the normal pork fat that i would grind up. I will try doing 2 batches: 1 with ground fat and 1 with the rendered fat and see if any difference at all occurs. And i do use a binder, the sure gel binder i believe it is. Thanks again!
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I can’t offer anything definitive about using rendered pork fat or Bacon drippings VS trimmed pork fat.
But thinking about your tub, it contains cooked fat. Where the mixtures called for usually mean for raw pork fat for a mixture with meat, which gets cooked as a mixture.
So if I was to want to substitute rendered grease for actual raw pork fat, I think you might get something less desirable in the end.But you could try some small batches, keep good notes on your trial runs about volumes of meat, fat, and rendered grease added, then process exactly the same. (ie: Smoke/cook as a batch to see what happens.)
You are talking about venturing into new territory, so you would need to do the research and catalog your results.
(Which like anything in cooking, is a general recipe. Then the success or failure has to do with a lot of other factors.)Me? I’m sticking with whole fats and shotgun estimates of fat content. People posting definitive volumes or weights tend to get a sharp stick from me. I’ve never bought a Pork Boston Butt that had exactly the same fat content as the others bought at the same time. Think about it… each one comes from a different animal. (Unless you actually raised the Porker.)
So saying a piece of meat has 25% fat is subjective. It might actually be 22-28%Chewing on all that, I do love my eggs fried in bacon drippings. So I tend to keep a small mason jar of bacon grease on hand.
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Jonathon Thanks for the response. To answer your question, yes. I have saved up a small Tupperware container full of rendered pork fat and bacon drippings, assuming i could use in recipes just as i would the normal pork fat that i would grind up. I will try doing 2 batches: 1 with ground fat and 1 with the rendered fat and see if any difference at all occurs. And i do use a binder, the sure gel binder i believe it is. Thanks again!
nbian1 In a somewhat related topic, if the rendered fat isn’t the ideal choice for your snack sticks it is an absolute game changer in regards to making tamales. The bacon fat makes for a smoother and creamier texture. Tamales would be excellent stuffed with any number of fresh sausage options. It can be a time consuming process but the reward is well worth it. They are excellent to freeze and reheat quickly in the microwave. We had tamale parties at work every year and then the employees had free meals and snacks for months. It was great! We used all sorts of wild game and everyone loved them.
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nbian1 In a somewhat related topic, if the rendered fat isn’t the ideal choice for your snack sticks it is an absolute game changer in regards to making tamales. The bacon fat makes for a smoother and creamier texture. Tamales would be excellent stuffed with any number of fresh sausage options. It can be a time consuming process but the reward is well worth it. They are excellent to freeze and reheat quickly in the microwave. We had tamale parties at work every year and then the employees had free meals and snacks for months. It was great! We used all sorts of wild game and everyone loved them.
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Joe Hell
Hey Joe, Does anybody know where I can get Tamale casings for my stuffer.
And what the heck sized tube would I need???Got your leg… pullin it.
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