Snack Stick Help
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I have a bunch of liquid and or fat inside of my venison snack sticks…I started at a low temp (around 115) I mixed the meat better this time, what am I doing wrong?
AK Meats i agree with the advice you have been given so far. However, i think it is possible to keep your 70/30 ratio if you can get adequate protein extraction. I am assuming you are hand mixing since your batch size is only 5 lbs. I dont know how many times you ran your mix through a grinder. I have seen people do this up to 4 times, freezing in between grinds and adding ice to keep the mixture cold. I also recommend using a binder if you arent already. If you can get good protein extraction, your room for error on your cook schedule is larger, so you wont have to obsess about it as much. I would learn every trick that you can about getting good protein extraction. Once you get that figured out, everything else in the process goes a lot better.
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AK Meats i agree with the advice you have been given so far. However, i think it is possible to keep your 70/30 ratio if you can get adequate protein extraction. I am assuming you are hand mixing since your batch size is only 5 lbs. I dont know how many times you ran your mix through a grinder. I have seen people do this up to 4 times, freezing in between grinds and adding ice to keep the mixture cold. I also recommend using a binder if you arent already. If you can get good protein extraction, your room for error on your cook schedule is larger, so you wont have to obsess about it as much. I would learn every trick that you can about getting good protein extraction. Once you get that figured out, everything else in the process goes a lot better.
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IVERYAN sweet thanks for the tip!!! I used my kitchen aid to mix it…I think I could have mixed it more to get that protein extraction…and do you have any suggestions for a binder??
AK Meats alot of folks on here use sure gel. I have had good luck with soy protein. Carrot fiber is also an option. If you dont have any of that, I have used powdered milk in a pinch when I was out of the other stuff
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AK Meats I would use sure gel for a binder. It is milk based & contains phosphates to help with the binding. Protein extraction can be more difficult with wild game than beef or pork. It is just one more tool to make the process easier. As far as mixing goes, I would add all spices & additives to your meat 1st. Make sure your water mixed with plenty of crushed ice so it is as cold as possible. I would try not to add all the water at once. Try to add it slowly throughout the process to keep your meat from getting warm. This will allow you to mix your meat longer which will improve protein extraction & binding.
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Sure Gel… Game changer! Now use with all snack sticks and summer sausage.
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What equipment are you using to cook your sticks? Some smokers used for barbequing/grilling can be difficult to maintain at low temperatures needed for products like sticks.
Your fat out problem sounds like a classic case of finishing at too high of temperature.
Check what ever you are using to monitor the cook temps against a known-to-be- accurate thermometer. -
IVERYAN sweet thanks for the tip!!! I used my kitchen aid to mix it…I think I could have mixed it more to get that protein extraction…and do you have any suggestions for a binder??
AK Meats I have used suregel and had good luck with that, also when you think you have mixed enough see if it sticks to your hands and try and pull apart should stretch out before it breaks.
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AK Meats Looks like Hi Mountain uses maltodextrin as a filler/binder.
Since sure gel isn’t an option try nonfat milk powder to add more binding.
Also great advice that others have given and protein extraction can’t be stressed enough
Good Luck on your next batch! -
AK Meats Where in Alaska do you live. They could ship it to someone in the continental US then USPS it to AK rather than UPS. Ask Jon or Austin if they can use USPS to ship to you, if would certainly be much cheaper.
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Here is what johnsbrewhouse was talking about. Not sure what zone you are located in
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Here is what johnsbrewhouse was talking about. Not sure what zone you are located in
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Here is what johnsbrewhouse was talking about. Not sure what zone you are located in
twilliams I live in Washington State. I have shipped UPSP priority mail to AK a couple of times. We have several friends that live there.
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twilliams I live in Washington State. I have shipped UPSP priority mail to AK a couple of times. We have several friends that live there.
johnsbrewhouse hopefully they aren’t charging you 100 for shipping

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johnsbrewhouse hopefully they aren’t charging you 100 for shipping

AK Meats USPS isn’t, it went to somewhere near Ketchikan to a fishing community that had a PO. The others live in Anchorage.
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AK Meats USPS isn’t, it went to somewhere near Ketchikan to a fishing community that had a PO. The others live in Anchorage.
johnsbrewhouse that’s where I live is Ketchikan…they wanted 100 for shipping so I told them to cancel the order…I have soy protein on the way
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I agree with PapaSop on the sure-jel and I also like the “twang” the ECA gives.
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