Snack Stick Seasoning Portions for Small Batches

[Libohunden]

Austin, I’m new to snack sticks, jerky, etc. I just bought an 11lb sausage stuffer from you to make snack sticks. I bought some of your Excalibur seasonings and some sure gel. I plan to start with the BBQ Smoked seasoning. My question is that I just want to make a 5lb or a 10lb batch. What’s the best way to portion out the seasoning/sure cure and sure gel so that I get the right amounts for each of these batches?

[Austin]

Libohunden
To convert seasonings to a smaller batch, you just need a couple simple calculations.
Basically, you take the weight of the seasoning package and divide it by the amount of meat it is meant to season, then multiple it by the number of pounds of meat in your batch.

To measure out the seasonings, you can use just about any small kitchen scale. Ounces or pounds can work, you just may have to convert between the two, but Google makes that easy. I use a Compact Digital Kitchen Scale for stuff like this, to be as exact as I can.

If you don’t have a scale to measure it out 100% perfectly, don’t sweat it. I’d still be comfortable dumping a bag of seasoning onto a cutting board and splitting out portions by eyeballing it to get 5 approximately equal piles of seasoning which would each do 5 lb of meat (5 x 5 = 25 lb total for the package). If you don’t use a scale, you won’t be quite as consistent from batch to batch, but you are not going to ruin anything by using a little extra or little less seasoning. I even typically use more seasoning than something calls for because I like the extra flavor and little bit extra saltiness.

Examples

BBQ Smoked Stick Seasoning and a 5 lb batch:
3.25 lb BBQ Smoked Stick seasoning per package
Take that weight and divide it by 25 lb (the amount the bag is meant to season)
Then, multiply it by 5 (or the amount of meat in your batch)
You get 0.65 lb
If you want to convert that to ounces, multiple it by 16, and you get 10.4 oz

Sure Gel for 5 lb batch example:
0.375 lb Sure Gel per package
Take 0.375 divided by 25 and you get 0.015
Then multiply 0.015 by 5 and you get 0.075 lb
Multiple that by 16 to convert to ounces, so 1.2 oz

Sure Cure for 5 lb batch example:
1 oz Sure Cure per package
1 divided by 25 and then multiply by 5 equals 0.2 oz (or 0.0125 lb)

Something like Sure Cure, since it starts out as only 1 oz per 25 lb of meat, may be hard to measure out perfectly even using a small kitchen scale, but just get as close as you can and don’t worry about being 100% absolutely perfect. You don’t want to use the whole 1 oz for 5 lb of meat, but if you split it out evenly to 5 portions (each then able to do a 5 lb batch) one of those portions will be close enough that you won’t have any problems if you just get as close as you can.

Let me know if I can help with anything else!

Good Luck!

[Libohunden]

What the heck? They said there would be no math!!! LOL

Thanks Austin! Wasn’t really expecting you to answer on a Sat night. I really appreciate it!

In the end, I decided to split the seasoning, sure cure and gel, in half to make it simple. I did use a digital kitchen scale though and put the other half in ziplocks for my next smoke.

I’m waiting for some bacon to finish and clean up my smoker before I stuff my snack sticks tonight. I’m looking forward to having some tomorrow!

Thanks again!

[Libohunden]

That is to do a 12.5lb batch that is…