Hammond. IN here. Been making jerky about 10 years, snack sticks about 2 years. I make a lot of chicken jerky, recommended by my doctor, he likes it too. I’m also a KCBS Master BBQ Judge and am in my 11th year. Planning on trying some different sausages soon.

seth I made a batch a week ago out of pork loin , a honey jerky seasoning and Hi-Temp Swiss cheese in 19mm collagen casings. Came out great!

I’ve been trying to cut back on sodium, so a lot of times I don’t add the cure to the mix. I always put my jerky in the fridge and a 5-10 pound batch is lucky to still be there after a week. One thing I do is take some of the meat, ground or whole muscle, and either cook it in the microwave or in a frying pan to get am idea of how it’s going to taste.

I have three kitchen scales that read in ounces, pounds, grams and kilograms. To change them, I just push a button. I even have one that gives nutritional value for many different foods in its 8000 food database including fast foods. It weighs in ounces or grams and when linked to a smart phone it can convert weights to different measurements, including by volume.