Last weekend I made a 25lb batch of snacks sticks with the Nacho cheese seasoning. My recipe was 100% pork trimmings (approx 25-30% fat), 2.5 lbs of high temp cheddar cheese & no ECA. I did not use a cure accelerator, so I held them overnight before smoking. I used only pork because I assumed the Nacho flavor would be mild & I did not want gamey meat flavors covering it up. The ingredient list includes bell pepper besides cheese/butter flavors. My overall impression is that it has a mild cheese flavor with a somewhat peppery aftertaste. I taste more black pepper than bell pepper. If you are looking for an overpowering cheese flavor you may be disappointed. My wife’s comment was- It has a good flavor, but I would not know it was nacho cheese if it wasnt labeled as such. This may be a good flavor to try for those who are looking for something a little different and on the mild side.

We butchered 4 hogs this past summer & saved the bellies for bacon of course. I started with 72 lbs green weight on friday night & wet brined them with maple bacon cure & taste booster. I fit them all in 2 smokers on Saturday & when they were finished I had 64.5 lb left. Sliced them all up with my berkel 909 slicer today. Most was thin sliced & the rest was a little thicker. Turned out great. My wife was impressed which was the most important thing. Took a few pics, sorry they didn’t turn out the best.

Recipe- 8.33 lbs. 5lbs of 70/30 ground pork, 3.33 lbs of 50/50 pork venison mix. (Cleaning out the freezer).
I used this amount because it is 1/3 of a 25lb batch & is perfect size for my bowl cutter.
Excalibur frank & bologna seasoning.
Sure gel
Smoked meat stabilizer, (wanted to smoke right after mixing
40 oz h2o/ice mix.
26mm cellulose casings
Mixed with a bowl cutter & stuffed with waltons 11lb stuffer.
Smoked untill approx 130 deg , then finished in a turkey fryer until 160
Ended with an ice bath.

I had a 6.5 lb (year plus old) pork loin in the freezer that needed to be used up. It was from Sams so was nothing special as far a quality goes. To be clear, it was a standard pork loin, not a tenderloin. As everyone knows, this cut of meat is very lean, so it turns out dry 99% of the time. I decided to inject it with Pa’s Black Bull marinade & then vac seal for 24 hours. I had to cut it into 2 pieces so it would fit in 2- 12×14in vac seal bags. I cooked it over charcoal with a rotisserie on a Weber grill. My target temp for the loin was 145. Since the loin was naturally smaller on one end, the 2 pieces were not uniform in size. The smaller piece reached 165 degrees while the other one was 130. This is usually game over if you want to have a chance at moist pork loin. I finally had to pull the spit off the grill & take the smaller piece off before it became leather. I let the smaller piece rest for 10 or 15 min & served it to my wife & two kids. I started slicing it at the table & there was juice running everywhere. It was one of the most tender, juicy pork loins that i have ever eaten. My family kept saying it was like eating candy. This was the piece that ended up with an internal temp of around 170. We also did not need any additional seasonings or bbq sauce. If you want to be the bbq master who knows how to cook moist, juicy pork loin, then you need to try Pa’s Black Bull!!

Attached is a link to an NHDSC website article on everything you ever wanted to know about hot dogs. Since we are so close to the 4th, i thought it would be appropriate. Hopefully the link works!
http://www.hot-dog.org/

Additional comments because my original post was longer than I intended:

1. I think the phosphates in the marinade are what really make the difference. I think you would get similar results with any marinade assuming it contains them.
2. I pumped a lot of marinade into the loin with an injector. I’m sure this made a big difference with moisture retention also.
3. In my opinion, lean cuts like pork loin that are easy to dry out when grilling respond very well to marinades with phosphates.
4. I understand that there are some people are hesitant to use phosphates due to health concerns. I am not saying to use them on a daily basis. These marinades are great to use for a special occasion or a treat.

cdavis Grain farmer & contract hog finisher in central Illinois. Between whitetail harvest & a few hogs that dont make it to market, i am usually exprimenting with how to make it into sausage.

Rutinbuck I have made those same sticks several times. I always air dry at room temperature after the ice bath for at least an hour. I next put them in a refrigerator overnight, because by then i either want to go to bed or do something else. When i am ready to freeze, I always wipe any moisture off the sticks before vac sealing. I have never experienced any quality issues with the above process. I have left them in my refrigerator for up to a week before freezing in the past, and they have turned out great.

ND Mike I agree with you 100%. They are a must have for the 11lb stuffer. Even if you aren’t running the stuffer by yourself.

processhead The Devro brand that Waltons sells seem to hold up to a lot of abuse. I have been finishing my sticks in hot water, then an ice bath, next room temp, then refrigerating, then freezing, finally thawing back out to eat. There really shouldn’t be anything left of them at that point, but i haven’t experienced any issues.

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These have been through the above described abuse.

Comments on my 1st hot dog attempt:

1. Apologies for taking so long. I have been on a family vacation plus am having difficulties posting from my phone.
2. The recipe- Since this was my first attempt at making hot dogs, my highest priority was getting the process right. My recipe was for informational purposes rather than a recommendation. The meat block was roughly 90% pork, 10% venison not counting fat. I didnt want to waste beef in case this turned into a major failure.
3. The taste: Excalibur’s frank and bologna seasoning is fairly mild. Dont expect a mind blowing gourmet hot dog flavor , or you will be disappointed. In my opinion, it is a great base to start with. A person can always add some different spices to the mix if they choose.
   That being said, my hot dogs actually tasted like hot dogs. I smoked them in a stick burner, so they have a nice genuine smoke flavor that is superior to the liquid/powdered smoke flavor in the grocery store brands.
4. Texture: My dogs were maybe a little juicer than the store bought brands. Otherwise, the texture and mouthfeel were very comparable.

Jonathon shared this bowl cutter recipe for hot dogs with me. It is from the University of Wisconsin’s meat processing school. The most interesting part of this is that it calls for over 3.5 quarts of water for a 25 meat block.

@jonathon- I vote for a video.
Thanks

processhead I used the recipe to make a batch of hot dogs and snack sticks. I used the recommended amount of sure gel to get my sodium phosphates. Also 7.5 lbs of H2O is about 3.5 quarts of water per 25lb of meat. It is amazing how much water can be absorbed with a bowl cutter. I used a similar cook cycle as the grind/mix method and didnt notice a difference as far as timing to reach 160. I didnt weigh out my snack sticks, but I noticed I had considerably more than I normally do when making 25lb with a grinder/mixer. Another big difference is how much easier it is to stuff the product. I have a chinese hydraulic stuffer that will usually get hot & trip the breaker several times when making 25lb of snack sticks. I had to turn the power down as low as I could to keep it from overstuffing. It ran cool as a cucumber with no breaker tripping. I know you have a bowl cutter also, and am wondering if you notice the same thing.

pr0wlunwoof said in Chicago Hot Dog Recipe Needed.:

YooperDog sounds good I’m in no rush.

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.

YooperDog i found this pic searching for another topic. The sausage is the size and texture i am looking for. Steven Winscot did you make the sausage yourself or buy it pre-made?