And just to clarify, we bring the sticks up to about 145 degrees in the smoker, cut into the lengths we want to package (either 4 or 8 inches), add to the hot water baths and cook until 160 degrees, then cold water bath, air dry for an hour or so, then vacuum seal.

For what its worth, we always use 20lbs. of venison and 5lbs. of bacon ends with our sticks and sausage. That 80/20 ratio has been turning out great for the past 15 plus years.

Parksider When we started doing it we always kept the water under 200 degrees, if it went above that we would get some casing blow outs. The last year, based on info from this site we have been keeping it between 170 -175 to avoid the fat melting, seems to work as good/fast so will be sticking with the 170-175 range. If your roaster just has a dial you really have to keep an eye on the water temp with a thermometer and adjust accordingly.

blackbetty61 We have been using turkey roasters for years (no exaggeration, over 1000 lbs worth over the last 15 yrs) to hot water bath our sticks and sausage. They always turn out great and have never had them lose seasoning.

I just made two batches this past weekend, used 20 lbs of lean venison, 5 lbs of bacon ends and 5 lbs of high temp cheese in both. Turned out great.