Walton’s products are an excellent start to making shelf stable snack sticks but the process is really the key. If you understand the chemistry and cooking process you can make very stable products. If you want to be absolutely sure about the stability of your finished product you will have to invest in some testing equipment and use it on every batch. As for actual experience without the testing equipment I have seen excellent shelf life on batches that were handled properly and cooked correctly. As you get more experience you will be able to tell which batches are going to last and which ones are not. If everything goes well on my batches I can store chamber sealed snack sticks in the freezer for over a year, in the refrigerator for 3-6 months and at room temperature for at least 2-3 weeks. It took me many batches and lots of storage testing to see what works and what doesn’t. Do your homework on safe food handling and cooking temperatures and you will save a ton of time and materials. It also extremely helpful to reach out a commercial snack stick processor for tips and suggestions. Most I have contacted are very willing to help smaller processors that are only making a few batches a month. Hopefully others will weigh in on this and give you enough information to get you headed in the right direction.

Chicovt We all face challenges when learning a new process. I think as mentioned above this is a seal orientation issues which most of us have done at some point. You can either fix the problem and re-try the stuffing operation or loose pack the seasoned meat and cook it as part of sauce or possibly even grill it. Never toss your creations, always look for a way to use them or give them to someone who is willing to try something different. In the worst case chickens can always use the protein boost, I have never made anything they won’t eat. Most importantly don’t give up and ask for help when you need it.

terry129 I have experienced the same result with many of the seasoning blends. There are certain flavors like TexMex, jalapeno and habanero lime that typically produce a very flavorful product. Some of the others like buffalo blue cheese need extra seasonings to suit my palate (I add more than a quart of franks red hot buffalo wing sauce for 25 lbs). The seasonings are designed for the masses not necessarily those of us looking for a more potent flavor to compliment something like venison. Someone else posted a reply to a similar topic and stated that adding seasoning to the stock mixture to enhance the desired flavor will usually give you the product you are looking for. If you like the pepper flavor in Willies snack stick recipe gradually add more to each batch until you get the desired results. As has been already stated only one change at a time and keep good notes. As for encapsulated citric acid over smoked meat stabilizer for snack stick, my advice is resounding yes if you are going right from the stuffer to the smoker and the tang will complement the seasoning you are using. Some of the flavors I make don’t seem to benefit form the tang provided by encapsulated citric acid so I hold those overnight in the cooler before going to the smoker. I don’t use smoked meat stabilizer for those seasonings either because I am using a fair amount of water to aid in stuffing and there is a warning about the possibility of producing possible an undesirable gas in this scenario. I hope this is helpful.

Doug Kapfenstein I think we need more information to help out. How big are the batches? What smoker are you using? Smoking on sticks or racks? 145 will definitely produce a little softer stick but not mushy. Can you tell us a little more about the consistency? Are you mixing long enough to get good protein extraction? Hand or mechanical mixing? What is your cook cycle? Sorry for all the questions but any of these factors will affect your final product.

charlie That sounds like a great combination. You will be fine without ECA, carrot fiber and sure gel. These products help to create a moister product with a better mouth feel but I have made plenty of snack sticks without additives that were great for friends and family. They might have a shorter shelf life but I am sure if you follow the directions you will be happy with the finished product. Remember without encapsulated citric acid you will need to hold them in the refrigerator overnight before going to the smoker. Good luck and most of all enjoy making your own snack sticks!