Addicting
Well-known member
Walton’s snack mix. Just followed their YouTube channel. Today I have their maple bacon snack sticks cooking!
What's on the smoker today?
- Thread starter wytex
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WildWill
Well-known member
About the only place I get any of my sausage making equipment and spices anymore. If you're ever in Wichita there store is awesome!
Very true
Also, Walton's is a major sponsor of Outdoor Mentors. Their mission is to get youth and disabled folks quality hunting/fishing/shooting experiences under guidance from seasoned mentors.
Walton's | Everything but the Meat! | Meat Processing Supplies
Everything but the Meat! – Sausage Making Supplies – Seasonings and Spices – BBQing and Grilling – Meat Processing Supplies for Home and Commercial Processors
waltons.com
Addicting
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Walton’s maple bacon snack sticks are delicious!
WildWill
Well-known member
Did you use a ice bath? Looks like you nailed them.
Addicting
Well-known member
I haven’t always nailed them. There has been a learning curve. I done a couple hundred pounds now and am still learning.
My process 12-13lbs batches. Then smoke 2 hours, 175 for 2 hours, then insert a temp gauge and monitor to 160 degrees. Outside rows are always done first. They finish 45 min before center. Process them as they hit temp.
I always use an ice bath for 3-5 min. Then they dry on a towel for about an hour. Slice at 7” then stack them on a tray for the fridge. They spend the night in the fridge drying before vac sealing and freezer. That last step makes them so much better when you thaw them, not near as watery as vac sealing after cutting.
Addicting
Well-known member
lol, about still learning, I did the jalapeño batch at 25lbs and burnt a lot. Threw probably 4-5lbs away. Gotta remember to stick to 12-13lbs.
Nick87
Well-known member
Yours and mine process is about exactly the same. I've come along way since the first few pounds. Small batches really helps in my opinion. I don't do the ice bath but I always do them in dead of winter so I just hang them outside. Ill add letting them hit room temp for a few hours before going on the smoker seems to help.
Addicting
Well-known member
They need the shock of the cold water to keep the skin from separating and shriveling. Dead of winter or even the freezer doesn’t get them cold enough, fast enough to prevent it. I’ve tried doing it and the results are not near as good as an ice bath.
If you are using citric acid as a cure accelerator you need to get them in the smoker sooner than that. The coating on the capsule will wear / dissolve off and you can get funky flavor. Also you want it to bind and set as fast as possible to keep fat chunks white and solid. Longer it is exposed to gradually to temp the fat smears and you close the snap of the stick. You should have clear defined lines of meat and fat.
If you are not using a cure accelerator and storing it overnight in the fridge prior to smoking than that info doesn’t matter as much. It’s doing most of its curing and setting in the fridge.
Nick87
Well-known member
Yah no accelerator. I always do the fridge overnight prior. However, I've never had the skin really separate like you mentioned. I have had water penetrate where the probe was the few times I did try the ice bath and it water logged those sticks.
Addicting
Well-known member
Something is wrong if you have waterlogged sticks. Are you using a binder in your meat?
Nick87
Well-known member
No. Only the sticks git waterlogged are the ones that had a hole from the temp probe that went into the ice water.
Addicting
Well-known member
@Nick87
Buy some Sure gel or carrot fiber to mix into the meat. It retains moisture and gives the consistency of lunch meat. Water cannot penetrate it and water log it. No gritty texture you sometimes get from the ground meat. It really makes a difference in finished quality with no flavor difference.
Buy some Sure gel or carrot fiber to mix into the meat. It retains moisture and gives the consistency of lunch meat. Water cannot penetrate it and water log it. No gritty texture you sometimes get from the ground meat. It really makes a difference in finished quality with no flavor difference.
Nick87
Well-known member
I'll give the carrot binder a try on a small batch sometime.
Addicting
Well-known member
Whatever pellets are on sale, lol. I’ve bought a bunch of different woods and never noticed a flavor change with making snack sticks.
The pit boss has a smoke setting that is about 150 degrees. I set it and forget it for 2 hours. It dries the condensation sweat off them and sets the meat.
With that cut away I posted there isn’t really a smoke ring. The casing takes the smoke making it deep red.
Nick87
Well-known member
Never noticed much of a flavor difference either, except mesquite. Which I like but it can be a little overpowering.
Addicting
Well-known member
Walton’s made a video with the 3 different types of binders. Carrot worked well but almost too well. It bound all the water, which may make snack stick size casing harder to stuff.I'll give the carrot binder a try on a small batch sometime.
I use sure gel as it leaves more water free. The meat needs it to squeeze thru the smaller stuffing tip. Thats why my cut away has those tiny pits in it. Thats was unbound water that evaporated out after the meat set.
It’s not noticeable unless you zoom in on a camera. Normal snack stick eating you would never see them.
If I was doing a lunch meat or big summer sausage, I would use carrot to eliminate them.
WildWill
Well-known member
I lobe mesquite but don't use it for my sausage or snack sticks for that very reason. I think it can almost leave a bitter taste especially in the casing. Hickory is always gonna be the king though.
Nick87
Well-known member
Same.
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