Venison snack stick recipe needed

matt6150 · Posted: Wed Oct 10 12 12:46 am Post subject: Venison snack stick recipe needed

Neighbor hooked me up with 6lb. of ground venison. Would like to make some snack sticks and looking for a simple and tasty recipe. Plan on stuffing and smoking. Ready, go!

Kevin P

Shaymus · BBQ Pro Joined: 03 Apr 2006 Posts: 868 Location: Boone NC

Man, Those look good !!
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ifnyakin · Posted: Wed Oct 10 12 9:17 am Post subject:

gonna have to try this one

Mainely Smoka · BBQ Fan Joined: 18 Apr 2012 Posts: 127

Kevin-

Have become a fan of your sausage posts. Just getting my feet wet with making sausage. With the fennell and Ainse in your Bambi Sticks I would think it has an Italian sausage taste. Buddy just got his moose yeasterday so will be fully stocked on the moose meat in a week or so and this will be one to try
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Kevin P · Posted: Wed Oct 10 12 3:10 pm Post subject:

Mainely Smoka · BBQ Fan Joined: 18 Apr 2012 Posts: 127

matt6150 · Posted: Wed Oct 10 12 3:57 pm Post subject:

Kevin, thanks a lot man! I was hopeing you would pipe in. Those look great. I actually really like venison and its flavor. What my wife hates is anise flavor so I may leave this out or tame it back. I will definitely throw some heat to them though. I may also sub the liquid smoke out for a little splash of beer. I remember having these deer beer sticks they called them at some place that were really good. I've thought of even picking up some beer powder sometime to try. Thanks again I'll be making these soon!

matt6150 · Posted: Wed Dec 19 12 12:28 am Post subject:

Ok so I finally got to making these today. I did exactly how the recipe said. As I put them in the fridge to chill overnight i cut a piece off to try out. Seemed a little dry and the casing is kinda loose around the meat on about 80% of them. This is my first attempt at any snack stick so I think I need some work. Not sure what I could have done different. I believe the venison/pork ratio was 80/20 according to my neighbor. And I smoked at 160-175 for about 4.5 hours. Maybe I need more fat, but the flavor was really good! And I did try the most done looking piece so maybe in the morning when I slice them up they will be better.

Kevin P · Posted: Wed Dec 19 12 12:57 am Post subject:

Matt
If the sticks I make sometimes come out dry, I assume several possibilities:
1. Too lean a mixture. Fat is your friend with these things and too lean a mixture will result in an overly dry stick. Ever had a hamburger made of 93% lean ground beef? Dry, dry, dry. My last batch I used 93% lean beef but with a 30%fat pork grind, as well as 1/4" pork skin. With venison, I'd probably go 25-30% fat ration minimum. (I should probably change my ratio listed in the recipe above, although the pork I used was pretty fatty).
2. Moisture content in the mix was low. Usually I'll add 1/2 to 1 cup of cold water to the mix (or mix up the dry spices into the water & pour it all into the meat. Some of the moisture will evaporate during the long smoke, but the end result will no doubt be moister.
3. Too hot for too long. This is only really evident if you see fat pools beneath the hanging links. If this problem occurred, your sticks would be dry AND crumbly with pockets of grease in them. yum! Shocked

If the mix is too dry, the casings will also pull away as the meat shrinks and you'll get areas where the casing is 'loose.'
Venison is such a lean game meat that it really cries out for 'fat support.'

Hey, but at least you said the FLAVOR was good! That's half the battle! Very Happy

The other issues are minor and fixable.

Kevin

matt6150 · Posted: Fri Dec 21 12 3:47 pm Post subject:

Hey Kevin, thanks a lot for the advice. I'm thinking next time I'll try some bacon thrown in for some more fat and will also add some moisture as well. I think my temps were pretty good. Everyone else that has tried loves them, so the flavor is there! My neighbor that gave me the meat loves them and is going to get me more, so I got another shot! Thanks again!

Matt

Harry Nutczak · Posted: Sat Dec 22 12 4:38 pm Post subject:

Kevin, I tried your formulation, even tried collagen casings and it is real good.

I have come to love using sheep casings, stuffing, handling, and smoking.
I thought i'd give collagen another shot, and I'm glad I only got a partial box of them, I just find them very difficult to work with and I prefer the snap of natural when you bite into them/.
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Kevin P · Posted: Sat Dec 22 12 4:46 pm Post subject:

Harry Nutczak · Posted: Sun Dec 23 12 12:43 am Post subject:

I found sheepies to be easier to work with compared to collagen, But my stuffer is quite wide and takes some serious leverage to get meat through a 10mm tube that is narrow enough horn on it to fit a stick of collagen on it, it is impossible to use. So I go a size larger that sheepies fit on, and I need to cut shorter lengths of collagen to get them on there.

Maybe one of these days I'll have a stuffer attachment I can use on the bobcat to get meat through that little tube.
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Just remember that the toes you may step on during your climb to the top will also be attached to the a$$es you'll be forced to kiss on your way back down!