First time making pepperoni meat sticks

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netspyman
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First time making pepperoni meat sticks

Post by netspyman » Sun Sep 28, 2014 01:52

Hi all first off i want to thank everyone for their help in advance. I have made beef jerky many times in the past and am now going to try and make some pepperoni sticks. I have a 3L meat stuffer and have a 10mm stuffing tube. I have 17mm casing. I have blend 116 of A C Legg seasoning. I have an electric smoker that i plan to use to smoke the sticks in. I have done a lot of reading on this board and have seen a lot of different techniques. I have a few questions about the process. I plan to place the sticks in the smoker and start at 110° for 2 hours. Then bump up to 130° and smoke for 2 hours then bump up 10° every hour until i get an IT of 155°. I have a few questions that i need cleared up.
1. What type of wood should i use to make smoke for the pepperoni sticks?
2. Is the cooking temps and times correct?
3. What should i add to the seasoning to make sure it is a pepperoni flavor?
4. Should i use both beef and pork to make this and if so what portions?

Sorry for all the questions but there is so many different answers out there that i thought i would ask the experts for their advice.

Thanks for any help that you can give.

NETSPYMAN
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redzed
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Post by redzed » Sun Sep 28, 2014 06:37

Hey netspyman! Welcome to the WD forum, and the fascinating world of sausage making.

There are a couple of good pepperoni recipes in our members index:
http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.ph ... 4817#28904
http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?t=6804

There are no rules as to the meat you use, you can meke pepperoni sticks out of all pork or all beef or a combination such as 30% beef and 70% pork as in Chuckwagon's recipe or 50/50 as in Butterbean's. Experiment and decide what you like best.

Not sure whether you want to add anything to the AC Legg spice blend. I would make it first and then decide if it needs more pepper, paprika or a hot chili powder.

Every smoker is different so it's not that easy to offer advice, but from what you described, I would skip that first step of smoking for two hours at 110. You can place the sticks into the smoker and dry them at that temp for an hour, no smoke, dampers wide open. Then introduce the smoke and turn the the temp to around 135 for a couple of hours. The sticks should have picked up colour by then. You can then bump up the heat gradually until you reach the IT you mentioned. Because your 17mm sticks are very thin they will smoke and cook faster than larger diameter sausages.

As to the wood, use what you have.

Post pics and tell us how the smoking session went.
Last edited by redzed on Sun Sep 28, 2014 16:08, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by netspyman » Sun Sep 28, 2014 08:32

Thanks for the advice redzed. For the first 2 hours i was going to not use smoke just dry the sticks like you sugested. The smoker that i have ordered and will receive around October 6th is this smoker: http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Ca ... CID=228583
Have you used the AC blend number 116? I do like my sticks a little hot so i plan to add some red pepper to the batch. For my first try i will only make 5 pounds to start. I will post pics when i do it. Again thanks for the advice.

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Post by Butterbean » Sun Sep 28, 2014 14:31

Before you go adding spices to the mix why not take a tablespoon of the spiced mince and wrap in saran wrap and poach in a pot of water the taste this. It won't be exactly like the smoked product but it will give you the general spice profile. You can then add more spice as needed and then test again. When you get what you like, stuff and smoke.
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Post by netspyman » Sun Sep 28, 2014 19:09

Thanks Butterbean that is good advice. I never thought about that. I will do just that.
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Post by Butterbean » Sun Sep 28, 2014 19:18

FWIW, I've also done the same using a microwave when I'm in a rush. Its not as close as the poaching method but its fast.
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Post by netspyman » Tue Sep 30, 2014 20:03

Well got my spice mix and 17mm casings in the mail yesterday, This is my stuffer i have along with the stuffing tube. I will get my meat mixer on Friday 10/3/14 and my smoker on Monday 10/6/14. Once i have them the fun will begin. I can't wait to get started on my pepperoni snack sticks. I have decided to go with a 50/50 pork and beef mix.



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Post by Bob K » Tue Sep 30, 2014 21:23

Wow netsyman you are going to all set with equipment!

I have an all stainless Uniworld stuffer similar to that one. If you can or know of someone with the tools and know-how shortening that small diameter tube by around 4" will make stuffing go a lot easier.

If you are getting the 20 lb mixer they work a whole lot better on batches 7.5 lbs or over...otherwise its easier to mix by hand.

I have had one of those Cajun Injector Electric Smokers smokers for around 10 years and it still works. You may want to consider an Amazin or similar apparatus to smoke at lower temps.
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Post by redzed » Wed Oct 01, 2014 07:50

netspyman wrote:Well got my spice mix and 17mm casings in the mail yesterday, This is my stuffer i have along with the stuffing tube. I will get my meat mixer on Friday 10/3/14 and my smoker on Monday 10/6/14. Once i have them the fun will begin. I can't wait to get started on my pepperoni snack sticks. I have decided to go with a 50/50 pork and beef mix.
You are embarking on a fascinating journey my friend! Just make sure you season that smoker before smoking those sticks! : :grin
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Post by netspyman » Wed Oct 01, 2014 22:10

Thanks Bob for the information. At what temp does the smoker start smoking? I went ahead and ordered a cheap cold smoker to help this along. This is the one i got not sure it is any good but is worth a try.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/151206751021?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

Redzed thank for the heads up about seasoning the smoker. I had read others talk about it so i had planed on doing it to my new smoker.
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Post by Bob K » Wed Oct 01, 2014 23:38

Usually not til around 130f and then the temp would really spike and produce heavy smoke.

When you use that other cold smoker make sure the pellets are really dry (microwave works great) and light it with a torch.

Best of luck its a great hobby !
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Post by netspyman » Thu Oct 02, 2014 09:04

My wife was asking if i could make some of these with turkey meat. I looked and didnt see anyone using turkey for making sausage. Will it work to use just turkey to make meat sticks and if so will i need other meat to make this work?
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Post by redzed » Thu Oct 02, 2014 15:32

Turkey is great for sausage. My favourite is Grandfather's Kielbasa a combination with pork. Look through the member recipe index for others. There is also a recipe there for Big Guys turkey sticks. Will give you a bit more info tonight. Off to look for shrooms right now!
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Post by netspyman » Tue Oct 07, 2014 00:53

Got my meat mixer in and my new smoker. I am now in the process of curing the smoker for the first time. Rubbed it down with oil and now running the smoker at 225 for two hours with 1/4 cup of hickory pellets. In the next few days i will start my first batch of meat sicks. I am getting excited and a little nervous at the same time.

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Post by redzed » Tue Oct 07, 2014 16:39

That's great! I'm looking forward to seeing the first fruits of your labour. No reason to be nervous, you are not going sky jumping! You will learn something each time you make and smoke something. And even experienced guys need to get to know a new new smoker before everything turns out the way it's supposed to.

Make sure you preheat the smoker a couple of hours before you load it. Take it up to 150 and and turn it down to 120 when you hang the product in it. The temp will drop dramatically at that point, and a well preheated smoker will be more efficient and respond to further temp adjustments in a more timely manner.
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