Name: Easiest Smoked Beef Snack Sticks Recipe
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 5 h
Ingredients: 7.7 lb beef chuck; 20/80 fat to lean meat; 1.5 tsp Cure #1 (curing salt); 2.5 Tbsp kosher salt; 2 tsp ground black pepper; 2 tsp granulated garlic; 2 1/2 tsp granulated onion; 6 tbsp Fermento; 1 tsp dextrose; can be substituted for white sugar; 1 tbsp mustard powder; 2 tsp celery seed

Description

The classic beef sticks recipe is excellent for parties, tailgates, and cookouts. It’s hard to find a more portable finger food than beef jerky sticks that can be enjoyed by both adults and kids alike.

Ingredients

Units Scale

7.7 lb beef chuck; 20/80 fat to lean meat
1.5 tsp Cure #1 (curing salt)
2.5 Tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp granulated garlic
2 1/2 tsp granulated onion
6 tbsp Fermento
1 tsp dextrose; can be substituted for white sugar
1 tbsp mustard powder
2 tsp celery seed

Instructions

Take your beef chuck and grind it in your meat grinder – your grinder plate should be about 3/16″.
Mix all of the ingredients (ground beef and seasoning included) with a stand mixer.
Use 18-24 mm collagen casings to stuff the filling (LEM collagen casings are a good idea). This part is like sausage making, so you can use your fingers or a sausage stuffer from Amazon.
Tie the casings into 24″ rings.
Preheat smoker to 110°F.
Place the formed sticks into the smoker for 35-45 minutes until dry. Don’t use wood here, as it should only dry (not smoke).
Raise the temperature of the smoker to 130°F and add your desired wood. Smoke for 2 to 3 hours.
Preheat a pot of water to 165°F and place the sticks into the pot of water.
Poach the sticks for 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches about 158°F. After taking the meat sticks out, carryover cooking will increase the temperature to 160°F.
Once the sticks reach 160°F, pour cold water over the sticks for 5 minutes straight.
Let them cool down, and dry them with a paper towel. Once cool and dry, cut them however you wish!
Store them at room temperature or in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Notes

Mix the spices before rubbing incorporating them into the meat, so there are no concentrated spice pockets.
You can choose leaner meat for extra chewiness (70/30 fat content).
You can pick sheep casings to give the stick a snap or small collagen casings to provide it with a nice color.
You can cool snack sticks by air drying or placing them in an ice bath.
Use a binder to have more room for error and avoid mistakes when making snack sticks.
You can add cheddar cheese or encapsulated citric acid to the mixture if you enjoy a different flavor or texture.

Prep Time: 1 hour
Dry Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 3 hours

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 stick
Calories: 156
Sugar: 0.16g
Sodium: 578mg
Fat: 9.8g
Saturated Fat: 4.3g
Carbohydrates: 0.6g
Fiber: 0.12g
Protein: 16g
Cholesterol: 58mg