Smoked Duck and Smoked Elk Snack Sticks

turnerjwr

FNG
Joined
Dec 29, 2016
Messages
8
Location
Cherokee, CA
Since i'm a FNG, I thought I'd contribute something useful to the forum before I start asking tons of noob questions that have probably already been answered in the thread. :eek:

I just got a hankering to process some of my game meat, so I have fresh duck breast from this week and I'm also thawing some elk burger that I'll fatten up for use in this recipe, separately from the duck sticks. (IDK, does a combo duck/elk snack stick sound like a good idea?:confused:)

Here's the recipe. I use prague powder, which cures a little differently than other products like TenderQuick, so read the package and ensure you're getting a good cure. Enjoy!

Snack Stick Recipe

For 5 lbs meat:
2 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp White Pepper
1 1/2 tsp of Mustard Seed
2 tsp of Fennel Seed (slightly crushed)
2 tsp of Crushed Red Pepper
1/2 tsp Paprika (optional)
1 tsp of Anise Seed
1 tsp of Garlic Powder
1 tsp of Italian Seasoning

Grinding/Stuffing:
Coarse grind the meat mixture (grinding plate with 3/8 to 1/2 inch in diameter holes). Mixture should be 30-40% fat.
Mix 1 cup of purified water and the appropriate amount of cure for 5lbs of meat.
Add Seasoning to the water/cure and mix and stir thoroughly.
Pour the water/seasoning/cure mix into the coarse ground meat and mix/stir thoroughly (approximately 5 minutes of hand mixing).
Grind this mix of meat/seasoning through fine (regular hamburger plate - 1/4 to 1/8 inch in diameter holes).
Follow direction on package for cure time.
Stuff into collagen casings

Processing:
Place the stuffed snack sticks in cooler (refrigerator) overnight (12 to 24 hours) in a plastic or glass container.
Place on Traeger, inserting remote thermometer probe into center of one of the links. Set temperature to smoke for 2 hours.
After 2 hours, raise temperature to 180°, and continue smoking until the internal temperature of the snack sticks reach 165° F.
Remove snack sticks from Traeger and leave at room temperature for 2 hours.
Taste test for moisture and texture. If necessary finish in dehydrator at 140° setting.
 
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turnerjwr

FNG
Joined
Dec 29, 2016
Messages
8
Location
Cherokee, CA
The fat content is very much up for personal preference. Next time I might lean these out to about 20% fat to muscle ratio.
 
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