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  • Snack sticks on MES

    while I have everything ordered to make first batch of sticks. My buddy has a new MES he's used like 2 times. He's going to let me borrow it to see what I think.

    How do you guys do your sticks to make them work in the smoker. Make them
    So long to fit on racks hang them up
    Or what? Also any opinion on best stuff to use for smoking them. I got the willies snack stick ordered

  • #2
    Hopefully the MES peeps will chime in...I don't have a MES, but I think you can rig up a way to hang them over dowels from the top...in the Iron Maiden I use the vast horizontal shelf space and coil the ropes around the shelves. I have been asked if there are marks due to contact with the expanded metal of the shelves, and the answer is no. I wipe 'em off and they are perfect. I say just get 'em in that rig and give 'em a nice slow smoke ride up to temp. I'm so excited for you, because they are gonna be great!

    Here's what 25 lbs looks like in the iron maiden....


    BBQ Eng.

    The "Cow Girls" were adopted from the shelter, and found on petfinder.com.
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    I built the Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden Smoker Build

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    • #3
      Originally posted by BBQ Engineer View Post
      Hopefully the MES peeps will chime in...I don't have a MES, but I think you can rig up a way to hang them over dowels from the top...in the Iron Maiden I use the vast horizontal shelf space and coil the ropes around the shelves. I have been asked if there are marks due to contact with the expanded metal of the shelves, and the answer is no. I wipe 'em off and they are perfect. I say just get 'em in that rig and give 'em a nice slow smoke ride up to temp. I'm so excited for you, because they are gonna be great!



      Here's what 25 lbs looks like in the iron maiden....







      Dowels hmmmm racks out put dowels in I like your thinking. I assume I'd not want any stick touching each other to correct ?

      You sell any of those u got in that smoker there? Or that personal use haha

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      • #4
        Ok, MES peep reporting.....

        This is my heavily modified 30" analog I now call the MES Custom SS (sticks & sausage). You can't see it in the photograph, but the element is controlled by an Auber Instrument PID controller (an all in one box unit). The analog element is turned on full and plugged into the PID box which runs the show (with 6 pre-programmable steps).



        I run my sticks laying flat on the racks. You can hang them, but here is my take on that (and this also would apply to them laying flat on the racks). As the heat rises, it first hits either the bottom of the hanging sticks or the sticks laying on the lower rack. The colder sticks absorb some of the heat energy out of the rising air column, so there is slightly less heat energy available for the hanging sticks a little higher up, or the sticks laying on the next rack. This lower heat issue compounds the longer the hanging sticks are or the more racks you have. Ultimately there is less heat available for the top of the smoker (top rack or top at the hanger). With hanging sticks it's harder to address, but with them laying flat on the racks, you just rotate them up or down the air column over time to balance it out. Not constantly, but occasionally. It's pretty obvious visually which ones are getting more heat and which ones had the least (and you get better at this with practice).

        Also MES units tend to run hot on the right side as the heating element is more concentrated on that side under the smoke box. I have changed my element out for a more evenly distributed one, but it still runs slightly hotter on the right as the element is not fully heated by the control unit (generally none are). I think the photo above was with the factory element before I switched it out.

        Again, rotating the racks can cure this. I rotate mine up or down in the air column and flip them 180* (front to back) to balance out the heat gain during the smoke.

        I use a pellet tray and pellets for my smoke source. My MES no longer has a smoke box or any of the associated parts. I will say with pellets that about 2 hours is all the smoke you will need and you can over smoke sticks. In my pellet tray that's about 3/4 of 1 row of the maze filled with pellets (allowing some extra that will burn during the pellet lighting procedure). Also on one smoke I had the MES pretty full and the lowest rack right above the pellet tray had a real heavy smoke on the center of the sticks right over the tray. I have since started putting a piece of disposable aluminum foil as a partial baffle to disburse the smoke and prevent this. It' also helps disburse the heat (I weight the foil baffle more to the right to flow more heat to the left to compensate for the slight difference - el cheapo MES tuning plate).

        It's not rocket science, just watch them and make adjustments as needed and it will be great!!!!
        Last edited by dward51; 11-30-2017, 04:22 PM.
        Dave

        I love coming home. My back porch smells just like a BBQ joint.....

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        • #5
          try to avoid contact between links/lengths. And..obviously.. if yer cutting them..do it to multiples of finished stic size you desire. I like my sticks 8” or so.

          No funny biz guys..it’s sausage. And I can have my meat as long as I wanna.
          In God I trust- All others pay cash...
          Check out the Mad Hunky and products at https://madhunkymeats.com or https://www.facebook.com/MadHunkyMeats
          Lang 60D, The Beast, 18 and 22 WSM, Brinkmann Backroads trailer, Weber 22 Kettle, gutted MB burning watts

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Richtee View Post
            try to avoid contact between links/lengths. And..obviously.. if yer cutting them..do it to multiples of finished stic size you desire. I like my sticks 8” or so.

            No funny biz guys..it’s sausage. And I can have my meat as long as I wanna.
            Good point about cutting. I cut my 21mm casings into 3 sections after they are done. For the thinner 17mm sticks, I cut them in half when done.

            A couple of racks at the start of a smoke (sitting on mats on the MES racks).



            Also cook them in stages. This is how I do it....

            1) a hour at 120* with no smoke to dry/set the casing
            2) 90 minutes at 130* with smoke
            3) 90 minutes at 140* with smoke (until the tray burns out around the 2 hour total point)
            4) 60 minutes at 150*
            5) Bump to 165* until internal temp is 152*.

            Those sticks will look like this when done.....

            Dave

            I love coming home. My back porch smells just like a BBQ joint.....

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            • #7
              My trays run wires run the opposite direction of Dwards and they are a smidge over 19" inches so I end getting (3) sticks of about 6" inches each from each. I only wish I could get longer meat sticks like 8" inches... Of course you'll probably have some blow outs on stuffing so you'll end up with some odd sizes as well Good taste testing pieces and the tiny cut ends are great dog treats





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              • #8
                What y'all using to check the IT of the sticks?

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                • #9
                  Spot check with my super fast Blue http://www.thermoworks.com/Classic-Thermapen

                  Attached Files

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by nickelmore View Post
                    Spot check with my super fast Blue http://www.thermoworks.com/Classic-Thermapen
                    Same over here, except mine is the super fast orange

                    After you have a couple of smokes under your belt, you can pretty much tell if a tray is evenly cooked. Every once in a while if I'm not too attentive on my tray rotations, I may have to pull a few sticks and smoke them a little longer. The thermopen speed comes in great in sticking the sticks.

                    The first batch or two, I was neurotic and sticked dang near all of them in a 5 lb batch. Not so much any more.
                    Dave

                    I love coming home. My back porch smells just like a BBQ joint.....

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by dward51 View Post

                      The first batch or two, I was neurotic and sticked dang near all of them in a 5 lb batch. Not so much any more.
                      Heh...

                      I have become less concerned with the finish temp since the Sous Vide came around. I can get some smoke on them and vac ‘em up and into the 152-3° bath for an hour or whatever. With a little research.. I’m betting 145 or so would work..IF for long enough.
                      In God I trust- All others pay cash...
                      Check out the Mad Hunky and products at https://madhunkymeats.com or https://www.facebook.com/MadHunkyMeats
                      Lang 60D, The Beast, 18 and 22 WSM, Brinkmann Backroads trailer, Weber 22 Kettle, gutted MB burning watts

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Richtee View Post
                        Heh...

                        I have become less concerned with the finish temp since the Sous Vide came around. I can get some smoke on them and vac ‘em up and into the 152-3° bath for an hour or whatever. With a little research.. I’m betting 145 or so would work..IF for long enough.
                        140° should be fine. Not sure they would "dry" enough.
                        Mark
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                        "Likes smokey old pool rooms, clear mountain mornins. Little warm puppies, children and girls of the night"?
                        Smoked-Meat Certified Sausage Head!

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Mark R View Post
                          140° should be fine. Not sure they would "dry" enough.
                          Yeah... that’s a concern. they gotta be about where you want them in dryness,,because the SV won’t do that.
                          In God I trust- All others pay cash...
                          Check out the Mad Hunky and products at https://madhunkymeats.com or https://www.facebook.com/MadHunkyMeats
                          Lang 60D, The Beast, 18 and 22 WSM, Brinkmann Backroads trailer, Weber 22 Kettle, gutted MB burning watts

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Richtee View Post
                            Yeah... that’s a concern. they gotta be about where you want them in dryness,,because the SV won’t do that.
                            And when they dry enough, they done sooooo..........
                            Mark
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                            "Likes smokey old pool rooms, clear mountain mornins. Little warm puppies, children and girls of the night"?
                            Smoked-Meat Certified Sausage Head!

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                            • #15
                              Quick reminder here for me. Where are you guys laying the amazn pellet tray in the mes 40"? I'm ready to put my snack sticks in

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