Pepper Sticks: Start to Finish

cream cheese

🥗Healthier: Greek yogurt

💰Cheaper: ricotta cheese

Greek yogurt reduces calories while maintaining creaminess

cheddar cheese

🥗Healthier: reduced-fat cheese

💰Cheaper: monterey jack cheese

Monterey jack is often less expensive and melts well.

bacon bits

🥗Healthier: turkey bacon bits

💰Cheaper: smoked paprika

Smoked paprika adds flavor without the cost of bacon.

Start by preparing a 10 lb batch of smoked pepper sticks.

Measure out 90 g of plain salt and 11 g of pink cure number one.

Add 120 g of non-fat powdered milk to the mixture (optional).

Measure out 15 g of coarse ground black pepper, 10 g of onion powder, and 10 g of garlic powder.

Measure less than 10 g of extra hot red pepper for spice.

In a separate container, measure 250 ml of ice cold water to dissolve the cure.

Combine the spices and salt in a bowl, leaving the cure and water aside for now.

Prepare 7 lb of lean beef and 3 lb of pork belly, cutting them into small chunks for grinding.

Grind the beef and pork belly together until well mixed.

Mix the ground meat with the spice mixture and the dissolved cure in water.

Mix thoroughly for 10-15 minutes until the mixture is tacky and sticky.

Refrigerate the mixture overnight to let the cure work and flavors meld.

The next day, fry a test patty to check seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Hang the sausages at room temperature for 1 hour with a fan to dry the casings.

Transfer the sausages to a smoker preheated to 140°F for 2 hours without water in the pan.

Increase the smoker temperature to 150°F and continue smoking for at least 2 more hours, monitoring the appearance.

Once the sausages look wrinkly, increase the temperature to 180°F to finish cooking.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens