Philly Cheesesteak Snack Sticks? | A Must-Try Recipe

philly cheesesteak meat

🥗Healthier: lean ground beef

💰Cheaper: ground turkey

Ground turkey is often less expensive and lower in fat.

cheese

🥗Healthier: low-fat cheese

💰Cheaper: processed cheese

Processed cheese is usually cheaper and melts well.

phyllo dough

🥗Healthier: whole wheat pastry dough

💰Cheaper: crescent roll dough

Crescent roll dough is more accessible and often cheaper.

bell peppers

🥗Healthier: zucchini

💰Cheaper: canned bell peppers

Canned bell peppers can be more affordable and have a long shelf life.

Debone the pork butt and break down the meat into 3-inch cubes.

Grind the meat once through a 3/8 inch plate.

Switch out the plate to a 3/16 inch and grind one more time.

Weigh out the seasoning for a 15 lb batch, which is 60% of the seasoning for a 25 lb batch.

Measure out 60% of the cure.

Sprinkle the seasoning onto the meat block.

Mix the cure with a little water to help disperse it evenly throughout the meat block.

Measure out 15 oz of cold water for the mixture.

Measure out 1.12 lbs of hightemp pepper jack cheese for a 10% inclusion rate.

Glove up and start mixing the meat, scraping the bottom of the container while folding and mixing until tacky.

Add the hightemp cheese and mix until well incorporated.

Set up the stuffer with the small horn and fill the hopper with the meat mixture.

Press down on the meat as you add more to eliminate air pockets.

Use 21mm mahogany casing to stuff the snack sticks.

Portion off the snack sticks to uniform lengths for smoking.

Let the snack sticks cure in the fridge overnight before smoking.

Preheat the smoker to 100°F.

Hang the snack sticks in the smoker and run for 1 hour with dampers wide open for the drying cycle.

Increase the smoker temperature to 125°F and set dampers to 2/3 closed, running for 1 hour.

Fill a sawdust pan halfway with sawdust, dampen with water, and place it on the heating element for 1 hour.

Remove the sawdust pan and increase the smoker temperature to 150°F, running for 1 hour.

Finally, increase the smoker temperature to 180°F and run until the internal temperature of the snack sticks reaches 155°F.

Remove the snack sticks from the smoker and place them in an ice bath for about 30 minutes to cool rapidly.

After the ice bath, place the snack sticks on a tray and into the fridge overnight or for at least 6 hours.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

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Dietary

Allergens