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Are you wondering about how you can make beef sticks at home?

Beef sticks are nutritious and you can keep them for longer periods if well prepared.

However, good as it may sound, the major challenges that arise are related to cost factor and lack of knowledge among many people to make beef sticks.

If you really love beef sticks, then you can learn how to prepare them at home. As such, this post gives you insight into how you can make beef sticks at home using a quick and easy recipe.

You can certainly save money by making sticks of your choice at home.

Factors to Consider

If you want to make beef sticks at home, there are certain factors to consider such as the cooking methods and types of snacks to make.

You can choose from either a smoker or an oven to prepare your beef sticks at home.

Smoking leaves the meat with good flavor and it is crucial to maintain the cooking heat at a low level below 200 degrees F to make sure that the meat dries instead of cooking.

It might be difficult to maintain this temperature on your smoker so if the temperature gets too hot, you better remove the meat then return it when it has subsided.

On the other hand, an oven is ideal for preparing beef sticks at home since you can easily control its temperature. The other advantage of an oven is that it is readily available in almost every home and it is easy to use.  

Types of Homemade Beef Sticks Recipes

There are mainly two types of homemade beef sticks namely: naked homemade beef sticks and casing beef sticks.

There have different recipes that you may need to know so that you can make sticks at home.

1. Naked Homemade Beef Sticks

The recipe for naked beef sticks includes different ingredients. In this recipe, you should not include jalapeños or cheese hence the ingredients are as follows:

• 5 Pounds Ground Beef with high-fat content to avoid drying when cooking
• 2.5 Teaspoons Of Mustard Seed
• 2.5 Teaspoons Of Garlic Salt
• 5 Teaspoons Of Meat Curing Product with sugar and salt
• 2.5 Teaspoons Of Coarse Black Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon Of Hickory Smoked Salt

You can also be adventurous and try something new. For instance, you can add cayenne and red pepper if you like the stick to be spicy.

Steps to Make Naked Beef Sticks at Home

There are different steps that you should take that include the following:

1. Mix all ingredients including spices in a large bowl.
2. Wrap the bowl and leave to rest in the fridge overnight to allow the meat to absorb the ingredients.
3. Remix the whole mixture again the following day and you can add more flavors.
4. Wrap the bowl again and put in the fridge for another night.
5. You can shape your meat into the desired strips of about 8 inches long and 3 inches in diameter.
6. Place the meat sticks in the oven and bake for about 8 hours at 150 degrees F. When they are ready, leave to cool and you can place them in the fridge for 2 weeks or six weeks in deep freezer.

2. Casing Beef Sticks Recipe

For this recipe, you need a meat gun like Jerky Cannon for filling up the casings.

When it comes to this recipe, you will require a meat gun such as the well known Jerky Cannon which will help you to fill out the casings.

Ingredients For Casing Beef Sticks

• 5 Pounds Ground Beef with fat
• 5 Teaspoons Of Meat Curing Product with salt and sugar
• 3 Whole Jalapeños
• Collagen Casings
• 12 Ounces Of Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 2.5 Teaspoons Of Mustard Seed
• 2.5 Teaspoons Of Garlic Salt
• 2.5 Teaspoons Coarse Black Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon Of Hickory Smoked Salt

Steps To Make Casing Beef Sticks At Home

When making casing beef sticks at home, you must take the following steps:

1. Mix all the ingredients and meat in a large bowl
2. Chop the jalapeños and mix with your meat
3. Add your mixed meat into the shredded cheddar and mix gently and prepare stick shapes
4. Fill the mixed meat into the gun and pump it into the casings. Make sure there are no air bubbles and tie at both ends.
5. Set your oven at 150 degrees F and place the casings on the rack and cook for about eight hours.
6. Remove the casings from the oven after eight hours of cooking and allow them to cool completely.
7. Cut the sticks into reasonable lengths and you can store them in the fridge for two weeks and six weeks in the deep freezer.

 When your beef sticks are ready, you can enjoy them with a beer.

You have purchased your smoker and you are ready to start smoking meat for the first time. But, now you are wondering how much meat you can smoke at a time. Will the meat be still eatable after a couple of days, or should you just smoke enough for one meal? This is a question that many are asking.

Especially, if they are still new to smoking meat. Luckily, we have all the answers for you. This is everything you need to know about how long does smoked meat last, and how to prepare it correctly so that it can last even longer.

Why Is It Important to Know How Long You Can Eat Your Smoked Meat?

Why is it important to know for how long you can eat your smoked meat safely? It has been smoked, so it is safe to eat, no matter the time. Right? This is where so many people are wrong.

There is one simple reason why you should know the shelve life of smoked meat. In the freezer, refrigerator and without storing it in any way. Food poisoning. And, so many people have made this mistake and end up in the hospital with food poisoning. This is why it is essential that you know when it might be time to throw your meat out.

Does the Smoked Meat Need to Be Refrigerated?

If you want to eat the smoked meat a day or two later, then yes, it should be refrigerated. The fridge is at a really low temperature. Making sure that there isn’t any room for getting germs on, or getting spoiled. If you don’t put the smoked meat in the fridge, you need to finish the meat in one day.

There are a couple of rules that you need to know before you are putting your smoked meat in the fridge. The meat should have been smoked at the right temperature, and it needs to be in an airtight container in order for the meat to stay fresh and edible. Different types of meat should be smoked at different temperatures, in order for you to ensure that it is safe to eat and to store.

General Rule for How Long-smoked Meat Can Last

There is one general rule for how long-smoked meat can last. You need to consume it within four days. This is if you have smoked the meat at the right temperature and if your fridge is also at the right temperature. If you are putting it in the freezer, it can last longer. It can last for up to three months.

If you don’t put it in the freezer or fridge, then it can’t last for longer than a couple of hours. 6 to 12 hours, depending on the weather. The hotter it is, the easier the meat will spoil.

Food Safety While Smoking Meat Can Prolong How Long It Can Last

You will read that we keep on talking about smoking the meat at the right temperature. There are people that don’t know the different meat and the temperature that it should be smoked in order to make it safer to store in the fridge. These are the different meat and their recommended smoking temperatures.

• Beef, pork, lamp, and veal should be smoked at a temperature of 160°F
• Sausages with turkey and chicken it should be smoked at a temperature of 165°F
• Any poultry meat should be smoked at a temperature of 165°F

Putting Smoked Meat in the Freezer. General Rules

Yes, you can put your smoked meat in the freezer for letting it last longer. It can stay in the freezer for up to three months. However, there are a couple of guidelines on how you should store it correctly.

• You should wrap the meat in butcher paper and ensure that there isn’t any meat sticking out of the paper.
• You can also wrap the meat in durable foil and then wrap it with the butcher paper.
• Make sure that you label and date the package. This is so that you can see when you need to throw out the meat.

When Should You Throw the Meat Out?

How do you know that the meat isn’t fresh and edible anymore?

When the meat is showing signs of becoming slimy and when it doesn’t smell fresh anymore. You know what smoked meat should smell like. If this isn’t the smell you are getting, throw the meat out.

With this guide, you will know how long you can store your smoked meat. There are some really important things that you should remember about storing smoked meat. This is to ensure that you are going to have meat that is going to taste great, and that won’t be a health risk to your family.

Food poisoning because of eating meat that isn’t edible anymore can become serious.