Venison Snack Stick Help!

[Mint]

Hey Guys,

I made Venison Snack sticks over this weekend and they came out pretty good but I had some shrinkage and a little pooling of fat.

I have a Masterbuilt propane smoker and I hung them from the top rack. With this smoker the lowest temp I can get is around 200 degrees. I have a kamado joe ( like a big green egg )so I use the ceramic plate setter on the bottom shelf of the smoker to block some of the heat but it still got to hot. I kept the door cracked and that kept the temp down a little bit but apparently not enough.

Any suggestions on how to get the temp to stay lower, around 140 degrees while the protein binds with the fat.

[Al Dente]

Hey Jeff. For the Kamodo cooker, you can try less fuel, or possibly adding some fire bricks on top of the ceramic plate to help diffuse the heat a bit.

[Mint]

Hey Al,
How you been?
I didn't use the Kamado Joe since I don't have a rack for the links and I could fit a lot more in the Masterbuilt propane smoker hanging them from dowels from the top rack slots.

 I might use the kamado joe next just to see if they come out better. I can get a low heat from the Kamado joe no problem and it will hold that temp for ever.

They really didn't come out bad, just a little pooling of fat on some links and that might have been where I had some air bubbles.

Thanks for the tip though, I'll try the fire bricks.  I was thinking of maybe using a ceramic tile since the kamado joe heat diffuser is round and the propane smoker is square I think heat is moving up the sides where it is open.

[Bill Turner]

Al made a good point above regarding the use of firebricks in the Kamota Joe. I also own a propane MasterBuilt smoker. Because of its rectangular shape, the firebricks might be perfect for use in the MasterBuilt smoker to help with lowering/controlling heat. Think I'll give it a try and get back with you. Thanks for the suggestion.  

[Al Dente]

Sorry Jeff, I mis-read the post.  All is well Thank God.  Hope all is well you too.

I love using firebricks as heat diffusers in my homemade barrel smokers.  I can pretty much get any environment I want.  They are inexpensive as well.  I have some that are the size of regular bricks, and others that are about an inch thick.  I can totally block my fire/smoke if I choose to, only letting in the least amount of heat/smoke.

[Mint]

Thanks Al, I'm going to see if I can pick some up at Lowes or Home Depot.

[Al Dente]

Try a masonry yard, where they sell bulk sand, pavers, and bricks, etc...

[Stone Knife]

Soak them in cold water after you take them out, this will keep the skins from wrinkling.