How to Make Beef Sticks at Home

Beef sticks are perfect snack items for any occasion. Whether you’re having a tailgate party or camping, beef sticks are excellent to serve to your friends.

The cost of beef sticks gets more expensive and if you love this snack, you should know how to make them on your own. After all, homemade beef sticks are more delicious than those on the market.

Before you decide to make your own beef sticks recipe, you should anticipate that the entire process requires a lot of effort, time and patience, but it’s all worth it. Making your own beef sticks involves a few factors and methods that depend on your preferences and needs.

Considerations

There are two ways how you can prepare beef sticks either through an oven or a smoker. In the same manner, you should also consider the taste of the beef stick that you want to cook and the method to use.

Since the main concern of this article is on how to make beef sticks at home, then here’s the most considered and delicious recipe.

Naked Beef Sticks Recipe

This recipe does not include jalapenos or cheese and as the name implies, it does not have a casing.

Ingredients:

• 5 lbs. ground beef (choose meat with high-fat content to avoid drying out)
• 2 ½ tsp black pepper (coarse)
• 2 ½ tsp mustard seed
• 2 ½ tsp garlic salt
• 5 tsp meat curing product (with sugar and salt)
• 1 tsp Hickory smoked salt

To make some twist to this recipe, you can add some cayenne, cumin, or crushed red pepper to make it spicy. If you want a fattier flavor, you can add pork sausage. All you have to do is to be creative by exploring extra ingredients.

Procedure:

Step #1: In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients and see to it that the spices are well mixed prior to applying to the meat. This way you can ensure that the spices were evenly applied.

Step #2: Cover the bowl using plastic wrap and leave it in the refrigerator overnight to allow the flavors of the spices absorbed into the meat.

Step #3: On the next day, take the bowl from the refrigerator. Mix again the meat to ensure that all the ingredients along with the spices were evenly distributed and absorbed.

Step #4: Cover the bowl and put it in the fridge overnight.

Step #5: Take the bowl from the fridge the following day. Lay the baking sheet and pour some meat and form it into logs.

Step #6: Baked the beef sticks for eight hours at 150°F.

Turn the sticks every two hours for the best possible results.

Read: How to Smoke Beef Ribs in a Smoker

Casing Beef Sticks Recipe

To fill the casings, you need to use a meat gun like the Jerky Cannon.

Ingredients:

• 5 lbs. ground beef (with high-fat content)
• 12 oz. cheddar cheese (shredded)
• 3 whole Jalapenos
• Collagen Casings
• 2 ½ tsp. garlic salt
• 2 ½ tsp. mustard seed
• 2 ½ tsp. coarse black pepper
• 1 tsp. Hickory smoked salt
• 5 tsp. meat curing product

Procedure:

Step #1: Mix all the ingredients (the meat and spices) in a large bowl.

Step #2: Chop the jalapenos and you can retain the interior membrane and the seeds if you want to make it spicy.

Step #3: Flatten the meat and add the shredded cheddar cheese.

Step #4: Put the collagen casing into the spout. Fill the meat gun and pump it out into the collagen casing to form a log. Squeeze out the air before tying both ends of the casing. Make sure there are no air bubbles.

Step #5: Preheat the oven to 150°F. Put the beef sticks on the center rack and cook them for about eight hours.

Step #6: After the required time, remove the beef sticks from the oven and let them cool.

When preparing casing beef sticks, it is not recommended to leave the mixture in the fridge overnight because the level of spice may fade or intensify. That’s why after mixing all the ingredients; you should prepare the sticks immediately.

As mentioned earlier, there are two options where you can cook beef sticks either in an oven or a smoker.

If you want to smoke beef sticks, you should anticipate a challenge. Make sure you know how to control the heat of the smoker to ensure that the meat is well done. Keep in mind that it is difficult to stick to the desired temperature using a smoker.

On the other hand, if you’re not confident about your smoking abilities, the best option to use in cooking beef sticks is an oven.

Making a beef stick can be both challenging and fun. As long as you have the patience to finish the process, you will end up with delicious snack sticks. Preparing beef sticks at home can save you money by buying this delicious snack at the grocery store.