Today our food focus is on the Snack Stick.

Snack sticks are a type of meat snack that is similar to jerky. They are made from ground, seasoned meat that is stuffed into a casing, cooked, dried, and packaged. Snack sticks are also known as meat sticks, slim Jims, deer sticks, or beef sticks.

Snack sticks are a staple in sausage making.  They are typically made with beef or pork but can also be made with other meats such as turkey, chicken, or exotic meats like elk, bison, and venison.

Snack sticks are semi-dried sausages that are stuffed into smoked collagen casings and then hung in a smokehouse for cooking. They have a pH between 4.5 and 5.2, which gives them their tangy flavor and shelf stability.

Snack sticks can vary in the quality of meat, sugars used, and artificial ingredients. For example, some types of snack sticks, such as pepperoni, may be more likely to be made with pork.

Meat sticks are made of dry, seasoned meat and are high in protein and low in carbohydrates. They also contain vitamins and minerals such as zinc, iron, and sodium. According to the USDA, a meat stick contains 6.1 grams of protein per ounce on average.

 

History

The first Slim Jim Snack Stick was invented in 1929 by Adolph Levis and his partner, Joseph Cherry, in Philadelphia. The pair wanted to create a smaller, more convenient snack than the typical sausage.  The Slim Jim was a stick of dried, spiced meat that only took three months to cure. They hired a local meatpacker to help develop the product. Meat sticks are made by grinding, cooking, and drying meat, and then putting it into a casing to create the stick shape. They are also called snack sticks, beef sticks, jerky sticks, or jerky snack sticks. Slim Jim was originally sold as bar food snacks. Here Levis noticed the popularity of pepperoni. In the 1940s, Comella and his partner, Adolph Levis, hired a meat packer to develop the product for production.

In the early 20th century, jerky became popular in the United States. The Quecha Indians, a South American tribe, used jerky as a way to preserve meat as far back as 1550. The Spanish Conquistadors also used this method to preserve meat.

Slim Jim Snack Sticks gained popularity in 1993 when Slim Jim began using “Macho Man” Randy Savage in commercials.

Beef jerky and beef sticks are both meat snacks that are high in protein and portable. Beef jerky is made from a single piece of meat that is cut into strips and dried. Beef sticks are made from ground beef that is seasoned, stuffed into a casing, and smoked. Beef sticks are softer and easier to chew than jerky.

Here are some other differences between beef jerky and beef sticks:

• Beef jerky is leaner than beef sticks.
• Beef sticks can be made with fewer ingredients.
• Some beef sticks are fermented with a starter culture.

 

Beef jerky is a high-protein snack that can be a good source of vitamins and minerals. It’s also low in calories and has a long shelf life.

Here are some interesting facts about beef jerky:

• Beef jerky is high in micronutrients like magnesium, B12, choline, zinc, and iron. Quality jerky is often lean meat.
• It takes a lot of meat to make one ounce of jerky. Because beef is 60% water, the dehydration process can reduce its weight by one-half or even two-thirds. For example, three pounds of raw beef may shrink down to only one pound of beef jerky once dried.
• Beef jerky was first created thousands of years ago by Native Americans. The proven history of beef jerky has been traced back to around 1550 when it’s believed to have been invented by the indigenous Quechua people of South America.
• The word “jerky” derives from the Quechua word ch’arki which means “dried, salted meat”. All that is needed to produce basic “jerky” is a low-temperature drying method, and salt to inhibit bacterial growth.

Here are some interesting facts about Snack Sticks:

• Snack sticks, also known as meat sticks, beef sticks, or jerky sticks, are a high-protein, low-carb snack. They are made by grinding, cooking, and drying meat, then stuffing it into a casing. Snack sticks are typically made with beef or pork.
• Snack sticks are a good source of protein, with an average of 6.1 grams per ounce. This is about 13% of the recommended daily allowance for women, and just under 11% for men. Snack sticks also contain vitamins and minerals, such as zinc, iron, and sodium.
• Snack sticks are made a little differently from regular beef jerky. Beef sticks are tubes of ground beef that are seasoned, stuffed into a casing, and smoked. Some beef sticks are non-perishable, but others are perishable and need to be refrigerated.

 

Here is a Snack Stick Recipe for you to try:

Ingredients:

• 3500 g beef chuck about 7.7 lbs; 20/80 fat to lean meat.
• 5 g Cure #1 about 1.5 level tsp
• 45 g kosher salt about 2.5 Tbsp
• 5 g ground black pepper about 2 tsp
• 6 g granulated garlic about 2 tsp
• 8 g granulated onion about 2 1/2 tsp
• 42 g Fermento about 6 Tbsp
• 5 g dextrose about 1 tsp; can be substituted for white sugar
• 8 g mustard powder about 1 Tbsp
• 5 g celery seed about 2 tsp

 

1. Directions:
   Grind the meat through a 3/16″ (4.5 mm) grinder plate.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. I find that a stand mixer with a paddle attachment works very well for mixing.
3. Stuff into 18-24 mm natural or collagen casings.
4. Tie into 24″ rings (24″ total length, 12″ top to bottom when the ring is formed).
5. Transfer to the smoker and dry without smoke for 30-45 minutes at 110F, or until dry to touch.
6. Raise the temperature to 130F and smoke for 2-3 hours or until the desired color is obtained.
7. Transfer to a large pot with water preheated to 165F. Poach for 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 154-158 F.
8. Shower with cold water for about 5 min, then let cool down and dry.
9. Cut into 6″ sticks.
10. Store in a refrigerator.

 

Consumption

Beef jerky is the most popular meat snack in the United States. In 2016, jerky made up 42.8% of meat snack sales in U.S. convenience stores. However, processed and red meats can increase the risk of health complications.

According to jerkybrands.com, meat snack consumption has increased by 1.4% from 2020 to 2022. In 2020, 128.73 million Americans consumed meat snacks and beef jerky. This number is projected to increase to 132.58 million in 2024.

Slim Jim produces about 569 million cylindrical meat sticks annually in at least 21 varieties. In 2023, Jack’s Links was the top-selling meat stick brand in U.S. convenience stores with sales of $480.2 million.

 

 

Celebrating Snack Sticks

National Snack Stick Day is celebrated annually on September 23rd. The day commemorates the portable snacks that people enjoy while on the go or during outdoor activities. The Klement Sausage Company created National Snack Stick Day to celebrate the snacks that make on-the-go lives possible. The day has been observed annually on September 23rd since 2016.

On National Snack Stick Day, people are encouraged to pack their pockets, backpacks, and desk drawers with snack sticks.