Beef sticks are spiced sausages that come in a variety of sizes. They are eaten alone as snacks or paired with cheese and crackers for appetizers. The larger beef sticks are sometimes sliced for sandwiches. Making beef sticks at home takes several days but the process is relatively simple. Here are 2 recipes for preparing beef sticks.
•Method One of Two: Making Mild Beef Sticks
Place 5 pounds (2250 g) of ground beef in a large bowl. Choose ground beef with a high fat percentage; lean meat will not work well. Break up the beef with a spoon or your hands.
Make the seasoning mixture. Blend 2 1/2 tsp. (13 ml) each of mustard seed, coarse-ground black pepper, and garlic salt; 1 tsp. (5 ml) of hickory smoked salt; and 5 tsp. (25 ml) of a meat curing product containing salt and sugar.
Add the seasoning mix to the ground beef. Blend thoroughly with your hands.
Cover the mixture of ground beef and seasonings. Refrigerate it overnight.
Mix the beef and seasoning mixture once again. Cover the mixture. Refrigerate it overnight.
Shape the meat and seasoning mixture into 5 loaves to prepare the beef sticks. Each loaf should be approximately 8 inches (20 cm) long with a diameter of 2 inches (5 cm).
Put the beef loaves on a rack in a broiler pan. Leave about 2 inches (5 cm) separating the loaves.
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Fahrenheit (65 degrees Celsius). Center the loaves in the oven and bake for 8 hours. You should turn the loaves every 2 hours.
Store the homemade beef sticks in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. Or store them in the freezer for 6 weeks.
•Method Two of Two: Making Spicy Beef Sticks
Blend 4 pounds (1800 g) of ground beef and 1 pound (450 g) of highly-spiced pork sausage in a large bowl.
Mix together 1 tbsp. (15 ml) of Worcestershire sauce and 2 1/2 tsp. (13 ml) of liquid smoke. Add this to the meat.
Make a seasoning blend. Mix 2 tsp. (10 ml) each of red pepper flakes, chili powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper; 1 tbsp. (15 ml) each of coarse-ground black pepper, caraway seed, and garlic powder; 2 1/2 tsp. (13 ml) of mustard seed; and 5 tbsp. (75 ml) of a meat curing product containing salt and sugar.
Add the seasoning mixture to the meat. Blend well.
Cover the mixture of meat and seasonings. Put it in the refrigerator overnight.
Use your hands to stir the meat and seasoning mixture for 5 minutes each day for the following 3 days. Keep it refrigerated.
Mix the meat and seasoning blend for the last time on the fourth day. Shape it into 6 loaves of equal size to make the beef sticks.
Wrap each of the loaves in aluminum foil. Use a fork to pierce the aluminum foil a couple of times.
Put the 6 loaves on a broiler pan.
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (95 degrees Celsius). Bake the loaves for 6 hours.
Switch off your oven. Keep the loaves inside the oven for 3 additional hours.
Refrigerate the beef sticks.