Venison pepperoni sticks - cheese

[dirtking]

A month or two back I bought some pepperoni seasoning - high mtn I think - and made some sticks - smoked them and they turned out really well. I am thinking about making another batch but would like to try and add some cheese and or jalapeno to the sticks.

Any advice? What kind of cheese works best? I am guessing cheddar or something hard. how bout those jalapenos - Do you cook them a little first? Buy the pickled ones?

thanks for the help.

[KEN W]

I made pizza sticks last fall.Used a pepperoni season and picked up some high temp mozzarella from a butcher shop.They turned out great.But if you want them to really taste like pizza......don't smoke them.Pepperoni for pizza isn't smoked.

[reinhard1]

Ken gave good advice on cheese. i have used pickled jalapenos in fresh sausage before and they worked fine. i haven't used them in anything i have smoked. i used dried 1/4 inch diced jalapenos in jerky, summer sausage, and smoked brats. i realy liked the dried jalapeno and will use that in my fresh stuff from this point on. i get them from a butcher supply place for $7 per 5.36oz container. just have to figure out your degree of heet in the amount you put in. good luck.

[LABS4ME]

I've had good luck talking to butchers and getting the high temp cheese(s) also. Tried the regular stuff... no where near as good. Melts to much in the smoking process. I have done jalepeno/cheddar a number of times and used the high temp cheddar and a can of diced jalepenos... sure wouldn't mind trying the dried jalepenos, may have to look for them.

Good Luck!

Ken

[outdrzman78]

you can also get a high temp pepperjack that is good. we used it in summer sausage and sticks

[thirdeye]

I haven't thought about using dried jalapenos in sausage, that's a good idea to try for my next batch. As far as fresh diced ones, or pickled ones they work fine and are an important source of moisture.

As far as cheese goes, the hi-temp cheese is a great product. It's kind of like the chocolate chips for baking in that it gets nice and soft, still has plenty of flavor.... but it stays puts and doesn't' melt away. You can also use it in meatloaf or meatballs. (the cheese, not the chocolate chips). I've been wanting to try the hi-temp cheese in baking too, but I'm out right now.

Here a test cook of sausage with hi-temp cheddar, and by the way... the green stuff in the sausage is roasted green chilies.

[KEN W]

By the way I did mix my venison 50-50 with 80-20 ground beef.Ground pork works also.

[dirtking]

Yes - last time I used 1/3 pork mixed in with the veni. Glad I asked I would have tried the regular cheese - high temp cheese

thanks