Texas Twinkie Beef Sticks
Texas Twinkie beef sticks: the most fun, spicy, freakin' delicious protein snack recipe you didn't know you needed!
Prep Time1 hour hr
Cook Time5 hours hrs
Total Time6 hours hrs
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 people
Author: Derek Wolf
Beef
- 3 lbs 90/10 ground beef
- 2 lbs Finely Chopped Brisket
- 10 oz cheddar cheese small cubes
- 2 blocks Cream Cheese semi-frozen
- 3-4 fresh jalapeños finely diced
- ⅓ cup Cowboy Butter Rub
Binder & Cure
- 1 tsp Prague Powder #1
- 1 cup ice water
Combine ground beef, brisket, seasoning, cure, and binder. Add ice water slowly while mixing. Mix aggressively until the meat becomes tacky/sticky. Fold in the cheese, cream cheese & jalapeños at the end until well incorporated.
Load the meat into a jerky gun. Grease some wire cooking racks and press out long ropes of the beef sticks with spacing between. Make sure to go slow and steady to not create breakage.
Add to your smoker at 130F for one hour to dry the outside and create a pellicle. Bump up the heat 10F every hour until the smoker gets to 170F. Let cook until the beef sticks are at least 150F internal. Cooking should take about 5-6 hours total. (Optional) In the last hour, brush with beef tallow to get some extra flavor and shine if you like.
Once done, pull off and place in the fridge to cool for at least 2 hours. Serve and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Beef Sticks
Homemade jerky might seem intimidating, but you've got this! Here are a few things to keep in mind.
- You can eat these Texas Twinkie beef sticks right off the smoker, but I recommend letting them completely cool as they might crumble if you don't.
- Make sure the mixture is a wet-ish paste so it presses out better.
- Use a slightly larger jerky gun tip (about ½-¾”) so the Texas Twinkie beef sticks stay more moist.
- The temperatures I call for in this recipe are to prevent breakage and dryness, so go slowly on the smoker.
Calories: 864kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 89g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 289mg | Sodium: 585mg | Potassium: 1447mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 777IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 581mg | Iron: 13mg