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A plate of finished Texas Twinkie beef sticks
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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
Cook Time5 hours
Total Time6 hours
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 people
Author: Derek Wolf

Ingredients

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
  • cup Cowboy Butter Rub

Binder & Cure

  • 1 tsp Prague Powder #1
  • 1 cup ice water

Instructions

  • 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!

Notes

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.

Nutrition

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