Snack sticks without preservatives

Rjsand70

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Oct 22, 2021
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Been looking into rolling my own if you will and I don’t like that the idea of the citric acid in them, what is the old way? I keep seeing fermentation but no guidelines.
 

BBob

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Unless you have a sensitivity to citric acid are there any other reasons to not want to use it?

I looked at a few fermentation recipes and they still all use curing salts (sodium nitrate/sodium nitrite).

The citric acid or fermentation are to lower the PH (preservation) and for the tangy taste.
 
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Rjsand70

Rjsand70

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Joined
Oct 22, 2021
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Unless you have a sensitivity to citric acid are there any other reasons to not want to use it?

I looked at a few fermentation recipes and they still all use curing salts (sodium nitrate/sodium nitrite).

The citric acid or fermentation are to lower the PH (preservation) and for the tangy taste.
I fight gout quite a bit just thinking of ways to lessen that
 
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No need to use citric acid unless you like that tang flavor. I don’t like it so I don’t use it. I do use sodium nitrate but that isn’t necessary either. You can use celery or cherry powder instead which will change to a sodium nitrate during the cooking process. I just vacuum seal it all and store in the freezer and what I’m snacking on stays in the fridge. It’s still good for quite a few days in your pack or just sitting on the counter.
 
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You could use Ecocure. I tried it last year and will use it again this year. It’s expensive but still way cheaper than using a processor as I do everything myself
 
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I fight gout quite a bit just thinking of ways to lessen that

I'd assume you're trying to keep uric acid down if you're referring to keeping gout under control.
Purines/high purine diet will generally cause flares there (purines break down to uric acid). Unfortunately the biggest driver of that tends to be high intakes of red meat. Some acids (Ascorbic- aka Vitamin C-) actually show some value in reducing flares.

Butcherboy nailed it with celery and cherry powder as a preservation method. But, again- overall red meat intake (dose and frequency) is generally a main player in determining uric acid levels.
 
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Rjsand70

Rjsand70

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Oct 22, 2021
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I'd assume you're trying to keep uric acid down if you're referring to keeping gout under control.
Purines/high purine diet will generally cause flares there (purines break down to uric acid). Unfortunately the biggest driver of that tends to be high intakes of red meat. Some acids (Ascorbic- aka Vitamin C-) actually show some value in reducing flares.

Butcherboy nailed it with celery and cherry powder as a preservation method. But, again- overall red meat intake (dose and frequency) is generally a main player in determining uric acid levels.
Yeah I can eat a lot of red meat but some reason the snack sticks and summer sausage is bad on me
 
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Boise
As stated above the citric acid, is for the tangy flavor and used to mimic the flavors produced through fermentation.

On the other hand, using celery powder/extract can be used in place of Cure #1, BUT, you are not replacing nitrates as celery is high in nitrates (hence it works as a cure).

Before you start experimenting with making anything smoked/dried, I'd advise doing some extensive research on the food safety aspects of it and then draw your conclusions.
 

wytx

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Feb 2, 2017
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Drink lots of water every day. Spouse had gout pretty badly for a few years, started drinking a lot of water every day and no flares for years now. Still eats and drinks anything he wants. The DR said drink and pee all day so he does. No meds needed either.
Best of luck with your gout, not fun.

One side affect, he got a kidney stone. Dr said all the water was part of the cause.
 
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