Walton's Blog

If you've ever made sausage or snack sticks with collagen casings and ended up frustrated with blowouts, pinholes, or poor texture, you're not alone.  The good news? Most issues with collagen casings stem from storage conditions, poor condition, or choosing the wrong type for your application.  In this guide, we'll break down everything you need to know about collagen casings so you can get consistent, professional-quality results every time.    What Are Collagen Casings …

If you're looking for a new way to use wild turkey breast, jerky might just become your go‑to. Turkey jerky is lean, packed with protein, and—when done correctly—surprisingly tender and full of flavor. In this guide, we're breaking down a proven method for making bold, tender turkey jerky that's perfect for wild game hunters and home processors alike.  This process comes straight from hands‑on experience and focuses on texture, food safety, and maximizing flavor.   &nb …

If you love snack sticks but don't love dealing with casings or firing up the smoker, skinless snack sticks might be your new favorite project. These sticks use the same process as extruded jerky, just formed into a round, snack-stick shape—making them perfect for hiking, hunting, or everyday protein-packed snacking.  In this guide, we'll walk through how to make skinless snack sticks at home using simple equipment and ingredients you can find at waltons.com.  What Are …

If you’ve ever wanted to make your own beef sticks, snack sticks, or beef snack sticks at home, the process is easier than you might think once you understand the basics. Snack sticks are a type of cured sausage that are stuffed into small-diameter collagen casings, smoked low and slow, then cooled and bloomed for the best color, texture, and flavor. Whether you’re making classic beef snack sticks, venison snack sticks, pork snack sticks, or wild game snack sticks, the process comes …

Dry snack sticks usually come down to five core issues, not enough fat, too much heat during cooking, not adding enough water, under-mixing the meat, and leaving out a binder. If your fat is too low, you lose that juicy texture. Too much heat during cooking pushes out moisture and fat instead of keeping them in. Without enough water and proper mixing, the proteins can't form a stable bind to hold everything together. Leaving out a binder takes away another safeguard against drying out. If you ge …