Venison Snack Stick Recipe: Smoker or Oven, With or Without Cheese

If there's one thing every hunter wants from their deer, it's snack sticks. They're easy to pack, they last, and they're the first thing to disappear at camp. The good news is they're also one of the easiest smoked sausages to make at home.

When we shared our venison summer sausage recipe, we promised a snack stick guide next. Here it is: a simple 10 lb. recipe that works in a smoker or a home oven, with or without cheese.

The Short Answer

To make venison snack sticks, mix 8 lbs. of venison with 2 lbs. of fat or fatty beef (about 20% fat), 6 oz. of Snack Stick Seasoning, 2 level teaspoons of Insta Cure #1, and 1 pint of ice water. Stuff into 19mm smoked collagen casings and let them come to room temperature. Smoke at 120–130°F for 3–4 hours, then raise the heat to 165°F until the internal temperature reaches 152°F. Shower with cold water to 120°F, then refrigerate for at least 24 hours before eating.

Why Venison Snack Sticks Need Added Fat

Venison is very lean, so on its own it makes dry, crumbly sticks. For snack sticks, aim for about 20% fat. In a 10 lb. batch, that's 8 lbs. of venison and 2 lbs. of fat.

That fat can come from almost anywhere: pork fat, bacon, or beef fat. If you'd rather use meat, choose a fatty cut of beef, not a lean one, so you still get to about 20%. This is the answer to the common question of the right venison-to-pork ratio for snack sticks. It's less about pork and more about getting enough fat.

Trim the venison well first. Remove sinew, silver skin, and blood clots, and keep all your meat cold. Our beginner's guide to turning wild game into great sausage covers trimming in more detail.

What You'll Need

Equipment:

• A meat grinder with a 3/16" plate
• A sausage stuffer with a 1/2" stuffing tube
• A smoker, or your home oven and an Oven Thermometer
• A meat thermometer, like the INKBIRD Instant Read Thermometer
• A Sausage Pricker to release air pockets

Casings: Most makers use collagen for snack sticks. It needs no soaking and comes out the same size every time. Natural sheep casings give you more snap.

New to collagen? Our guide on how to use collagen casings covers loading, stuffing, and storing them.

The Recipe: Venison Snack Sticks (10 lbs.)

This recipe uses our Snack Stick Seasoning, a pepper-forward blend with coriander and a mild tang. The tang is already built in because the seasoning contains Fermento. There's no spice list to measure and no extra salt needed.

Meat:

• 8 lbs. lean venison
• 2 lbs. fat or fatty beef (pork fat, bacon, beef fat, or a fatty beef cut)

Cure and seasoning:

• 6 oz. Snack Stick Seasoning
• 2 level tsp. Insta Cure #1
• 1 pint ice water

Optional:

• 1 lb. High Temp Cheddar Cheese (see "Make It Cheesy")
• Fermento for a sharper tang. Because the seasoning already contains it, add extra only if you want it tangier.
• Natural Hickory Liquid Smoke for the oven method: 1 tsp. per 5 lbs. of meat

Use Insta Cure #1 whether you smoke or bake. Snack sticks spend hours at low temperatures, and cure is what makes that safe. Use Insta Cure #1, not #2. Our guide to curing salts explains why.

Want sharper tang? You can add more Fermento, as above. Our guide to Encapsulated Citric Acid vs. Fermento explains the difference, but don't add a second tang ingredient on top of a seasoning that already has one.

Make It Cheesy (Optional)

Cheese turns a good snack stick into the one nobody can stop eating. Regular cheese melts out in the smoker, but High Temp Cheddar holds its shape up to 400°F, so you get little pockets of cheese in every bite.

• How much: 1 lb. per 10 lbs. of meat (our recommended 5–10%)
• When to add it: fold it in last, after everything else is mixed. Mix gently so the 1/4" dice stay whole.
• Want some heat? Swap the cheddar for High Temp Pepper Jack for a spicy, jalapeño-style kick.
• Easiest option: the Cheddar Snack Stick Kit or the Cheddar Peppered Snack Stick Kit includes the seasoning, cure, cheese, and casings for one 10 lb. batch.

How to Make Venison Snack Sticks, Step by Step

Step 1: Grind

Make sure your venison and fat are well chilled. Grind all of the meat and fat through a 3/16" plate.

Step 2: Mix

Add the seasoning, Insta Cure #1, and ice water to the ground meat. Add liquid smoke now if you're using the oven method. Mix well until everything is evenly spread through the meat. If you're adding cheese, fold it in last.

Step 3: Stuff

Slide a 19mm or 16mm collagen strand onto a 1/2" stuffing tube. No soaking needed. Natural sheep casings need rinsing and soaking first. Pack the stuffer tightly to avoid air pockets, then stuff into long ropes. Stuff firmly but don't overstuff.

Prick the casings with a Sausage Pricker to release trapped air. Then hang the ropes over smoke sticks or lay them flat on racks. You can cut them to length after they're cooked and chilled.

Step 4: Let Them Come to Room Temperature

If you stuffed your sticks ahead of time and refrigerated them, let them come to room temperature before cooking. As they warm, water will bead on the surface. Pat them dry with paper towels. This takes less time than it does for summer sausage, because the sticks are so thin.

Don't skip this step. If the casings are still cold and wet when they go in, they won't take on a nice smoke color. If your sticks were frozen, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator first.

One thing we don't recommend: putting frozen sticks straight into the smoker and leaving the door open while they warm up. Flies and bugs can get to the meat.

Step 5: Smoke or Bake

Smoker method. Preheat your smoker to 120–130°F and apply heavy smoke for 3–4 hours. Then raise the temperature to 165°F and cook without smoke until the internal temperature reaches 152°F. Check a few sticks from different spots, since thin sticks can cook unevenly. Our beginner's guide to smoking sausage covers smoker basics.

Oven method. No smoker? Set your oven to 170–175°F and check it with an oven thermometer, since home ovens often run hot. Lay the sticks on a rack over a pan so air can move around them, and cook until the internal temperature reaches 152°F. Go by temperature, not time. The liquid smoke and mahogany casings give you the smoky flavor and color.

Step 6: Shower & Chill

As soon as the sticks reach 152°F internal, shower them with cold water until the internal temperature drops to 120°F or below. Don't skip this. It stops the cooking and keeps the casings from wrinkling. Then refrigerate the sticks for at least 24 hours before eating. Cut them to length once they're chilled.

Troubleshooting Venison Snack Sticks

• They're dry or crumbly: not enough fat, or they cooked too long. Aim for about 20% fat and pull them at 152°F internal.
• No smoke color: the casings were cold and wet when they went in. Let the sticks come to room temperature and pat them dry first.
• Fat leaked out: the heat was too high. Fat renders and drips out above 180°F, so stick to the schedule.
• Wrinkled casings: the sticks were understuffed, or they didn't cool fast enough. Stuff firmly and shower them right away.
• Split casings: the sticks were overstuffed, or the smoker ran too hot.
• Tough casings: too much heat or too long in the smoker.

Venison Snack Stick FAQ

What internal temperature should venison snack sticks reach? 152°F internal. Then shower them with cold water to 120°F or below and refrigerate.

What's the right venison-to-pork ratio for snack sticks? Aim for about 20% fat: 8 lbs. of venison to 2 lbs. of fat. Pork fat works great, but so do bacon, beef fat, or a fatty beef cut.

Do I need curing salt? Yes. Use 2 level teaspoons of Insta Cure #1 per 10 lbs. of meat, whether you smoke or bake.

How long do venison snack sticks take in the oven? It depends on your oven and the thickness of the sticks, so go by temperature, not time. Bake at 170–175°F until they reach 152°F internal.

How long do homemade snack sticks last? It depends on how they're stored. Our guide on how long homemade sausage lasts covers the fridge and the freezer.

What casing is best for venison snack sticks? 19mm smoked collagen is the most popular choice. It needs no soaking and is strong enough to hang in the smoker. For a thinner stick, use 16mm Brown Mahogany Collagen.

Your Venison Snack Stick Shopping List

• Snack Stick Seasoning
• Insta Cure #1
• Smoked Collagen Casings 19mm or Brown Mahogany Collagen Casings 16mm
• High Temp Cheddar Cheese or High Temp Pepper Jack
• Fermento for extra tang
• Natural Hickory Liquid Smoke and an Oven Thermometer for the oven method
• Sausage Pricker
• All-in-one: Cheddar Snack Stick Kit, Cheddar Peppered Snack Stick Kit, or the 25 lb. Dried Sausage Sticks Kit