Cheddar Snack Stick Kit

This Cheddar Snack Stick Kit is everything but the meat. Our pepper-forward snack stick seasoning, your choice of casing, a pound of high temp cheddar that survives the smokehouse, and the Insta Cure #1 the recipe calls for — portioned for one 10 lb. batch.

The seasoning already carries cultured Fermento for a mild tang, so the sticks come out with the fermented edge people expect from a good snack stick rather than tasting like plain smoked beef. Cheddar pockets through the stick are what turn it into the thing nobody puts back on the shelf.

Making 25 lbs. without the cheese? Our Dried Sausage Sticks Kit is built for that.

What's in the Kit

Snack Stick Seasoning, 6.5 oz. — pepper-forward with coriander and a cultured tang, and a longtime customer favorite. Works equally well with venison, beef, or pork. Blended in Buffalo, New York, with no MSG, no silicon dioxide, and no anti-caking agents, so if it packs down in the bag, just crush it loose. Seasons 10 lbs., no additional salt needed.

Insta Cure #1, 4 oz. — the pink curing salt a smoked stick needs. A 10 lb. batch takes 2 level teaspoons, so there's plenty left for later batches. Snack sticks sit at 120–130°F under heavy smoke for three to four hours, and cure is what makes that stretch safe.

High Temp Cheddar Cheese, 1 lb. — diced 1/4" and made to hold its shape at 400°F. The quarter-inch dice is the right scale for a stick: big enough to find, small enough that the stick still holds together. One pound suits 10 lbs. of meat at our 5–10% ratio.

Your choice of casing — the two ways makers go on snack sticks:

Features

• Makes 10 lbs. of smoked snack sticks
• Cure included, in the quantity the recipe calls for
• Contains Fermento for a natural fermented tang
• No MSG, no silicon dioxide, no anti-caking agents in the seasoning
• High temp cheddar holds its shape to 400°F
• Choice of natural sheep or 19mm smoked collagen casing
• Seasoning blended and packed by The Sausage Maker in Buffalo, New York
• Works with venison, beef, or pork

10 lb. Snack Stick Recipe

• 8 lbs. lean venison and 2 lbs. beef, or 10 lbs. lean beef
• 6 oz. Snack Stick Seasoning
• 2 level tsp. Insta Cure #1
• 1 pint ice water
• 1 lb. High Temp Cheddar Cheese

Instructions

1. If you chose natural sheep casings, rinse the salt off under cool water, flush the insides, and soak in cool water in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. Collagen casings need no soaking.
2. Grind all meat through a 3/16" plate.
3. Add the seasoning, cure, and ice water, and mix well until evenly distributed.
4. Fold in the cheese last, working gently so the dice stay whole.
5. Stuff into the casings and link to the length you want.
6. Place in a smokehouse preheated to 120–130°F and apply heavy smoke for 3–4 hours.
7. Raise the temperature to 165°F and cook without smoke until the internal temperature reaches 152°F.
8. Shower with cold water until the internal temperature drops to 120°F or below.
9. Refrigerate at least 24 hours before eating.

Want it tangier?

The blend already contains Fermento. For a sharper, more fermented finish, add more Fermento to the batch.

Allergens

Milk, from both the cheese and the cultured Fermento in the seasoning.

Storage

• Keep the cheese refrigerated. Freezing is not recommended.
• Store the seasoning and cure in a cool, dry place.
• Keep natural sheep casings refrigerated until use, and never freeze them. Collagen casings should be kept refrigerated in their original sealed package.

Shipping

This kit contains cheese. During the warmer months of the year, we ship cheese on Mondays and Tuesdays only. Orders placed later in the week go out the following Monday or Tuesday. Natural casings cannot be shipped outside the United States.

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