Venison snack sticks are basically small, smoky sausages made from ground venison (often with pork fat) that are stuffed into thin casings and slowly smoked or baked until firm and safe to eat.

Quick Scoop

  • Use a mix of lean venison plus some pork fat so the sticks stay juicy, not dry.
  • Season heavily (salt, cure, garlic, pepper, coriander or mustard are common), then chill, grind, and mix until the meat turns tacky and sticky.
  • Stuff into 16–22 mm snack-stick casings, then smoke low and slow (or oven-bake) until the internal temperature hits about 155–160°F.
  • Cool, then refrigerate or vacuum seal and freeze for grab‑and‑go snacks.

What You Need

Meat and fat

  • 3 lb boneless venison, silverskin removed, cut in chunks.
  • 2 lb pork fat or fatty pork (like pork shoulder/butt) in chunks.

That 60/40 or so venison-to-pork-fatty-meat ratio gives you rich, moist sticks that don’t crumble.

Basic seasoning blend

You can use a pre-made snack-stick seasoning kit (popular with hunters and home butchers), which usually includes cure. Or mix your own, roughly:

  • Coarse kosher salt and a small measured amount of curing salt such as Instacure No. 1.
  • Black pepper, garlic powder, ground mustard, coriander, nutmeg and cloves for a classic, savory profile.
  • Brown sugar for a hint of sweetness and color.
  • Optional heat: chili flakes or a spicy seasoning kit if you want a kick.

Always follow cure directions on the package by weight; that keeps things both safe and properly flavored.

Gear

  • Meat grinder (or access to one at a local butcher or processor).
  • Sausage stuffer (stand-alone or an attachment for a grinder).
  • Smoker or grill that can run around 120–170°F, or an oven if you’re not smoking.
  • 16–22 mm casings (collagen or natural) for that classic slim-stick shape.

Step‑by‑Step: How to Make Venison Snack Sticks

1. Chill everything

  • Place grinder parts (plate, blade, auger) in the freezer for about an hour so they’re very cold.
  • Spread venison and pork fat chunks on a tray and chill until partially firm but not rock‑hard.

Cold meat grinds cleaner and helps you avoid smear, which can ruin texture.

2. Season the meat

  • In a bowl, mix salt, cure, and your spices until evenly combined.
  • Toss chilled venison and pork fat in the seasoning blend so every piece has a light coating.

If you’re using a commercial snack‑stick kit, just follow the included ratios of seasoning and cure to meat weight.

3. Grind

  • Run the seasoned meat and fat through a medium grinding plate (about 1/4 inch).
  • If you want an extra‑fine texture, you can chill again and re-grind once more through the same plate.

You’re aiming for a uniform grind that still has some bite, not a paste.

4. Mix until tacky

  • Move the ground meat into a stand mixer bowl (paddle attachment) or a large tub.
  • Add any remaining water (if your recipe calls for it) to help the seasoning distribute.
  • Mix until the meat becomes sticky and tacky —it should cling to your hand rather than crumble when squeezed.

This step develops the protein bind so the finished sticks slice cleanly and don’t fall apart.

5. Stuff the casings

  • Slide your casings onto the stuffer tube and tie or clamp the end.
  • Feed the meat mixture into the stuffer and fill the casings firmly but not over‑tight, which can cause burst casings.
  • Twist or cut to your preferred length—most people go 6–10 inches per stick.

Aim for uniform diameter so all sticks cook evenly.

6. Smoke (or oven‑cook) low and slow

A typical smoking schedule looks like this:

  • Start around 120°F to dry the casings for about 30 minutes with no smoke.
  • Increase to about 130–150°F, add smoke, and continue for a couple of hours.
  • Gradually raise the cabinet temperature to around 170°F and continue cooking until the sticks reach an internal temperature of about 155°F.

If you’re using a grill, set up for indirect heat around 225–250°F with hickory, and smoke until the same internal temp is reached. For an oven, bake on racks at low temperature (often 200–225°F), then finish to 155–160°F internal.

Always use a reliable thermometer; don’t guess.

7. Cool and store

  • Once they hit temperature, you can shower them briefly with cool water or rest them at room temp to stop the cooking.
  • Let them cool completely on racks so moisture can escape and the surface dries slightly.
  • Refrigerate what you’ll eat in a week, and vacuum seal the rest to freeze for longer storage.

Extra Tips, Variations, and Forum‑Style Wisdom

  • Spice levels: Many home makers use “seven pepper” or honey‑sriracha style blends for sweet heat; commercial kits often bundle both seasoning and cure in one pack for convenience.
  • Fat content: Some people go leaner with mostly venison and just a bit of pork, but most seasoned makers warn that too little fat gives you dry, crumbly sticks.
  • Texture tricks: Mixing until you get that sticky, elastic feel is one of the biggest secrets to tight, cohesive snack sticks.
  • Storage: In forum discussions, hunters frequently vacuum seal batches, especially after big fall harvests, to keep sticks fresh and portable for months.

Simple Example Recipe (Home Scale)

  • 3 lb venison, trimmed and chilled.
  • 2 lb pork fat or fatty pork shoulder.
  • 55 g kosher salt plus 1 tsp curing salt (following the cure manufacturer’s rate).
  • 1 tbsp black pepper, 4 tsp ground mustard, 1.5 tsp coriander, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp cloves.
  • Optional: 1–3 tbsp brown sugar and chili flakes for a sweet‑heat profile.

Follow the steps: chill → season → grind → mix to tacky → stuff → smoke/oven‑cook to 155–160°F → cool and store.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.