It doesn’t matter what you call these quick meat snacks—meat sticks, snack sticks, beef sticks, slim jims—they are an important part of making sausage. Almost like jerky, but not quite as dry. This sausage is thinner and can be made from pork, beef, deer, or other wild game combinations.
Meat sticks are ground then stuffed in either collagen or natural casings. You can season them with almost any flavor profile and make them better by adding things like high-temperature cheese, encapsulated citric acid, or cultures. It doesn’t matter what flavorings you use; meat sticks are the best meat snack for on the go and a great way to use up venison or leftover trimmings.
Venison snack sticks are a tasty and protein-packed treat that are fun to make at home. If you are a fan of venison and looking for a new snack to try, consider making some venison snack sticks in a dehydrator. The dehydrating process removes moisture slowly to preserve flavor and texture, resulting in flavorful meat sticks that are shelf-stable. Follow this simple guide to make delicious venison snack sticks in a dehydrator in your own kitchen.
Gather the Necessary Ingredients
To make venison snack sticks, you will need:
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Venison – Use high quality, fresh venison. About 50% of the total meat mixture should be venison.
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Pork trim – Use pork trim with 50% fat content for the other 50% of the meat mixture, The pork adds fat and flavor
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Seasonings – Use spices like garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and curing salt.
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Cheese – High temp cheddar cheese adds great flavor (optional).
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Casings – Collagen casings to stuff the meat mixture into.
Equipment Needed
You will also need some essential equipment:
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Meat grinder – Grind meats to a fine consistency.
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Sausage stuffer – Use a stuffer with a 16mm nozzle or smaller.
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Dehydrator – Look for one with temperature controls.
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Dehydrator racks
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Kitchen scale
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Instant read thermometer
Prep the Venison
Start with 1-2 lbs of fresh venison. Trim off any excess fat or silver skin. Cut the venison into 1 inch cubes to make it easier to grind. Keep the venison chilled while you prepare the other ingredients.
Prepare the Pork Trim
You will need about 1 lb of pork trim with 50% fat content. Like the venison, trim off any excess fat or skin and cube the pork into 1 inch pieces. Keep chilled.
Grind and Mix the Meat
Place the chilled venison and pork cubes through a meat grinder using a fine die. You want the meat mixture to end up with a paste-like consistency.
In a large bowl, mix together the ground meats. Now add your desired seasonings, cheese, and curing salt. Mix everything together thoroughly until well combined.
At this point, cook a small patty of the mixture to test for seasoning. Adjust spices as desired.
Stuff into Casings
Load the mixture into a sausage stuffer fitted with a 16mm nozzle. Slide the collagen casings onto the nozzle, leaving about 3 inches hanging off the end. Twist the casing to seal off any air pockets.
Slowly press the meat mixture into the casing, packing it tightly as you fill. Leave some casing empty at the end and twist to seal.
Load Dehydrator and Dry
Preheat dehydrator to 160°F. Place stuffed casings onto dehydrator racks, leaving space between for air flow. Load racks into dehydrator.
Dehydrate for 2 hours, verifying internal temp reaches 160°F. Remove and immerse in ice bath for 10 minutes to stop cooking.
Finish and Store
After cooling, let snack sticks rest at room temp for 30 minutes. Cut into desired sizes. Vacuum seal and refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 6 months.
Tips for Best Results
Follow these tips for delicious venison snack sticks every time:
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Keep meat and equipment chilled for safety.
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Use the right fat ratio – 50/50 venison to pork works well.
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Mix in seasons thoroughly and test for flavor.
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Take temperature frequently when dehydrating.
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Cool quickly after dehydrating to preserve texture.
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Let rest before cutting to allow flavors to set.
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Store properly in freezer for long term storage.
With the right ingredients and following these steps, you can make tasty venison snack sticks in your dehydrator. They are protein-packed and shelf-stable, perfect for hiking, lunch boxes, or anytime snacking. The venison provides a mildly gamey flavor while the pork adds richness. Customize with your favorite spices for personalized flavor. Once you master the basics, get creative with flavors like teriyaki, barbecue or fiery hot. Enjoy your homemade venison snack sticks on the go or as part of a snack plate.
Meat Sticks Processing
One of the trickiest parts of making meat sticks is the processing or smoking process. If you heat the sausages too quickly, the fat could melt off the beef stick, and the acid inside could break down. The important thing is to slowly raise the temperature so that the snack sticks don’t lose any of their fat or other ingredients.
What kind of combustible you use to smoke your meat sticks will also change how they taste and how they smoke. To get the best beef sticks, you should do some research and find out what kind of meat you should use.
We suggest using a good electric smokehouse, such as the Pro Smoker PK-100, which burns sawdust for smoke to make the best smoked snack sticks. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for smoking times and temperatures. However, here is a general idea of how to process your meat:
- Set smokehouse to 120° F. Put sausage sticks on racks and put them in the smokehouse to dry for half an hour (no smoke).
- The temperature should be raised to 1350°F and smoke should be released for one hour with the dampers closed.
- Increase temperature to 150° F and smoke for 1 hour
- Increase temperature to 170° F and remove smoke
- The snack sticks are done when the internal temperature reaches 155° F.
Sausage and snack sticks can be cooled down in two ways: by letting them dry out in the air or in an ice bath. If you choose to air dry the meat sticks, let them sit out at room temperature for about half an hour. This will cool them down to 110 degrees inside before putting them in the fridge to cool completely. The ice bath method is faster, but both will get the casings to harden and give the beef sticks that nice snap when you bite into them.
After putting the snack sticks in the fridge, wait until they reach 39 degrees inside before vacuum packing or storing them. Snack sticks can stay in the freezer for months or in the fridge for two to three weeks if they are properly sealed and packed.
Grinding & Mixing for Snack Sticks
For meat sticks, you don’t need a very fine grind because you want the fat and meat to still be able to be seen separately in the finished product. It’s best to grind the snack sticks twice, once through a 3/8″ plate and then twice through a 3/16″ plate to get the right texture.
Tip: Always keep the meat in your sausage sticks cold! To keep the meat from smearing, put the block back in the cooler between grinds.
After both types of meat have been ground, you can mix them by hand or with a meat mixer. If you’re making less than 25 pounds of snack sticks, you should do it by hand so as not to break any encapsulated citric acid or high-temperature cheese you’re adding.
Making the best Venison Snack Sticks (Slim Jim’s). Full Process.
FAQ
Can you make snack sticks in a dehydrator?
How long to dehydrate venison jerky sticks?
What is the ratio of meat to venison in snack sticks?
What temperature for deer snack sticks?
How to make venison snack sticks?
For the best venison snack stick recipe, you need: Mixing The Ingredients: Start by thoroughly mixing the ground venison and beef fat. This combination ensures your snack sticks are juicy and flavorful. Next, blend in the salt, black pepper, garlic powder, mustard seeds, and red pepper.
How do you cook snack sticks in a dehydrator?
Cooking the sticks can be accomplished in the oven, on a smoker, or in a temperature-controlled dehydrator that can be set to at least 160 degrees. I start out low, around 145 to 150 degrees for an hour, then turn the temperature up to 170 degrees and continue to cook until the snack sticks reach an internal temperature of 150 degrees.
How do you make a venison sandwich?
In a large bowl, combine the ground venison, pork fat, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, and curing salt. Mix well to ensure all the ingredients are evenly distributed. Using a sausage stuffer, fill the mixture into snack stick casings.
How do you cook venison in a dehydrator?
Preheat oven to 300°F. Remove venison from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Place strips in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until internal temperature of meat reaches 160°F. (This step is recommended by the USDA to destroy any bacteria that might be present.) Transfer venison strips onto the dehydrator racks.