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 protein-packed snack that are fun to make at home. While many recipes call for stuffing the mixture into casings you can actually skip that step and make casing-free venison sticks with a little creativity. Read on to learn my simple method for preparing flavorful venison snack sticks without casings.
Why Make Snack Sticks Without Casings?
There are a few reasons you may want to make snack sticks without casings
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No specialized equipment needed – Natural casings require a stuffer, which many home cooks don’t own. Going casing-free means no specialty tools.
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Fewer ingredients to buy – Natural casings can be expensive and artificial casings have additives. Making casing-free sticks eliminates this cost and keeps the ingredient list simple
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Easier prep – Stuffing casings can be tedious and time-consuming. Skipping the casing step streamlines the entire process.
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Fun shapes – Go casing-free and you can shape the venison into sticks, balls, patties, or any fun form you want.
While casings help preserve moisture and ensure a firm texture, with the right techniques you can achieve similar quality without casings.
Tips for Making Casing-Free Snack Sticks
Follow these tips for creating tasty venison sticks without casings:
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Use very cold meat – Partially freeze the ground venison before mixing the sausage. Cold meat firms up the texture.
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Work in batches – Mix and shape 1 pound of sausage at a time to prevent smearing or overworking the meat.
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Mix thoroughly – Blend spices, seasonings, and meat together very well so flavors permeate evenly.
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Shape firmly – Squeeze and pack the meat tightly as you form sticks. Compact shapes hold together better.
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Dry properly – Let sticks air dry uncovered in the fridge for at least 2 hours before smoking or baking.
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Cook low and slow – Use low, indirect heat around 150-180°F to gently cook through.
Proper shaping, drying, and cooking helps keep the sticks from falling apart without casings.
Ingredients Needed
For 1 batch of venison snack sticks without casings you’ll need:
- 1 pound ground venison (or other game meat)
- 1⁄4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1⁄2 teaspoon cure #1 pink salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
You can also customize the flavors by adding spices like coriander, nutmeg, allspice, sage, thyme, and more. Get creative and make the seasoning your own!
Step-by-Step Method
Follow these simple steps to make delicious venison snack sticks without casings:
1. Prepare the Venison
Partially freeze the ground venison for 30-60 minutes until very cold but not completely frozen. This helps firms up the meat so the sticks hold their shape better.
2. Mix the Seasonings
In a small bowl, combine all the spices, salt, sugar, nonfat dry milk powder, and cure #1 pink salt. Whisk to evenly distribute the ingredients.
3. Blend the Sausage
Add the chilled venison and seasoning blend to a large mixing bowl. Mix together very thoroughly using your hands, a sturdy spoon, or a stand mixer on low speed. Blend until the spices are evenly incorporated throughout the meat.
4. Shape the Sticks
Divide and shape the sausage into ~1 ounce sticks, about 3-4 inches long and 3⁄4-inch thick. Squeeze and pack the meat firmly as you form each stick. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet without touching.
![Shaping venison sausage into sticks][]
5. Dry the Sausage
Refrigerate the shaped sticks uncovered for 2-3 hours. Air drying helps firm up the exterior and prevents crumbling when cooked. Flip the sticks halfway through drying.
6. Smoke or Cook the Sticks
To smoke: Load sticks directly onto smoker racks. Smoke at 150°F using your choice of wood like hickory, apple, or cherry for 1-2 hours until cooked through.
To bake: Place sticks on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Bake at 180°F for 45-60 minutes until sticks register 160°F internally.
7. Cool and Enjoy!
Remove sticks from the heat and cool completely before serving. Dig into these tasty venison snack sticks on their own or pair with crackers, cheese, or mustard.
Recipe Variations
The possibilities are endless when making your own venison sausage sticks without casings. Try these fun variations:
- Use different game meats like elk, moose, bison, or wild boar
- Add cheese cubes or dried fruit bits into the center of each stick
- Coat in chopped nuts, seeds, or crushed crackers before drying
- Mix in potent spices like chipotle, ancho chile, or cayenne for heat
- Shape into sticks, patties, balls, or any creative form
- Substitute pork fat or bacon ends for a more tender, juicy texture
Snack Stick Storage
Properly stored, venison snack sticks will keep for 2-3 weeks refrigerated or up to 2 months frozen. Here are some storage tips:
- Allow sticks to cool completely before packing.
- Arrange in a single layer with wax or parchment paper between layers.
- Store in an airtight container or resealable freezer bag.
- Press out as much air as possible and seal tightly.
- Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks or freeze for up to 2 months.
With this easy method, you can skip the casing hassle and enjoy flavorful, protein-packed venison snack sticks anytime. Adjust the seasonings to suit your taste and get creative shaping the sausage. In no time, you’ll be pumping out tasty homemade sticks like a pro!
Beef Sticks Seasoning & Additives
Begin by adding your seasoning to your meat sticks. Whether youre making pork, venison, beef sticks, we recommend our No. 765 Honey BBQ Snack Stick Seasoning or No 769 Willies Seasoning. They both have a lot of flavor and are great on their own or mixed with other things, like high-temp cheese. Other favorite meat stick seasonings are:
- No. 769 Honey Sriracha Seasoning: It’s sweet and spicy just right. Comes with Speed Cure. Perfect for beef sticks.
- You can feel the heat from No. 491 Seven Pepper Seasoning, which has chili, jalapeno, chipotle, habanero, and red peppers, just like the name says. Comes with Speed Cure. Amazing for venison sticks.
- No. 798 Pepperoni Stick Seasoning: A quick and tasty snack that tastes like pepperoni Comes with Maple Cure. Best for pork sticks.
You can season after the first grind if your seasoning doesn’t have any big pieces. The grinder will help spread the seasoning out some.
All of our meat stick seasonings come complete with cure for up to 25 lbs. of meat. When there is no oxygen around, nitrites help keep the red color of the meat and kill bacteria that can make you sick. Add the appropriate amount of cure for your meat batch to your water and stir to combine.
It’s time to add any other flavors to your meat stick mix after the seasonings and cure have been well mixed in. We like to add in high-temp cheddar cheese and encapsulated citric acid. You can add encapsulated citric acid to your finished sausage sticks to make them taste great. It won’t change the texture of the meat because it’s coated.
For meat snack sticks, youll want to get a good amount of protein extraction before stuffing. The end results should be sticky and pasty, with seasonings well incorporated throughout. For the best flavor and color development in jerky sticks, put your meat mixture in the fridge overnight or for a few hours before stuffing.
There is less space between the meat sticks, and they are usually made with natural sheep casings or small collagen casings. We love the irresistible “snap” that comes from natural sheep casings, but collagen casings will make your snack sticks more uniform and give them a rich mahogany color. For the best beef sticks, we recommend:
Meat (and Fat) Instructions for Meat Sticks
For this venison snack stick recipe, making sure you have the right meat-to-fat ratio is important. You should aim for a range of 15% to 25% fat and 75% to 75% lean for the best meat sticks. Any leaner, and you risk a dry and crumbly texture in your snack sticks. This is especially important when making deer sticks. When working with deer, we suggest trimming your snack sticks with about 20% more deer and 20% more pork with 20% more fat. If you want to buy pork trim, which is the meat that is cut off the shoulder or butt, call ahead to your local butcher shop. To be really exact, you can take the meat and fat that you can see and weigh them separately to get the right proportions for your venison sticks.
Making Snack Sticks – With & Without Casings
How to make venison snack sticks?
When making venison snack sticks, it’s important to achieve the right meat to fat ratio. The ideal ratio for snack sticks is typically 80% lean meat to 20% fat. This ensures that the snack sticks are moist and flavorful. Using pork fat as a source of fat is recommended as it complements the lean venison meat well.
Can you eat venison snack sticks?
Venison snack sticks are one of the easiest and tastiest treats we make as deer hunters. If you ‘re like the rest of us, you’re no stranger to the mouthwatering powers of original, hot, Teriyaki, pepper, sweet and smoky, and venison cheddar snack sticks. But, you can’t eat eat any of them until you learn how to make them yourself.
How do you make Venison jerky snack sticks?
These snack sticks are made from a combination of venison, beef, and pork, similar to jerky but thinner. Coarse-grind the venison and pork butt and pass the beef trimmings through the grinder once. Use your hands to combine the meat in your biggest container. Add seasoning to meat before grinding. If you pre-ground it, hand-mix it in now.
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.