Jalapeño Cheddar Venison Snack Sticks
on Jul 26, 2026, Updated Nov 01, 2026
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Jalapeño Cheddar Venison Snack Sticks are smoky, savory, a little spicy, and loaded with cheddar in every bite. This version uses venison blended with beef, pork, and pork back fat. These snack sticks are moist and snappy, not dry and bland.
The flavor leans classic snack-stick with a little extra attitude. Fermento gives them that tangy cured-meat flavor, nonfat dry milk helps the meat bind, and dehydrated jalapeños bring a steady pepper flavor without making the mixture watery. Make a big batch, chill them down, and you have freezer-ready snacks for hunting trips, game day, road trips, or standing in front of the fridge pretending you only came back for one more.
Why These Smoked Snack Sticks Rule
This is a big-batch recipe built for flavor, texture, and storage. The blend gives you the wild-game character of venison with enough pork and fat to keep the finished sticks tender.
Big snack-stick flavor: Venison, pork, beef, cheddar, jalapeño, chipotle, and pepper flakes make these smoky, savory, and just spicy enough.
Juicy texture: Pork back fat helps keep the snack sticks from drying out during the smoke.
Classic tang: Fermento gives the sticks that familiar cured-meat bite without a long fermentation process.
Cheese in every bite: Extra sharp cheddar and white cheddar add richness and little pockets of flavor.
Freezer-friendly: This batch is perfect for vacuum sealing, freezing, and grabbing whenever you need a quick protein snack.
Pro Tips for the Best Venison Snack Sticks
Snack sticks are all about temperature control and a good bind. Keep the meat cold, mix the meat until tacky, and do not rush the smoking process.
Cook by temperature: Dry the casings uncovered in the refrigerator, then smoke at a steady 180°F on a Grilla Mammoth or another pellet smoker that supports that setting. Monitor from the start and cook to 160°F internally. Check several sticks, avoiding cheese pockets. For the lower-temperature electric-smoker method, see the recipe notes.
Keep everything cold: Chill the meat, fat, grinder parts, and mixing tub before you start. Cold fat grinds cleaner and gives the finished sticks a better texture.
Mix until tacky: The meat mixture should feel sticky before stuffing. That tacky texture is what helps the snack sticks bind instead of turning crumbly.
Use the right casing: These are made with 17mm collagen snack stick casings, which give you that classic slim snack-stick shape. You can also use 19mm or 21mm casings.
Do not overstuff: Fill the casings firmly, but leave enough give so they do not split as they cook.
Chill and bloom: Transfer the cooked sticks promptly to a clean ice-water bath to stop the cooking. Keep the water cold by adding ice as needed, then drain and pat the sticks dry. Arrange the sticks on clean racks over trays and refrigerate promptly at 40°F or below to dry the casings and chill completely. Let them rest in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours for the flavor and texture to settle, then slice and vacuum seal while cold. Skip a prolonged room-temperature bloom.
Choose your cheese: For the pellet-smoker method, high-temperature cheddar is the best choice for distinct cheese pockets. Substitute the same weight for the regular cheddar. Regular extra sharp and white cheddar can soften and release oil during smoking.
Substitutions and Variations
Use this recipe as your base, then adjust the heat, cheese, or meat blend once you know how the first batch turns out.
Milder heat: Cut back on the spicy pepper flakes or chipotle powder if you want the cheddar and smoke to lead.
More heat: Add cayenne, extra pepper flakes, or a hotter dried pepper blend.
Different cheese: Mix up the type of cheese you use, but use high-temp cheese to prevent oozing and oil separation during smoking.
More venison flavor: Increase the venison and reduce some of the beef if you want a more wild-game-forward stick. If you replace pork with venison, slightly increase your fat content.
Smaller batch: Scale the recipe carefully by weight, especially the cure, salt, Fermento, and binder.
Another Tasty Venison Snack Stick
Traeger Recipes
Blue Cheese Bacon Venison Snack Sticks
Blue cheese bacon venison snack sticks with smoky cured-meat flavor, bacon, gorgonzola, and 17mm collagen casings.
Ingredients
This recipe uses a bunch of meat, so measuring the cure, salt, Fermento, and binder carefully matters. The full amounts are in the recipe card below.
Storing and Serving Suggestions
Cool the sticks fully before packaging so condensation does not get trapped in the bag. Once they are chilled, they are easy to portion for snacks, trips, or the freezer. Smoke, cool promptly, and chill the sticks completely before packaging.
For the best quality, freeze in smaller packs so you only thaw what you need. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, not on the counter.
Refrigerator: Store cooled snack sticks in an airtight container for up to 1 week or a vacuum-sealed bag for up to 3 weeks.
Freezer: Vacuum-sealed snack sticks can be frozen for about 6 months, and often up to 1 year if they stay well sealed.
Serving: Slice for snack boards, pack for hunting trips, or throw in your bag for a snack on the go.
Frequently Asked Questions
A 70/30 lean-to-fat style ratio works well for snack sticks. Venison is very lean, so pork back fat helps keep the sticks moist.
You can, but they may turn dry or crumbly. Some added fat makes a big difference in texture.
Collagen casings are the easiest choice for homemade snack sticks because they are uniform, easy to stuff, and do not need to be soaked before using. Cellulose casings can also work, but they are usually peeled off after cooking. Natural sheep casings give a traditional snap, but they take more prep and can be harder to stuff evenly.
This recipe uses 17mm collagen snack stick casings, but you can also use 19mm or 21mm casings as well.
No. Collagen casings do not need to be soaked like natural casings.
Cook the snack sticks to 160°F internally, checking the meat rather than a cheese pocket. The main method uses a steady 180°F pellet smoker. For an electric smoker capable of 120°F, follow the gradual temperature increases in the recipe notes. Follow any higher final temperature required by your curing-product manufacturer.
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Jalapeño Cheddar Venison Snack Sticks
Ingredients
- 2½ lb venison, well chilled
- 2½ lb beef, well chilled
- 5 lb pork, well chilled
- 4¼ lb pork back fat, well chilled or partially frozen
- 2½ oz Eco Cure #1
- 7 oz Fermento, for tang
- 3 oz nonfat dry milk powder, binder; about one 3.2 oz pack
- 2 cups ice cold water
- 4 oz kosher salt, about 7 1/2 tbsp Morton kosher salt or about 13 tbsp Diamond Crystal
- 2 tbsp black pepper
- 2¼ tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp chipotle powder
- 4 tbsp spicy pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp mustard powder
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2½ oz dehydrated jalapeños, about 1 1/2 cups
- 12 oz extra sharp cheddar, diced small
- 12 oz white cheddar, diced small
- 2 full collagen casings, 17mm (19mm or 21mm also works)
Instructions
- If you are grinding your own meat, keep the venison, beef, pork, pork back fat, grinder parts, and mixing bowl very cold before starting. Freeze the meat for about an hour before you grind it.
- Grind the chilled meat and pork back fat through the desired plate, keeping the mixture cold throughout the process. Use a coarse plate for the first grind and a fine plate for the second grind.
- Combine the cure, Fermento, nonfat dry milk powder, and seasonings, and add it to the meat. Then mix the ice-cold water into the ground meat until the mixture becomes tacky and well-bound.
- Fold in the diced extra sharp cheddar, white cheddar, and dehydrated jalapenos until evenly distributed.
- Stuff the mixture into 17mm collagen snack stick casings, taking care not to overstuff or leave large air pockets.
- Arrange the stuffed sticks on clean wire racks over trays, leaving space between them. Pat away surface moisture and refrigerate uncovered at 40°F or below until the casings feel dry to the touch. Keep them refrigerated while you preheat a Grilla Mammoth or another pellet smoker capable of holding 180°F, such as a compatible Traeger model, to 180°F. For an electric smoker capable of lower temperatures, see the Electric Smoker Method in the notes.
Smoke the Snack Sticks on a Pellet Smoker
- Hang the sticks with space between them in a vertical smoker, or arrange them in a single layer on the racks of a pellet grill. Keep them away from direct heat and do not let them touch. Maintain 180°F throughout the cook and monitor the actual cabinet temperature with a separate thermometer near the sticks.
- Cook until the center of the snack sticks reaches 160°F. Use a thin probe inserted lengthwise into the meat, avoiding cheese pockets, and monitor from the start of the cook. Check several sticks in different parts of the smoker with an instant-read thermometer and remove each as it reaches 160°F. Do not raise the heat to rush the finish. Cooking time varies with casing size, batch size, and smoker performance.
- Transfer the cooked sticks promptly to a clean ice-water bath to stop the cooking. Keep the water cold by adding ice as needed, then drain and pat the sticks dry.
- Arrange the sticks on clean racks over trays and refrigerate promptly at 40°F or below to dry the casings and chill completely. Let them rest in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours for the flavor and texture to settle, then slice and vacuum seal while cold. Skip a prolonged room-temperature bloom.
Notes
Pellet Smoker Method
Steady heat: The main instructions use 180°F for a Grilla Mammoth or another pellet smoker that can maintain that setting. Dry the casings in the refrigerator before smoking. Use indirect heat, leave space between sticks, and monitor the actual temperature near the meat. Avoid temperature spikes, which can encourage fat and cheese loss.Electric Smoker Method
Use suitable equipment: This alternate method requires an electric smoker that can maintain 120°F and the higher settings below. Keep the sticks refrigerated while it preheats. Follow the directions for your specific curing product, including any required refrigerated rest before smoking. Different cures are not interchangeable by weight. Dry at 120°F: Load the sticks with space between them and hold at 120°F for 1 hour without added smoke, with the vent open according to your smoker instructions. Increase in stages: Add smoke and raise the cabinet temperature to 140°F for 1 hour, then 150°F for 1 hour, then 160°F for 1 hour. Finally, raise it to 170°F and continue until the sticks reach 160°F internally. Monitor internal temperature from the beginning and remove any sticks that reach 160°F sooner. The final stage has no fixed time. Finish and chill: Follow the same ice bath and refrigerated chilling steps in the main instructions. If the curing-product manufacturer requires a higher final internal temperature, follow that requirement. For the Meat: You can use already ground meat, or grind it yourself. If you are grinding your own meat, be sure to keep the meat cold before grinding. Throw it in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours before grinding. For the Casings: For snack sticks, I prefer 17mm collagen casings. You will use about 2 whole casings, but get some extra just in case. They store well, and you will want to make another batch! Don’t Overstuff: If you overstuff the casings, they will split. If they are overstuffed, they are also more likely to split when loading them or hanging them in the smoker. Mixing: The water helps to bind the meat mixture together. Mix the meat with water until the meat becomes tacky so the snack sticks bind properly. Cool Rapidly: Use an ice water bath in a large container to dunk the snack sticks in to let them quickly cool down and stop the cooking process. This also keeps the meat from detaching from the casing.Cooling and Chilling
Chill before packaging: Arrange the sticks on clean racks over trays and refrigerate promptly at 40°F or below to dry the casings and chill completely. Let them rest in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours for the flavor and texture to settle, then slice and vacuum seal while cold. Skip a prolonged room-temperature bloom.Timing and Temperature
Use a thermometer: Monitor from the start rather than waiting several hours to check. Probe the meat, avoiding cheese pockets, and verify several sticks in different smoker positions. There is no fixed cook-time estimate for this pellet-smoker adaptation yet. Plan for a variable cook and use 160°F internally as the endpoint, or a higher temperature if required by your curing-product manufacturer.Cheese on a Pellet Smoker
Cheese choice: For the pellet-smoker method, high-temperature cheddar is the best choice for distinct cheese pockets. Substitute the same weight for the regular cheddar. Regular extra sharp and white cheddar can soften and release oil during smoking.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
