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Smoked jalapeño cheddar venison snack sticks stacked in a pile on a butcher block.
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Jalapeño Cheddar Venison Snack Sticks

Jalapeño Cheddar Venison Snack Sticks are smoky, savory, and loaded with little pockets of cheddar in every bite. This recipe blends lean venison with beef, pork, and pork back fat so the sticks stay juicy, then adds chipotle, pepper flakes, dehydrated jalapeños, and two kinds of cheddar for bold snack-stick flavor.
Smoke them low and slow in 17mm collagen casings until they are fully cooked, then cool, bloom, and chill before slicing and packaging. They are perfect for hunting trips, game day, road snacks, freezer packs, or anytime you want a homemade snack stick with a little heat and a lot of flavor.
Prep Time1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time6 hours
Bloom Time1 hour
Total Time8 hours 30 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: smoked snack sticks, venison snack sticks
Servings: 80 servings
Author: Automation

Equipment

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.
    First mixing of the meat for smoked venison snack sticks in a large stainless bowl.
  • 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.
    Adding dry ingredients to meat for venison snack sticks in a large mixing bowl.
  • Fold in the diced extra sharp cheddar, white cheddar, and dehydrated jalapenos until evenly distributed.
    Adding jalapeños and cheddar cheese to meat in stainless mixing bowl.
  • Stuff the mixture into 17mm collagen snack stick casings, taking care not to overstuff or leave large air pockets.
    Stuffing snack sticks and coiling them on the counter.
  • Let the stuffed sticks rest while the smoker preheats to 120°F.
    Smoked venison snack sticks stuffed and coiled on cutting counter.

Smoke the Snack Sticks

  • Smoke for 1 hour at 120°F.
    Venison snack sticks hanging in smoker.
  • Smoke for 1 hour at 140°F.
  • Smoke for 1 hour at 150°F.
  • Smoke for 1 hour at 160°F.
  • Smoke at 170°F until the snack sticks reach an internal temp of 160°F, about 3 more hours.
  • Cool the snack sticks quickly in an ice water bath.
  • Bloom the snack sticks by letting them rest at room temperature for about 1 hour before slicing them into your desired length and vacuum sealing.
    Jalapeño cheddar venison snack sticks in vacuum sealed bags.

Notes

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 1-2 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.
Blooming: Let the sticks bloom after smoking for better color and casing texture. Let the snack sticks rest at room temperature for about 2 hours before packaging them.
Timing: Cook the snack sticks based on temperature, not time. Around the 4-hour mark, start checking the internal temperature every 30 minutes. Pull the snack sticks once they reach 160°F.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 366kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 656mg | Potassium: 224mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 293IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 1mg