I have been making snack sticks for a while now after buying Cabelas Jerky Shooter.
I buy ready-made seasoning.
Adding water to the mix is necessary to get it to flow through the Shooter.
If the meat won`t flow through the Shooter easily, add more water.
You will be drying the sticks so adding water will just take a little longer to dry.
I first put the newly made sticks in my pellet grill set at 200* to bring the internal temperature of the sticks to 180* to be sure to kill any bacteria.
I then transfer them to my Big Chief smoker to dry to the firmness that I want.
If you don`t dry them enough they have a pasty consistency and too dry they are brittle.
A dehydrator will work just as well to dry them but will not get hot enough to kill bacteria.
If using a dehydrator you need to bring them up to at least 160* in the oven before placing them in.
I prefer pepperoni seasoning but also like summer sausage flavor.