Best Casing for Snack Sticks
Snack sticks, a popular snacking staple dating back to the 1950s, continue to see high consumer demand with sales booming at $3 billion as of January 2025. Indeed, snack stick sales have increased 10.4% year-over-year for small businesses and large manufacturers alike., So what goes into the production of these favored salty sticks before they hit the shelves?
While humans have been preserving meat since prehistory, the technique of stuffing emulsions into casings has been refined in recent decades. The best casing for snack sticks is up for debate. From the varieties of casings to best practice in their handling, we’ll cover snack stick casing from end to end.
What Are Snack Sticks?
Snack sticks are compact and convenient cured meat sticks you can eat on the go. The Dutch word “snacken” literally means “to bite,” which highlights the main appeal of snack sticks: a small, thin meat stick typically stuffed with beef or pork—that you don’t need a knife to break into. They’re typically wrapped in collagen or sheep casings.
What Makes Snack Sticks Unique
Snack sticks offer delicious, wholesome meat protein in a portable package. Consumers love them for helping:
- Curb midday hunger
- Avoid overeating at meals
- Sharpening daily focus
Unlike other convenience-store buys, snack sticks lack overly processed ingredients in favor of protein, minerals, and vitamins while maintaining a premium-quality flavor. They can also be slipped into a lunchbox, backpack, purse, or pocket, unlike other cured meats.
Common Flavor Profiles and Prep Methods
Commonly manufactured from beef or pork, snack sticks can be produced in a variety of flavors. While teriyaki, pepper, jalapeño, and kielbasa are more classic flavors, new tastes like blue cheese and barbeque are also on the rise.
If you’re new to producing snack sticks, the process is simpler than it seems, sometimes only requiring a few hours between making the meat mixture and stuffing it into the casing. However, the choice of casing makes the process either longer or shorter.
Types of Casings for Snack Sticks
As mentioned, snack sticks often favor collagen or sheep casings. That said, there are several options for snack stick casings—each offering its own benefits.
Sheep Casings
Sheep casings are a natural choice for snack sticks due to their small diameter and their tender texture. These casings provide the signature “snap” that enhances the eating experience, along with excellent flavor permeability that allows smoke and seasoning to fully infuse the sausage. Their natural, uniform appearance also appeals to consumers seeking an authentic, traditional product.
Collagen Casings
These casings are the highest-recommended material for producing snack sticks. Made from animal (usually cattle) hides, tendons, and bones, collagen casings are rising in popularity due to their facilitation in the meat-packaging process. They can also imitate natural casings in their size, shape, and edibility.
Cellulose Casing
Cellulose casing is similar, though it lacks the extra plant fiber reinforcement. Due to their characteristic resistance to automated equipment, these casings are popular in large-scale production of hot dogs and other skinless wieners.
Our Top Casing Picks
Though each option has its merits, collagen and sheep casings are our top recommendations for snack stick production.
Sheep Casings vs. Collagen Casings
Both sheep and collagen casings offer optimal texture and durability for snack sticks, and their quality lends themselves to a consistent result at scale.
Strength and Snap
Due to their collagen-comprised submucosa layer of tissue, sheep casings provide a tender bite and natural snap preferred in snack sticks. Collagen casings also offer natural strength, since collagen is the main protein present in the material. Like sheep casing, collagen casing provides enough durability to maintain snack-stick shape with enough flexibility to bite into.
Smoke Penetration and Appearance
Sheep and collagen casings have the upper hand over other options in flavor and professional presentation. Their permeability allows flavors of the casing, meat, and smoke to interact with and enhance the final product.
Collagen casings, however, are typically better for achieving size uniformity and easier handling.
Popular Choice Among Commercial Processors
Collagen casing is more widely used in large-scale snack stick production for several reasons:, ,
- Collagen-cased snack sticks are typically quicker to produce
- Collagen holds its shape in the high-pressure stuffing process
- Collagen maintains a consistent size and shape for mass production
Collagen casings, as a matter of fact, originated from the spike in sausage product demand. They remain just as relevant for regional producers as snack sticks are sold by the millions.
How to Use and Store Snack Stick Casings
Sheep and collagen casings require different levels of care. Below, we provide individual guidelines for preparing, handling, and storing these casings to prolong their life and maximize your snack stick production yield.
Each phase in the snack stick manufacturing process is crucial, whether you're working with collagen or natural casings.
Prepping Collagen Casings
Collagen casings are ready to use straight from the box and do not require soaking. Soaking edible collagen casings can lead to difficulties in portion control and increased product giveaway.
Prepping Sheep Casings
Like any other natural casings, sheep casings require thorough preparation before use:
- Rinsing – Remove the casings from their packaging and rinse them in cool water to eliminate any salt.
- Soaking – Place the casings in fresh water overnight to make them tender and flexible, which helps minimize breakage and holes.
- Pre-Stuffing Soak – Approximately 30 minutes before stuffing, soak the casings in fresh warm water at around 95°F (35°C).
Proper preparation of natural casings ensures optimal performance during stuffing and cooking.
Stuffing and Linking Techniques
To carry on with the stuffing and linking process of snack stick production, prepare the following production tools:
- Grinder
- Stuffer equipment (such as a horn or tube)
- Sterilized needle (to prevent air pockets)
With these tools—along with vegetable oil—your stuffing and linking process should run smoothly. Take note of these techniques to streamline your snack stick production:
- Follow manufacturer’s instructions
- Utilize the appropriately sized stuffer for your casing type
- Keep natural casings wet until the filling process begins
- Be mindful of creating air pockets and remove them if they come up
- Leave enough space in the tube to tie off or twist each stick
Once you’ve inserted your fine snack stick emulsion into your casing of choice, it’s time to package them for store shelves.
Storage and Shelf Life: Sheep vs. Collagen Casings
Though natural casings require more handling, it’s important to store any unused product the same day. If the casings have not been soaked, they should be returned to a dry container with a lid—such as the original barrel. If they’ve been soaked, they must be re-salted, drained thoroughly, and placed back in the barrel. Always store natural casings in a cooler at 40°F (4.4°C) or below, and never freeze. If storing in brine for extended periods, the brine should be refreshed periodically to maintain product integrity.
Collagen casings, on the other hand, do not require refrigeration. They should be kept in a dry environment between 40–60°F (5–15°C) and stored in their original, unopened boxes until ready for use. Because they are susceptible to humidity, proper storage is essential for maintaining their shelf stability.
Premium Quality Natural Sheep and Collagen Casings at Oversea Casing
Whether you purchase collagen or sheep casing is up to you and your unique product values. You can find other high-quality natural and artificial casings at Oversea Casing for all your sausage, deli meat, and snack stick stuffing needs.
Shipping and Subscription Services
With our worldwide shipping and flexible order options, doing business with Oversea Casing makes your process seamless. Sign up for a subscription service to make reordering easy and get back to running your business.
With our premium, GFSI-certified casings and nearly a century of experience, trust the experts at Oversea Casing as your go-to industrial sausage casing supplier.
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Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Sausage Casings. https://www.fao.org/4/x6556e/X6556E03.htm
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Marketplace. America’s new snack fixation? Meat Sticks. https://www.marketplace.org/story/2025/02/14/americas-new-snack-fixation-meat-sticks
National Today. National Snack Stick Day - September 23, 2025. https://nationaltoday.com/national-snack-stick-day/
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