Recipe

Homemade pork snack sticks

Name: Homemade pork snack sticks
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 10 to 12 snack sticks
Ingredients: 500 g lean pork mince; 1 teaspoon fine salt; 1 teaspoon sweet paprika; ½ teaspoon garlic powder; ½ teaspoon onion powder; ½ teaspoon ground black pepper; ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed; 1 tablespoon maple syrup or brown sugar; 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar; 1 tablespoon ice-cold water

A simple, oven-baked pork snack stick recipe with paprika, fennel and garlic—made for a savoury lunchbox snack or a casual sharing board.

Prep: 20m
Cook: 45m
Serves: 10 to 12 snack sticks

Homemade pork snack sticks on a rustic board with mustard and herbs

Ingredients

500 g lean pork mince
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed
1 tablespoon maple syrup or brown sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon ice-cold water

Method

Heat the oven to 120°C (100°C fan). Line a baking tray with baking paper and set a wire rack over it if you have one.
Mix the pork, salt, spices, maple syrup, vinegar and water in a bowl until the mixture becomes tacky and evenly seasoned. Cover and chill for 20 minutes.
Spoon the mixture into a piping bag or sturdy food bag with one corner snipped off. Pipe 10 to 12 slim sticks, about 12 cm long, onto the rack or tray. Leave space between them.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, turning once, until browned and cooked through. Use an instant-read thermometer in the thickest stick: pork mince must reach 71°C.
Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Refrigerate leftovers promptly in a covered container and enjoy within three days.

Make them safely

These are fresh, cooked snack sticks—not shelf-stable cured meat. Keep them refrigerated, and use a thermometer rather than colour alone to check that the centre reaches 71°C.