Deer Jerky

2nd Calling

Six Pointer
Anyone have some recommendations on pages or videos I could use as a solid reference for making some deer jerky this year...God willing I get one on the ground.
 

TobyScreams

Twelve Pointer
I inherited the best dadgum jerky recipe I’ve ever had. But it’s a pain and not so easy to find everything.

on an unrelated note pm for my PayPal info lol
 

Papa_Smurf

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Anyone have some recommendations on pages or videos I could use as a solid reference for making some deer jerky this year...God willing I get one on the ground.
Slice a roast up as thin as you can. Helps if its almost frozen, but not solid.
Marinade in 1 part allegro hot & spicy, 1 part normal allegro. Just use enough to cover the meat.
Dehydrate and enjoy!
 

bwfarms

Old Mossy Horns
It’s not hard, it just takes time with prep. One rule to always remember, remove as much fat/sinew as possible.

Ground jerky/snack sticks is probably the easiest and quickest, you can do all in one day. Grind, mix seasoning, put in jerky gun, squeeze on racks, dehydrate about 4 hours give or take, had batches done in less.

Sliced really depends on how consistent you can get a uniform cut but I like about 1/8 to 3/16. I find anything less than 1/8 gets too chippy. 1/4 is great it takes a little longer to marinade and dehydrate but trade off is meatier. I wouldn’t recommend thick in those stackable bottom fan dehydrator. I vacuum seal the meat and marinade. Lay as flat as possible for at least 24 hrs. Rotating and agitating a few times every so often. Drying day shake off excess liquid and lay out on my racks, sometimes sprinkle dry seasoning if I want certain things like bits of pepper or garlic etc.

Flavor is what you prefer. I like a primo jerky so I often break the taboo of slicing back straps however I won’t grind back straps unless I need it to have enough for sausage.

I’ve done vinegar base, pickle juice, OMG my mouth is on fire, etc. I never have an exact recipe because I’m usually trying something new. Can’t say I’ve made a bad batch but the worse pre made flavor packets seems to be the teriyaki. Powdered teriyaki is no substitute for liquid.
 

Tipmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
If you can get a cheap meat slicer it will make the jerky easier to deal with. You can use the meat slicer on the meat when its almost completely frozen. Otherwise you can slice by hand and pound flat with a mallet and make them consistent that way. Just takes awhile and makes lots of noise. I try to slice across the grain of the meat as much as possible.

Here is what I use and love it.

1-1.5lbs sliced venison
1/4 cup soy sauce. If you can get dark soy from an asian food mart, add a little more. Its amazing.
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon accent
1 teaspoon worcestershire

Combine all ingredients in freezer bag and marinate overnight, turning at least once.

Dehydrate on dehydrator until as done as you like it.
 

cloningerba

Old Mossy Horns
Papa_smurf and the others nailed it. We make more jerky than anything else Bc we eat it as a snack daily.

As tipmoose stated, a ham slicer of any kind will cut the work load in half. It takes even less time if it’s a 2 man job. One person cuts the meat off the bone and the other uses the ham slicer. I try to cut out as many tendons as possible and then use the ham slicer to shave the meat into the smallest consistent pieces as possible.

Once it’s all cut up I separate it into large plastic tub-aware containers. The key is the allegro marinade. You can use just that and soak it for a day up to a week in the fridge.

I usually add things in various amounts like onion powder, garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, sliced jalapeños , Worcester sauce, liquid smoke, hot sauce and apple cider vinegar. It all depends on ones liking and I’m constantly tweaking it.

After it’s soaked a few days I’ll drain it and pick out the jalapeños if I used them. Lay out the pieces flat on the jerky racks. I’ll then sprinkle Montreal steak seasoning on top with a Cajun seasoning or bojangles seasons if I can get it.

dehydrate for 8-10 hours depending on thickness.
 

mbh78

Ten Pointer
Contributor
Papa_smurf and the others nailed it. We make more jerky than anything else Bc we eat it as a snack daily.

As tipmoose stated, a ham slicer of any kind will cut the work load in half. It takes even less time if it’s a 2 man job. One person cuts the meat off the bone and the other uses the ham slicer. I try to cut out as many tendons as possible and then use the ham slicer to shave the meat into the smallest consistent pieces as possible.

Once it’s all cut up I separate it into large plastic tub-aware containers. The key is the allegro marinade. You can use just that and soak it for a day up to a week in the fridge.

I usually add things in various amounts like onion powder, garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, sliced jalapeños , Worcester sauce, liquid smoke, hot sauce and apple cider vinegar. It all depends on ones liking and I’m constantly tweaking it.

After it’s soaked a few days I’ll drain it and pick out the jalapeños if I used them. Lay out the pieces flat on the jerky racks. I’ll then sprinkle Montreal steak seasoning on top with a Cajun seasoning or bojangles seasons if I can get it.

dehydrate for 8-10 hours depending on thickness.
If I kept mine in the dehydrator for 8-10 hours, it would turn to dust. IMO, you can't give a set time to keep it in the dehydrator. Time is going to depend on the temp your machine runs at and how thick the jerky is sliced.
 

Dick

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
about the only way you can ruin deer jerky is too much salt.
never made jerky the same way. just generally a soy sauce base with whatever else I find in the house at the time I'm making jerky.
 

Firedog

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I prefer to get a cure for mine, and i like the pepperoni flavoring so I typically use the Hi Mountain seasoning and cure.. and I have never gotten the results I like out of a dehydrator. I always do mine in the oven set on 200 with the door held slightly open with a wooden spoon.. couple or 3 hrs and we are done. May try to smoke some this year too.
 

Dick

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I like mine sliced thin enough to see daylight through and to snap like a tater chip. More dry is better to me.
I used to slice all mine paper thin. loved it like tater chips. but, everyone else likes it a little thicker.
oven works just as well as dehydrators imo. I use a dehydrator, very old stackable type with fan. just have to move the layers around while drying.
 

Homebrewale

Old Mossy Horns
about the only way you can ruin deer jerky is too much salt.
never made jerky the same way. just generally a soy sauce base with whatever else I find in the house at the time I'm making jerky.

Pretty much what Dick said. I do not use any pre-made mixes. Just open the spice cabinet and start tossing various things into the marinade.

Basic ingredients
soy sauce
Worcestershire sauce
liquid smoke
black pepper
cayenne pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
dry mustard
curing salt

If I want it a little sweeter, I'll add honey, not sugar. If I want a little acidic bite to it, add a splash of lemon juice. If I want a little bit Asian flavor, I'll add some ginger.

I think one of the main keys is marinating it longer. Many homemade recipes (and even pre-made mixes) say to marinate overnight. I like to marinate it for at least 4 to 5 days. By the fifth day, you probably won't see any liquid at the bottom of the bag/bowl. It really gets sucked up deep into the meat. I have tried both dehydrating and smoking it. I prefer dehydrating it.
 

bwfarms

Old Mossy Horns
Once made, what is the storage procedure?

It is dependent on moisture content but suggested to refrigerate immediately if you don’t use cure. Otherwise store it at room temp in a dry place without sunlight. I use to vacuum seal part of a big batch but usually it’s gone in less than two weeks so it’s not really necessary. I might have made it three weeks once but that was a rarity lol
 

mbh78

Ten Pointer
Contributor
I prefer to get a cure for mine, and i like the pepperoni flavoring so I typically use the Hi Mountain seasoning and cure.. and I have never gotten the results I like out of a dehydrator. I always do mine in the oven set on 200 with the door held slightly open with a wooden spoon.. couple or 3 hrs and we are done. May try to smoke some this year too.
I am thinkin of trying some on the smoker this year as well. I've never done it, but i'm curious to see how it would add to the flavor.
 

Homebrewale

Old Mossy Horns
I am thinkin of trying some on the smoker this year as well. I've never done it, but i'm curious to see how it would add to the flavor.

Since it's thin meat, you got to watch how much smoke you put to it. I only tried my smoker once and put heavy smoke on it for six hours. The jerky tasted like I was licking the ashes. If I were to do it again, I would smoke for one hour and then transfer it to my dehydrator.
 

Dick

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I've never used curing salt. never lasts long anyway.
I vac seal muscle groups and freeze. If I want jerky, just pull a chunk and slice.

those that do use curing salt. how much salt? would you avoid soy sauce due to too much salt? I'm not a huge fan of over salty.
 

Homebrewale

Old Mossy Horns
I've never used curing salt. never lasts long anyway.
I vac seal muscle groups and freeze. If I want jerky, just pull a chunk and slice.

those that do use curing salt. how much salt? would you avoid soy sauce due to too much salt? I'm not a huge fan of over salty.

I use one teaspoon per 5 pounds of meat. That isn't a lot of salt. If you want to reduce the total amount of salt, you could use low sodium soy sauce.

I use it just to be safe, especially since I like marinating the meat for several day. I think it is more important if you make ground meat jerky since the grinding process can put any surface bacteria on whole meat inside the whole meat product.

Then there are the occasionally people who say they don't like nitrates so they use celery powder instead. Look at the ingredients on packages of organic hotdogs. SMDH
 

TobyScreams

Twelve Pointer
I’m still searching for my “secret” recipe. It’s very similar to all of these with a few kinks. When I find it I’ll post it.
 

Hunterreed

Twelve Pointer
I like to soak the sliced meat in a pan or tub covered with a quart of canned tomatoes and juice from the garden for about an hour first. The acid breaks down the meat some and gives it a mild flavor. Then drain off tomatoes and juice and marinade in a dilution of water,Worcestershire, Dale's steak seasoning for 12 to 24 hours. As I pull it out of marinade I sprinkle dry seasonings on mostly Tony chacheres creole seasoning. That puts the right amount of salt and heat on it. It helps to slice a little thicker than beef jerky being deer is so lean it gets hard or crunchy if to thin. And like others said remove all silver skin so meat is pure red cuts
 

Hunting Nut

Old Mossy Horns
I make mine out of ground deer meat.
Jerky works gun, Nesco seasoning and cure. Hot and spicy flavor.
Everyone that has ever had it loves it.
Easy to do. Makes the jerky like the flat Slim jim style.
Nesco has a bunch of different flavors.
Easy peasey.
 
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