Venison Jerky Recipe
Making Venison Jerky is fun and once you have found a recipe you like it takes longer to make then it does to eat.
You will want to mix your dry & wet seasons separate. Add your cure to your Dry mix and then add your dry mix to your whole meat (mix well) and let it cure 6 hours in the refrigerator. Now add your wet mix and let this set over night or for another 12 hours. I like to keep it in a sealed bag or container, mixing it 3 or 4 times during the cure time.
What Meat Cuts To Use for Making Venison Jerky strips
I use the better part of the venison for making my jerk, back loins (chops) and the rounds.
Before cutting your venison into strips place the meat into the freezer for 20 minutes. Avoid letting is freeze as this will make it difficult to cut. I cut my slices 1/4″ thick, but the thickness is up to you and how you like your jerky.
Making A Dry Rub For Venison Jerky
The dry mix (rub) is the cure and spices for your meat. Once your spices are mixed up apply them directly to your slices. I like to use a bowel and work the rub on the slices by hand. Why a dry Rub? It will produce better tasting results than mixing them in with any wet spices. Once you have applied your rub mix to all your meat let it sit for 6 hours.
For your cure you can purchase this from a local butcher shop.
Venison Jerky Dry Rub Mix
Cure: 2 tsp per 1 pound of whole meat (you can double this with no problem, if you like a stronger salt taste)
Black or Red Pepper: 2 tsp per 1 pound of whole meat
Garlic Powder: 2.5 tsp per 1 pound of whole meat
Chili Powder: 2.5 tsp per 1 pound of whole meat
Brown Sugar: 3 tbl per 1 pound of whole meat
Making A Wet Mix For Venison Jerky
The wet mix is where you can add other taste such as Teriyaki, pineapple, A1 sauce, Soy, Barbecue sauce or other flavors you may like. Its trial & error until you find what works best for your taste.
Worcestershire: 2 tsp per 1 pound of whole meat
Molasses or Sorghum: 1 tbl per 1 pound of whole meat
Honey Barbecue Sauce: 3 tbl per 1 pound of whole meat
Yellow Mustard: 1 tsp per 1 pound of whole meat
Ketchup: 2 tbl per 1 pound of whole meat
How To Dry Venison Jerky – Step by Step Guide.
A dehydrator works best for drying your meat and they are not expensive to buy. The drying time depends on the meat and thickness, so check it often until it’s done to your satisfaction. I like to add honey to the top of each piece for added sweetness.
Step 1
Before putting all your meat onto the dehydrator try a few sample strips first. After 1/2 hour turn your pieces over and put honey on the top of each piece. You will not want to rotate the pieces again once you have added the honey. Note, your jerky will be sticky due to the honey, but its great tasting.
When your sample pieces are dried, see how it tastes. If you want more spice or pepper you can now add this to the rest of your meat or maybe half of it. This is the last change to add your final touches to your jerky.
Step 2
Now place the rest of your strips unto the dehydrator. You can also sprinkle some Red Pepper on each piece, if you want more kick or spice. After 1/2 hours rotate your venison slices and add your honey if you want it sweet. A bead of honey the entire length of each strip works great.
Step 3
Dry until it’s to the texture you like. After drying in the dehydrator let it sit and continue to dry for another 6 hours or more, if you can. This adds toughness to the jerky, which is great. Do not over dry as this will ruin the taste, toughness, and you will not be happy.
Step 4
Store your jerky into a zip lock bag or jar. Those with honey will be sticky, but finger licking good.