A great venison jerky recipe starts with how you want it to taste. By that I mean do you like it spicy, mild, hard, chewy or moist and tender? These are some of the decisions you have to consider when making jerky. You will need to monitor your venison jerky from start to finish. This is the only way to get the desired outcome of your jerky. It is not difficult. If you don't like your first attempt at making deer jerky from venison; just try again. I'll give you a great basic venison recipe for deer jerky. Feel free to tweak it, and add your favorite flavors and seasonings until your deer jerky is the way you like it. Just be careful not to over-dry or over-cook your venison.
1, 3 pound venison roast. Remove all fat and the white film covering any meat. Cut your venison roast into 1/4 inch slices, about 1 - 2 inches wide (cut against the grain for more tender jerky, or cut with the grain for a jerky that you have to tear apart).
In a bowl combine:
2 - teaspoons salt
2 - teaspoons black pepper
1 - tablespoon onion powder
1 - tablespoon garlic powder
1 - tablespoon liquid smoke
1 - tablespoon Tabasco sauce (2 or 3 if you like it hot or hotter yet)
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Heinz 57 or A-1 sauce
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
Whisk all ingredients together into a marinade.
Place venison strips into a gallon storage bag. Pour marinade over venison strips and seal bag. Knead the bag with your hands and fingers to coat venison strips with marinade. Now place the bag of venison in your refrigerator for 24 hours.
Spray the bottom of a large rectangular cookie sheet baking pan with a non-stick spray.
Place a drying rack such as this L.E.M. Jerky rack onto the cookie sheet. Drain off excess marinade from venison meat. Pad both sides of venison meat lightly with paper towels; enough that venison jerky strips don't drip from drying rack. If using an oven, preheat your oven to 170 degrees.
You will need to monitor you jerky as it dries if you don't know the exact temperature. Place the pan with venison strips for jerky on the middle rack for drying. Close the oven door and set a timer for 2 hours. After 2 hours check your jerky. If it is still soft and floppy; set your timer again and dry for at least 30 more minutes. When the timer goes off, check your jerky again.
You may need to dry it some more for the consistency and doneness you want. You will need to do a taste test for doneness. Bite into a piece of jerky. Is it how you like it? No two ovens are exactly alike; so you must monitor the jerky cooking process. If your oven can be set for 170 degrees; it may take up to 3 hours to completely dry your jerky to taste.
If you use a smoker to dry your jerky, set it at 170 degrees and dry your venison for about 2 hours. I would advise checking your jerky at 1-1/2 hours for constancy and dryness. Smoke your jerky a little longer if you like it tougher.
Remember, you are making this jerky recipe for you. If the jerky isn't exactly the way you would like it, tweak it! Add your favorite seasonings, spices, and hot sauces. If you don't like spicy foods, don't put Tabasco sauce or any hot sauce in the marinade. Stick with steak sauces and BBQ sauces. Make this jerky recipe from your venison for you and your deer hunting camp.
Again; I have given you a basic venison recipe for some great jerky. Venison jerky needs to be cooked to 170 degrees to kill any kind of bacteria; just a note to keep in mind with any venison recipe. If you fallow this venison jerky recipe exactly, you can't go wrong for most peoples tastes. Enjoy this venison jerky recipe and good luck deer hunting. Making your venison into jerky is great way to eat and use up your venison. No reason for anymore freezer burn. This jerky recipe is just one more way to enjoy your harvest. Yum! Yum!
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