I've been told that my venison jerky recipe is the best and I have no problem sharing it with anyone. In speaking with many other folks who make jerky, I've found that the recipes are remarkably similar.
7 lbs. Venison cut into 1/4” thick strips
1 10 Oz. bottle Worcestershire sauce
1 10 Oz. bottle Soy sauce - Teriyaki sauce is an alternate
1 Cup Catsup - Barbecue sauce is an alternate
4 Oz. Liquid smoke (this is a necessity) A second bottle will not hurt for a smokier taste
Garlic Powder not Salt to suit. There is more than enough salt in the soy sauce!
Black pepper to suit - you’ll want to add more than you think is right & it’ll be ok
Hot pepper to suit- once again add more than you think is right - Jerky goes fast anyway & it will slow them down.
Mix the ingredients and allow to sit overnight if you can. No big deal if you don’t, but it will give the powdered ingredients time to soak in and give an even quality to each piece of jerky. Warm the liquid to 120 °F will accomplish the same.
Trim ALL fat and sinew . This is important as fat tastes bad and sinew leaves an unpleasant ball in your mouth. Thaw your meat until it can be easily cut into ¼” strips. Cross grain will reduce the stringiness of the meat, however, the jerky is so good that no one will care. Use a broad bladed knife for even cuts. Using a band saw while the meat is still frozen is the best way to get consistent thickness jerky, but isn’t necessary.
Mix the lean meat strips in the marinate sauce and allow to stand a minimum of 2 hours; overnight if you can plan ahead. I’ve found that 2 hrs. or 2 days doesn’t make any difference. Mix the meat periodically to ensure that all meat is exposed equally to the sauce.
Drain the meat and dehydrate in a heated (145°F), thermostatically controlled dehydrator for 2 hours. Then flip each piece over, reverse top to bottom of the trays and continue for another 2 hours. Depending on the temperature and amount of air movement, you may have to continue for another hour or two. The jerky is done when it is still flexible - not hard and brittle. Should it become hard and brittle, put it into a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator overnight and it will pick up the required moisture and will be soft again.
A conventional oven can be used, however, the temperature must be controlled to about 145 °F and the humid air must escape to be successful. The results are not good.
Jerky can be bagged and frozen for long term storage. It will mold if left out for a couple of days though so you’ll have to either eat it by then or freeze it.
Good Luck!
