In all my years on this planet, I’ve met very few people who didn’t love good jerky. It’s even better when it’s made from your own wild game meat. But there’s a problem. Having your wild game turned into jerky at your local processor is expensive. I’ve seen pricing that ranged from $4 per pound all the way up to $15. And that’s with you supplying the meat. It doesn’t take a jerky lover long to rack up some serious costs. In this article, we’ll talk about how you can make your very own jerky right there at your kitchen counter using several different deer jerky recipes.
- Deer Jerky Cure
- Making Deer Jerky From Whole Muscle Meat
- Making Deer Jerky From Ground Meat
- Easy Deer Jerky Recipe
- Teriyaki Deer Jerky Recipe
- Smoked Deer Jerky Recipe
- Spicy Deer Jerky Recipe
- Sweet And Spicy Deer Jerky Recipe
- Peppered Deer Jerky Recipe
- Complete Deer Jerky Kit
- Deer Jerky In Oven Recipe (Cooking Instructions)
- Deer Jerky Recipes With Dehydrator (Cooking Instructions)
- Deer Jerky In The Smoker Recipes (Cooking Instructions)
- Deer Jerky Recipes FAQs
Deer Jerky Cure
One of the most important ingredients you’ll need to gather before you start making your own jerky is jerky cure. Jerky cure, also known as curing salt or pink salt, is a mix of sodium chloride (table salt) and either sodium nitrite or sodium nitrate. It’s used when making jerky as an extra tool to ensure it doesn’t spoil. There are some bad bacteria, like Clostridium botulinum, that can grow in jerky if we don’t do something about it.
Jerky cure does a few important things. It helps stop bad bacteria from growing, so the jerky doesn’t become unsafe to eat. It also gives jerky its special color and taste. The jerky cure mixes with the meat’s proteins and fats during drying, which makes the jerky look pink or reddish. It also contributes to that delicious, salty taste!
It’s important to strike the balance between using enough to be effective, but not too much. Too much salt, whether it’s sodium chloride, nitrate, or nitrite…isn’t good for you. If you’re not 100% confident in your measuring abilities, it’s best to use a premade mix like those offered by Hi-Mountain Seasonings.
Making Deer Jerky From Whole Muscle Meat
To begin making whole-muscle deer jerky, you’ll want to start with lean deer meat that’s been trimmed of any excess fat. Slice the meat into thin strips, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Next, create a marinade (read on for recommended recipes). Coat the meat strips in the marinade, seal the container or bag, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight to allow the flavors to permeate the meat.
For added safety during drying, remember to add that cure! If you bought it in bulk, a common guideline is to use about 1 teaspoon of curing salt per 5 pounds of meat, adjusting as needed based on the batch size. This is just a guideline. Always defer to the manufacturer of your cure.
Once marinated, remove the meat strips from the marinade and pat them dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the prepared jerky cure evenly over the meat strips to ensure preservation and safety during drying.
With all of those steps complete, you can either dry your jerky in the oven or in a dehydrator. Keep reading for our recommendations on each option.
Whole Muscle Meat Deer Jerky Recipe Mixing Chart
Making Deer Jerky From Ground Meat
When making a deer jerky recipe from ground deer meat, remember to use lean meat and not meat that has had fat added to it, as leaner meats tend to yield better jerky texture and flavor. Place the ground deer meat in a mixing bowl and gently knead it to ensure that fats and flavors are evenly distributed. Add your choice of seasonings, then thoroughly mix the seasoning blend into the ground deer meat to ensure even flavor distribution. Add one teaspoon of cure per five pounds of meat (remember, that’s just our suggestion). Sprinkle the calculated amount of curing salt evenly over the seasoned ground deer meat and thoroughly mix it in to ensure even distribution.
Next, shape the seasoned meat mixture into thin, uniform strips using a jerky gun or by rolling it on a clean surface or parchment paper. Place the formed deer jerky strips on dehydrator trays or oven racks, allowing sufficient space between them for proper airflow during drying. See below for drying times.
Ground Deer Jerky Recipe Mixing Chart
The great thing about making jerky is that as long as you get the cure ratio and drying right, there are an infinite number of recipes you can experiment with. Almost anything goes, whether you like spicy, sweet, savory, or pungent flavors. Most people who start making jerky quickly develop a fascination with tweaking recipes after each batch until they get the flavor just right for their family’s personal tastes.
For the sake of making things as easy as possible for first timers, we’ve included a few recommended recipes. We’ve also linked to several ready-made alternatives from Hi-Mountain. I’ve made jerky using both my own “secret sauce” recipes and their mixes, and I have to say that their kits are a much quicker and easier alternative.
Note: All recipes are for 5lbs of venison.
Easy Deer Jerky Recipe
This recipe is analogous to a standard “original” flavor, and can most likely be whipped together without a run to your grocery store. It’s a solid performer, particularly for kids or folks opposed to spicey or “interesting” flavors.
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional, for a mild smoky flavor)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar or honey (for a touch of sweetness, adjust to taste)
For a premade jerky seasoning kit, here is an option:
Teriyaki Deer Jerky Recipe
If you’re like me and love a good, sweet, teriyaki jerky, this will let you replicate it at home. If you feel like going the extra mile, use fresh garlic, onion, and ginger mashed as fine as you can get it.
- 1 1/2 cups soy sauce
- 1/4 cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (adjust to taste for heat)
- 1/4 cup water
For a premade jerky seasoning kit, here is an option:
Mandarin Teriyaki Blend Jerky Kit
Smoked Deer Jerky Recipe
I use liquid smoke all the time when I don’t feel like babysitting my smoker. It gets hot in the deep south and I have a newborn, so there’s no shame in my game! This isn’t quite as good as the real thing, but it’s pretty close. Fair warning, it’s a modification of the “original” recipe mentioned above. Like I said, no shame in my game! But, down at the bottom of this article we do have instructions for those who insist upon the real McCoy.
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ cup liquid smoke (adjust to taste)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar or honey (adjust to taste)
- 1/4 cup water
For a premade jerky seasoning kit, here are some options:
Spicy Deer Jerky Recipe
This recipe is pretty mild according to my spiceaholic wife. If you buy your hotsauce in the jumbo bottle, feel free to go a little heavy-handed.
- 1 1/2 cups soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce (at least)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup water
For a premade jerky seasoning kit, here are some options:
Sweet And Spicy Deer Jerky Recipe
A very traditional culinary concept in Asia is that a perfect dish balances the “5 flavors” (sweet, bitter, sour, salty, and savory). If you can’t find a five-spice blend at your grocer (check the ethnic aisle) it’s usually made with star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, and fennel seeds. If you’re a fan of asian cuisine, it’s worth experimenting to create your own blend, since it’s used in a variety of dishes.
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
- 1/4 cup water
For a premade jerky seasoning kit, here are some options:
Peppered Deer Jerky Recipe
Next to teriyaki, a pepper-heavy jerky is my favorite. It’s a shame that pepper is so ubiquitous in our cuisine, because it and vanilla are two of the most perfect flavors in the world. Our forefathers agreed. We’re just spoiled.
- 1 1/2 cups soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon black peppercorns (crushed)
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1/4 cup water
For a premade jerky seasoning kit, here are some options:
Cracked Pepper ‘N Garlic Blend Jerky Kit
Complete Deer Jerky Kit
Before we discuss drying times, let’s take a sidebar to discuss an issue you’ll encounter if you’re slicing whole-meat jerky, which is my preferred style.
It’s a pain.
Seriously, I rarely made it until my wife and I struck up a deal. I’ll find, shoot, track, gut, and clean, season, and dry the deer jerky…if she’ll cut the strips. I simply don’t have the patience or the steady hands required to slice nice, neat, consistently thick strips. And if you can’t get the strips consistent, by the time the thick strips are done the thin ones will be overcooked and about as appealing as boot-leather.
Hi-Mountain makes an awesome, easy-to-clean slicer that takes the guesswork out of making consistent slices. They also conveniently package it with a drying screen, meat scale, meat thermometer, and a choice of your favorite seasoning. If you’re just getting into making jerky or know someone who is, this is an awesome kit.
Deer Jerky In Oven Recipe (Cooking Instructions)
To dry 5 pounds of deer jerky in your home oven, start by ensuring that the deer meat strips have been properly marinated and seasoned according to your chosen recipe. Gently pat the marinated strips dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Preheat your oven to its lowest temperature setting, which is typically around 150°F (65°C) or the nearest temperature setting below that. Prepare a baking sheet by placing a cooling rack on top of it, allowing for proper air circulation around the meat. Lay the deer meat strips on the cooling rack, ensuring they are spread out without touching or overlapping to ensure even drying.
If desired, insert an oven thermometer on the rack next to the jerky to monitor the oven temperature consistently throughout the drying process. Place the baking sheet with the cooling rack and jerky strips into the preheated oven. To facilitate moisture escape and air circulation, prop the oven door slightly ajar using a wooden spoon or a folded kitchen towel.
Throughout the drying process, check the jerky after the initial couple of hours to gauge progress. The drying time will vary based on the oven’s temperature and the thickness of the meat strips. If you notice any uneven drying, rotate the trays to ensure uniform results.
Jerky is ready when it is dry, firm, and pliable, bending without breaking. Typically, this takes around 4 to 6 hours, but it’s important to note that the exact time might differ. Once the jerky is sufficiently dried, carefully remove it from the oven and allow it to cool on the racks.
Before packaging, ensure the jerky has cooled completely. Store it in airtight containers or vacuum-sealed bags to maintain its quality. If you’d like to extend its shelf life, consider refrigerating or freezing the jerky. Always prioritize food safety by using the recommended amount of curing salt and following proper drying practices.
Deer Jerky Recipes With Dehydrator (Cooking Instructions)
I’ll let you in on a secret…you can use the same recipe listed for the oven if you have a dehydrator. The only differences, for our sake here, between the two is that a dehydrator usually has a fan to speed up the process a bit and will hold more jerky than most ovens since it’s designed to hold multiple layers of thin food items. A 5lb roast will fit in your oven just fine, but you’d be surprised how much space it takes up once you cut it into thin slices that can’t touch each other!
Deer Jerky In The Smoker Recipes (Cooking Instructions)
As promised, here are instructions for genuine, real-deal, certified wood-smoked jerky. If you haven’t picked up on it by now, drying jerky is easy. The key is low heat and good airflow. A pellet grill makes achieving these things drastically easier if you’re not really confident with your smoker game, but if you can maintain 150ish for the required 4-6 hours, go for it.
Whatever you do, don’t smoke the meat for the entire drying time unless you really, really like smoke. The thin strips take the smoke pretty quickly. I’d advise seasoning with the original spice blend mentioned, and then smoking for no more than an hour before finishing up with just heat. You don’t even have to use the smoker for the whole process. Switch it over to an oven or dehydrator. I won’t tell if you don’t.
Deer Jerky Recipes FAQs
Is deer jerky healthy?
YES! Deer jerky is low in carbs and fat and super-high in protein. If you make it yourself, you have total control over the salt and sugar content as well. I’d argue that homemade jerky made from wild game is arguably one of the healthiest foods you’ll ever be able to put in your body. Just remember that it’s really easy to eat 5lbs of jerky once it’s dried, and 5lbs of meat in one setting will do…things…to your system if you’re not used to it.
How long to dehydrate deer jerky?
Deer jerky recipes call for dehydrating until the meat hits 165. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, check out the kit mentioned above that Hi-Mountain makes.
How long does deer jerky last?
Frozen and vacuum sealed? About a year. Stored in a ziploc or mason jar? About a month? Left on my countertop? Until I turn around and my wife finds it.
