Venison Jerky: The Recipe That Never Lasts Long

There’s something satisfying about turning a deer you worked hard for into something you can throw in your pack and eat anywhere. A piece of venison jerky doesn’t require a plate, a fork, or much ceremony. It’s just meat, smoke, salt, and a little time. Take a strip out of your pocket halfway up a mountain, and suddenly the miles don’t seem quite so long.

This is the venison jerky recipe I’ve been using. It’s simple, it doesn’t require expensive equipment, and it works especially well when you’ve got a couple pounds of venison sitting in the freezer after a successful hunt.

The recipe makes enough marinade for about 2 pounds of venison.

The Marinade

• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp onion salt
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp red pepper
• 1 tsp white pepper
• ½ tsp meat tenderizer
• 1 tsp celery salt
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp Kitchen Bouquet
• ⅓ cup water
• ⅓ cup BBQ sauce
• ⅓ cup Worcestershire sauce
• ⅓ cup soy sauce
• ⅓ cup liquid smoke

It looks like a lot of ingredients, but there’s nothing complicated about it. Everything goes into one bowl, and the combination gives the venison that salty, smoky, peppery flavor that makes it hard to stop at one piece.

Cutting the Venison

Start with 2 pounds of venison, trimmed of any fat and silver skin.

I cut mine approximately ¼ inch thick and ¾ to 1 inch wide. The length is up to you.

You don't need every piece to look exactly the same. In fact, they won't. Some pieces will be thicker, some thinner, and some will have a little more character than others. That's part of making your own jerky.

The important thing is keeping the thickness relatively consistent so the pieces dry at roughly the same rate.

Let It Marinate

Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl or container and stir everything together really well. Add the sliced venison and mix it thoroughly, making sure every piece gets coated. Put the lid on the container and give the whole thing a good shake.Then put it in the refrigerator for 24 hours. This is the part where patience pays off. Letting the meat sit overnight gives the marinade time to work its way into the venison and gives you that deep flavor you're looking for.

The Next Day

After 24 hours, take the venison out of the refrigerator. Here's the part I think makes a difference: squeeze the excess marinade out of each piece and flatten the meat as you do it. You don't need to wring it completely dry. You're just getting rid of the excess liquid before it goes into the dehydrator. Lay the pieces out on your dehydrator trays without overlapping them.

Into the Dehydrator

I use a cheap five-tray dehydrator I picked up on Amazon. Nothing fancy. You don't need some giant commercial machine to make good jerky at home. The inexpensive dehydrator I use gets the job done just fine.

Start checking the meat at around 4 to 5 hours.

The exact time will depend on the thickness of your slices and how your particular dehydrator runs. Some pieces will finish before others, so don't expect to pull every piece at exactly the same time. That's one of the reasons I like checking it rather than simply setting a timer and forgetting about it. You're looking for jerky that's dried through but still has some chew to it. You want it firm, but not so dry that it turns into a piece of venison leather.

The Best Part

Once it's done, let it cool and then try not to eat half of it immediately.

I like having venison jerky around for hunting trips because it's easy to pack, doesn't take up much room, and gives you something substantial to snack on when you're several miles from the truck.

You remember where you were when you got the deer. You remember the hike, the weather, the pack-out, and all the work that came afterward. What started as a hunt eventually ends up as something you can carry with you into the next adventure. That's the whole point of processing your own game.