Venison Jerky
A Spicy, Smoky, Tangy Family Favorite
by Alan Thomas
During deer season, friends who prefer hunting to butchering will sometimes gift us a portion of venison in exchange for help processing the animal. Venison is a lean, vitamin- and mineral-rich meat that does well when used in recipes that typically call for beef. And with less calories than chicken breast, it can arguably be called a truly heart-healthy red meat. Deer jerky is a family favorite, and it disappears almost as fast as it is lifted off the dehydrator’s screens.
After cutting steaks from the legs and shoulders, I thinly slice the remaining meat for jerky. It’s the jerky that my wife, kids, and neighbors can’t get enough of, and the recipe, which is not written down, is different each time. As a result, you’ll find lots of alternatives in the recipe below to combine for that spicy, smoky, tangy, slightly sweet mix that is venison jerky.
Note: This doesn’t have to be deer—a good, lean piece of beef works great, too.
Venison Jerky
Preparation
I slice the meat approximately 1/8” thick and divide into containers with lids or large zip lock bags. This allows me to try a couple of different marinades each time.
The Marinade
I’ll basically check the fridge for whatever bottles of sauce might be suitable. I’m looking for heat, smoke, sweet, and something with vinegar. I treat this stage as a means to clean up the condiment shelves on the fridge door, using up those bottles with an inch of something good left in them that are taking up valuable fridge real estate. I’ll take a pint measuring jug and finely chop some garlic, ginger, and a jalapeño and throw it all in. I’ll then look at the bottles and most likely put a couple of good glugs (yes, that’s a measurement in our household) of a hot sauce—it might be a habañero or as basic as good old Tapatío. Do not hold back on the amount. I’ll then find some smoke, often in the form of toasted sesame oil, which is nice and subtle. Smoked paprika is also good, or maybe a smokey bbq sauce. I’ll then add some apple cider vinegar and often the juice of a lemon. A good shot of ketchup or orange juice adds some sweet to the party. When the amount in the measuring jug is a little more than half a pint, and the little pinky taste test makes me smile and my scalp sweat, I’ll stir well then empty it into one of the containers of the thinly sliced deer meat.
One down, another marinade to go. This could be as simple as a much hotter version of marinade number one, or you can take number two in a totally different direction, which tends to be the way I roll. I’ve done a great Indian spice marinade with cumin, coriander, and garam masala. It totally depends on what you have on hand and what needs using up. I’ve not made a bad one yet!
Dehydrating
I like to put the containers in the fridge for 3 - 4 days so that the marinades find their way into the meat. I then get out the dehydrator, lay the marinated pieces on the racks, close but not touching each other, then dehydrate for between 4 - 5 hours on the jerky setting, until they’re dried but still have some give when bent. Taste test, and if some of the smaller pieces are drying out faster than others, then simply pull them out when you think they’re ready.
These don’t last long in our house, but as the weather can still be hot this time of year, we store the jerky in airtight containers in the fridge.
Photo by Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Alan Thomas lives on a hillside with his family in Anderson Valley, where he raises cattle and pigs, putters in the garden, and tries to make the home he built a little more finished every day.
