It's Venison Jerky Time!

[Eric300]

It's time consuming and a PITA to do, but boy is it worth the work. I used to do it in brine and a smoker, but I got a dehydrator a few years ago and have doing it on that with High Mountain Jerky Cure. It still takes about the same amount of time fiddling around with each piece of jerky but not nearly as messy as it is using brine.

Step 1:
With 1/2 frozen venison roasts (it's easier to slice it that way), cut to the thickness you want. Usually about no more than 3/8".

Step 2:
Lay out all the slices and coat/sprinkle both sides with the cure mixture. I add garlic powder, onion powder and crushed black pepper to the cure mix.

Step 3:
Mix all the seasoned slices in a big bowl and mix them around so they are all completely covered with the cure mix. Them put even amounts in larger Zip-Lock baggies. I started out with 11lbs so it was a little over 5lbs. per baggie. Then put them in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

Step 4:
Now the fun part begins.....Start separating each individual piece of meat and lay them flat on the dehydrator trays. (PITA part).

Step 5:
Trays go into the dehydrator set at 160* for approx. 3.5-4 hours.

Step 6:
When they're done to your liking, seal the jerky in clean large zip-lock baggies.

This is one batch. I still have a batch and a half to go. I started this project 2 days ago. From 11 lbs. of meat, I'll probably net close to 4 lbs. of jerky.

Step 7:
Pour a cocktail and enjoy the fruits (meats) of you labor!! Cheers!

 

[rockquarry]

About 1966, I made venison jerky about the simplest way possible. What surprised me was that the process worked very well, it tasted good, and no one got sick from eating it...

I probably found the information in FIELD & STREAM, SPORTS AFIELD, or some similar magazine. I took some thin steel rods about a foot long and put them through the top portion of a small cardboard box that I cut the four flaps off of.

I rubbed a lot black pepper and salt on the roast (maybe steak) and cut thin strips 6" to 8" long. I draped the strips over the suspended metals rods, covered the top with screenwire and left the box on the flat roof of a carport for several days, sunny weather every day, but this was in the wintertime.

I don't recall how many days I let the meat dry, but probably no more than four or five. I was curious about process and that's the only reason I tried it. Never did and still don't care for any kind of jerky. I can always find a better snack than jerky.

 

[Secundius]

It's time consuming and a PITA to do, but boy is it worth the work. I used to do it in brine and a smoker, but I got a dehydrator a few years ago and have doing it on that with High Mountain Jerky Cure. It still takes about the same amount of time fiddling around with each piece of jerky but not nearly as messy as it is using brine.

Step 1:
With 1/2 frozen venison roasts (it's easier to slice it that way), cut to the thickness you want. Usually about no more than 3/8".

Step 2:
Lay out all the slices and coat/sprinkle both sides with the cure mixture. I add garlic powder, onion powder and crushed black pepper to the cure mix.

Step 3:
Mix all the seasoned slices in a big bowl and mix them around so they are all completely covered with the cure mix. Them put even amounts in larger Zip-Lock baggies. I started out with 11lbs so it was a little over 5lbs. per baggie. Then put them in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

Step 4:
Now the fun part begins.....Start separating each individual piece of meat and lay them flat on the dehydrator trays. (PITA part).

Step 5:
Trays go into the dehydrator set at 160* for approx. 3.5-4 hours.

Step 6:
When they're done to your liking, seal the jerky in clean large zip-lock baggies.

This is one batch. I still have a batch and a half to go. I started this project 2 days ago. From 11 lbs. of meat, I'll probably net close to 4 lbs. of jerky.

Step 7:
Pour a cocktail and enjoy the fruits (meats) of you labor!! Cheers!

That makes the two of us, because I don't know how the Tapatalk Reward Gifting system works either…


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Rustyt1953]

Alton Brown says all you need is a box fan and a furnace filter.

 

[Old 44 Guy]

In my youth the old folks cut venison by hand, salted it, put it in a cotton sack & hung it from the closes line. Don't remember how long but it tasted good.

 

[Secundius]

In my youth the old folks cut venison by hand, salted it, put it in a cotton sack & hung it from the closes line. Don't remember how long but it tasted good.

The process is call Cold-Dried, and it's dependent on what ambient heat is indoors or outdoors! Where a dehydrator function at temperatures above ~+160F, the Cold-Dried method uses time in hours, up to 12 to 36-hours to makeup the difference of the lower heat and humidity in the curing process…


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Rudi]

That's cool! I have not made any for many years. Did it the old way in a smoker. Sure is good stuff. Take a rest on an Elk hunt for some jerky and water. Then back on the track.

 

[Nevada Ed]

If'n you like to brime your meats,

I found out that adding a cup of cold coffee, wine or Rye to the mix
can pick it up a notch, in flavor, if you partake in these items.

My Father liked to add OJ and brown sugar to a lot of his wild game meats.

Smoking is a great way to enjoy home made goodies, that can be kept in the ice box for 60 days or more, if the kids don't find it.

 

[tinkerer]

Grind mine. Mix with Allegro. Put in fridge overnight. Use jerky gun to make strips on dehydrator trays. 165* for 5-6 hours - depends on thickness.
Bag it and eat.
No need to freeze - Never lasts that long around here...

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

A secret............McCormick Grill Mate's seasoning packets work just as good as High Mtn for 1/3 the price. if you want to make some really tender jerky that a baby could eat. Use ground venison and a "jerky gun". I do muscle meat and ground. With muscle meat I cut the slices with the grain. When it's done I cut 1 in. pieces across the grain. Makes it easier to eat.
Either way take it out of the dehydrator while its still soft and pliable. I Put it in a plastic container with paper towels so will stay moist while it cools. Then ziploc bags into the refrigerator....I don't like to freeze it.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Never will forget the time my dad decided to make jerky back in the early 60's. First he used a roast from the icebox that mom was going to cook-which pissed mom off-but that is another story. He cut it up into thin strips and then got a box of paper clips that he twisted into individual hangers. He next went into the passageway between the living room and dining room where the floor furnace is (look it up if you don't know what a floor furnace is). He got the oven rack out of the stove and placed it about 8-9 inches over the floor furnace grate using various blocks of wood, hung the strips of meat from the rack using the little paper clip hangers and then turned up the floor furnace as high as it would go. Took about two days to dry out the meat sufficiently. I think all he used for seasoning was salt and pepper. As I remember, it tasted like **** to me, but he liked it. Front two rooms of the house smelled kinda funky for a while.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Forgot to add in my earlier post. I put 1/2 to 3/4 cup of Brown Sugar in all my jerky mixes........Try it.........Then you'll do it too.