Cooking jerky in the oven....

[jhalfhill]

I don't like the way that just plain dehydrated jerky tastes compared to jerky that is heat dried in the oven. I remember my dad used to soak the strips in some soy sauce and what not, spice, and place in th oven with the door ajar a crack.

Anyone done jerky like this before? What temp did you set your oven at, and what all did you marinate the strips in before drying?

[Windwalker7]

We use jerky drying racks and do it like that. The drying racks come in a set of 3 and they stack up. They're sold in Cabelas.

I dry mine at 200 with the door open a crack. It dries in 2-4 hours depending on how much you have in. I have 2 sets of racks and can do about 6lbs.

You can dry it at 175 or so, but it takes longer.

Soy sauce

Worchester sauce

Liquid smoke

Black pepper

Salt

Brown sugar
Garlic powder

Cayenne pepper

[Unclemeat]

I have done jerky like this several times and learned a few tricks. I use the ground venison with the jerky seasoning mixes (like the ones sold by Cabelas) Mix it with the meat the night before and refrigerate. The mixture gets almost "Gluey" (is that a word?). Then I use the jerky shooter to make strips on my wifes stackable cooling racks she uses for baking. I set the oven to the lowest setting and use a wooden spoon to hold the door open just a bit. One thing I learned is that at least every 40 minutes or so, flip the strips over as well as restack the racks. By restack I mean put the top one on the bottom and the bottom one on the top and so on. It will keep the process even so you don't end up with some over cooked and some under cooked. Flipping the strips keeps them from sticking to the racks and makes cleanup easier. I actually like the oven dried jerky better than the dehydrator jerky.

[lilcoffman8181]

i love my oven jerky crack the door and put it on the lowest temp possible slower is better i use different things for seasoning experiment and find somthing you like

[Montana Bob]

I make alot of jerky and now use my Bradley smoker to make it.
Before that it was the oven set at the lowest temp with the door cracked.
You main marinades are Soy Sauce or Teriyaki. Teriyaki is basically Soy with Brown Sugar.
Here are some other ingredents that I use. Experiment with ones you like.
Soy Sauce
Teriyaki Sauce
Worchester Sauce
A-1 Sauce
BBQ Sauce
Brown Sugar
Onion,Celery,Garlic, in salts or powders.
All your seasoned salts( Cajun,lemon Pepper and so on)
Chili powders, flakes and peppers.Liquid smokes.
I myself don't like the ground up or chopped and formed, prefer cutting strips of meat that have texture
I suggest putting meat in the freezer for 1/2 hour or sowhich makes cutting easier. Cut across the grain of the meat. Make sure your meat is all the same size or thickness or some will be notdried enough or over dried.Racks are important to get proper drying all around.
I put mine in zip locks and soak anywhere from 12 to 48 hours depending on how much flavor I want or need to cover any gamey taste that may be present.
This is a hit and miss deal as oven temps vary along with humidity.So check often to see if it's done.
For more ideas search the net there are thousands of other variations out there.

[jlbeebe]

I use my homemade smoker to make my jerky. I usually set it to 180 degrees. Slice meat thin soak for a day in soy sauce and brown sugar. Place on dryer racks and pepper. Usually takes about 3-4hrs. Here is a pic of my homemade electric smoker.

[bronko22000]

I've been making jerky for years in the oven. I cut the meat in strips about 1/4" thick (semi frozen is best for a neater cut). I lay the strips on the counter and season both sides with a mixture of 3/4 salt (non-iodized) and 1/4 pepper. I sometimes add a bit of garlic powder or ground allspice to the mix for a different taste. I tak all but the top rack out of the oven, slide a toothpick (Moistened) into one end of the strip and hang it from the oven rack. Put the oven on low (150-200 degrees) crack the door open for air flow and let dry. Jerky is done in about 6-8 hours. I then vacuum seal about 10 pcs per bag.