How do I make deer jerky?
 

I have an electric smoker, the type that is basically a cylinder type charcoal smoker but with a heating element in the bottom. I was going to slice the meat thin and dry it out by putting it in there without the wood chips, it cooks at 200 degrees. Will this work? If so, what should I marinate it in. Obviously I have never done this before, I need some help!

Per pound of raw meat, cut with the grain, marinate in...

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp meat tenderizer
1 tablespoon brown sugar

soak it overnight or longer. lay out the strips on drying rack, dry at 150 or so until firm, not brittle.

thats about it. I mess around with the measurements above, depending what Im in the mood for. Never tried the ground stuff. If i grind it, its for burger.

That smoker might be the trick with a little hickory

2 pounds meat
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Slice the meat into strips against the grain, 1/4-inch thick and 1-inch wide. (If necessary, freeze the meat for up to 2 hours to facilitate slicing.)
In a large, wide bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Place the meat in the marinade, cover, and refrigerate to marinate overnight, turning occasionally.



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1lb venison
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 tablespoon A1 steak Sauce
1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup soy sauce
¼ cup whiskey optional


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Jerky
Terriyaki

3 lbs. beef
1-1/2 cups Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. salt.
1 tbsp. liquid smoke (optional)
1 tbsp. black pepper (optional)


To this I added 3 TBS of brown sugar, and substituted Prague #1 for the salt, as Ryteks recipe called for 1 tsp/3 lbs of meat in the marinade. I also used 3 TBS of Black Pepper instead of one.




Mexican
2lbs ground meat
2tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
2 tsp coriander
½ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp tumeric
¼ tsp mace
¼ tsp cayenne
½ cup water.
Add spices to water and dissolve as much as possible, add water to meat mix well extrude onto your drying racks and place in dehydrator until done.

Texas
2 lbs ground meat
2tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1tsp chili powder
1tsp paprika
1tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp cayenne
½ tsp oregano
½ cup water

New England
2 lbs ground meat
½ tsp black pepper
1tsp onion powder
1tsp garlic powder
1tsp salt
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup water

New Orleans
2 lbs ground meat
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp cayenne
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp paprika
1 ½ tsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
½ cup water.

Italian
2 lbs ground meat
½ tsp salt
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp sugar
1tsp garlic powder
1 tsp tomato sauce
½ tsp crushed anise seed

Guadalajara
2 lbs ground meat
¼ cup BBQ sauce
¼ cup water
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 tbsp powdered fajita mix
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp cayenne
1 tsp salt.

Hawaiian
2 lbs ground meat
1tsp salt
1tbsp brown sugar
¼ tsp cayenne
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp black pepper
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup pineapple juice.

just a suggestion, if you are going to always make a batch or two of jerky when you get a deer, get one of those jerky boards. I think they are around $20 or so, but your slices are even and consistent. Buddy of mine has one and thats all we use for jerky cuts. He smokes his as well, usually using hickory or mesquite chips at 200 for about 3 hours. I myself got a dehydrator for x-mas from the mother in law and used that with great sucess.

I have one of those smokers but without electric just charcoal. I made jerky in it a couple times, took some learning but now I know how. It was so good can't wait to do it again. This last time I bought a High Mountain seasoning packet, and love the flavor, cracked pepper and garlic. There are so many flavors to try. It cost $7 and does 15lbs. I just did a 5 lb batch but only could fit 4 1/2 lbs on racks. That dried down to 2 lbs. I hand sliced partially frozen at about 3/8 thick and it took 6 hours. I don't know temperature, the gauge has cool, ideal, and hot. Most of the time it was at the border between cool and ideal. Cheap jerky and I won't pay those high prices at the butcher again.