Beer and Habanero peppers is just about the best combination of any two things on this planet, so let’s use them to make some jerky!

Slicing The Meat

I had a good hunting season this year and have been making some deer jerky with my now full freezer. Hopefully you also had a good season and are ready to turn that fresh meat into some great tasting jerky!

If your season wasn’t the best, not to worry, venison can be bought at many local butcher shops.

Defrost your venison roasts in a bowl of cold water that is placed in the refrigerator. Make sure to defrost any meat in the refrigerator and NOT on your kitchen counter. Submerging the meat in water will speed up the thawing process immensely.

After thawing and rinsing the deer roast, trim as much fat and silver skin as you can from the meat. Fat spoils faster than meat and will shorten the shelf life of the finished jerky.

I sliced the deer roast by hand with a very sharp knife. If you do not have a really sharp knife, wrap the roast in saran wrap and put the meat back in the freezer for 1-2 hours to partially freeze/harden the meat so slicing evenly sized strips is easier. Visit my how to slice jerky page for more information on slicing meat for the perfect jerky.

This roast had a good amount of blood in the package and had a game aroma, because of this I decided to soak the meat in cold water and salt solution to remove that ‘gamey’ flavor from the meat. I used 1 cup of salt and about 5 cups of water above. 

Using a jerky slicer is another great option. I like using my Weston Jerky Slicer to cut the beef and deer roasts into jerky strips.

This jerky slicer is not needed to slice the meat, but it makes it a lot easier!

RELATED PAGE: DOZENS OF JERKY RECIPES – CLICK HERE!!!

Making The Marinade

As I mentioned before, the beer and habanero’s are the star of this show. I LOVE hot jerky, and habanero peppers are some of the best tasting to use when making jerky.

Grab your favorite beer and a couple habaneros from your local grocery store. Mix all of the ingredients listed below in the recipe card in a blender. Cut the stems off of the habaneros before placing in the blender. 

I started with only one habanero, but for a truly hot jerky you will need two. After tasting the marinade with only 1 pepper, I threw a second one in making it perfect to me. 

I used my Vitamix when making this recipe. Any blender will work, this one is definitely bad ass though. I HIGHLY recommend using a blender and not just slicing the peppers and placing in the marinade. Blending them really incorporates them well and gives the max amount of flavor/heat.

Pour the marinade into a ziplock bag and add the jerky strips to the marinade. Make sure that all the strips are covered fully with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator for 6-24 hours mixing the strips in the bag every 4 hours or so to make sure the strips marinate evenly.

After the jerky has finished marinating, strain the strips in a colander. The jerky will not soak up all the marinade and the excess will need to be removed. 

Lay out paper towels and place the strained pieces of meat on the paper towel. Pat the top of the strips with more paper towels to remove any more excess marinade before drying. Doing this will help speed up the drying process.

After patting the strips dry, place the jerky strips into a dehydrator, oven, or smoker. I used my Excalibur Dehydrator when making this recipe. Make sure the pieces of meat are not touching and have space for air to flow around each piece.

You can also use an oven or smoker to make this recipe. For step by step instructions on how to use a dehydrator, oven, and smoker to make jerky; make sure to visit my How to Make Jerky page.

Testing For When The Jerky Is Finished

While drying the jerky, you want to start testing to see if it has finished at about the 3-4 hour mark. Take a piece of jerky out of the dehydrator, oven, or smoker and allow it to cool for 5 minutes to room temperature. Bend the jerky in half, it should bend and crack but not break in half. You will also see white fibers in the meat. The fibers are really visible when a piece is ripped in half.

If the jerky is not finished, continue drying for another hour and repeat the same process until the jerky is finished. 90% of the jerky i make is finished within 4-6 hours when using a dehydrator or oven and 6-9 hours when using a smoker. If pre-heating the meat in the oven, drying time can be as little as 2.5 hours.

It took about 4 hours at 165°F to be done just right. The jerky had a nice spice that got me sweating a little bit. The worcestershire sauce really came through with the spice coming towards the end of chewing. This was spicy, so if you want it a little more milder, only add one pepper.

Storing Jerky

To make the jerky last as long as possible, curing salt will really help along with keeping in air tight containers. I have put together a page on storing jerky and steps you can take to make your jerky have an extended shelf life. Check it out!

Old Pro Tips:

• Trim all fat from the meat before marinating for longer lasting jerky once it’s finished drying
• Use curing salt or celery juice powder to extend the life of the jerky
• Pre-soak venison for a couple hours in 5 cups water and 1 cup salt to remove ‘gamey’ flavor
• Decrease habaneros to 1 pepper for a milder flavor
• Freeze meat before slicing to make even strips

For more in depth directions on how to dry your jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods.

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Drunken Hot Deer Jerky

Beer and habaneros, arguably the best combination of any two items on earth; in this case giving you a fantastic tasting jerky!

Course Beef Jerky, deer jerky, venison jerky

Cuisine American

Keyword beef jerky, Deer Jerky, Jerky, Venison Jerky

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours 30 minutes

Total Time 5 hours

Servings 5

Calories 164 kcal

Author Will

Ingredients

Lean Meat

• 1 lb Venison or Beef Roast

Marinade

• 1 pear
• 1/3 cup worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 cup beer
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper freshly cracked
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• 2 habanero peppers
• 1/4 tsp curing salt optional

Instructions

1. Trim all visible fat from the venison or beef and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.

2. While the meat is in the freezer, combine marinade ingredients in a blender and blend until the ingredients are fully mixed. Transfer to a bowl or ziplock bag. 

3. Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain for an easy chew. Cut with the grain for a more chewy jerky. Visit my page on slicing jerky for more information. I used my Weston Jerky Slicer when making this recipe.

4. Add sliced venison or beef to the mixture in the ziplock bag or bowl and marinate for 6-24 hours in the refrigerator.
5. After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade in a colander and pat dry with paper towels.

6. Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my Excalibur Dehydrator and dried for 4 hours at 165F.

7. The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half. White fibers will also be seen when the jerky is bent.

Recipe Notes

Old Pro Tips:

• Trim all fat from the meat before marinating for longer lasting jerky once it’s finished drying
• Use curing salt or celery juice powder to extend the life of the jerky
• Pre-soak venison for a couple hours in 5 cups water and 1 cup salt to remove 'gamey' flavor
• Partially freeze meat before slicing for even strips

Nutrition Facts

Drunken Hot Deer Jerky

Amount Per Serving

Calories 164 Calories from Fat 18

% Daily Value*

Fat 2g3%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Cholesterol 77mg26%

Sodium 1275mg55%

Potassium 493mg14%

Carbohydrates 11g4%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 21g42%

Vitamin A 14IU0%

Vitamin C 4mg5%

Calcium 27mg3%

Iron 4mg22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

You Might Also Like:

BEST CUTS OF BEEF FOR JERKY

HOW TO MAKE BEEF JERKY WITH A DEHYDRATOR

THE BEST DEHYDRATOR FOR MAKING BEEF JERKY

SLICING MEAT FOR BEEF JERKY

There is something about having fresh fruit as an ingredient in jerky that just makes it taste SOOOO good. I like the pear because it’s not too overpowering. They input a great flavor without overpowering the overall taste of the jerky.

Slicing The Meat

I have been defrosting the last of the venison in my freezer from last hunting season. This is one of the last four jerky recipes I was able to make with whats left of my venison supply.

Hopefully you have some fresh deer from this season. If not, venison can be bought at many local butcher shops.

I thawed my freezer packed venison roasts in a bowl of water in the refrigerator prior to slicing. Make sure to defrost any meat in the refrigerator and NOT on your kitchen counter. Submerging the meat in water will speed up the thawing process immensely.

After thawing and rinsing the deer roast, trim as much fat and silver skin as you can from the meat. Fat spoils faster than meat and will shorten the shelf life of the finished jerky.

I sliced the deer roast by hand with a very sharp knife. If you do not have a really sharp knife, wrap the roast in saran wrap and put the meat back in the freezer for 1-2 hours to partially freeze/harden the meat so slicing evenly sized strips is easier. Visit my how to slice jerky page for more information on slicing meat for the perfect jerky.

Using a jerky slicer is another great option. I like using my Weston Jerky Slicer to cut the beef and deer roasts into jerky strips.

This jerky slicer is not needed to slice the meat, but it makes it a lot easier!

RELATED PAGE: DOZENS OF JERKY RECIPES – CLICK HERE!!!

Making The Marinade

This rosemary and pear are the center of this recipe. They are the real flavor and give this venison jerky the nice smooth taste that it has.

Start with a fresh pear from your grocery store or farmers market. Slice the pear into smaller pieces and bust out your blender. Whenever using fresh ingredients such as a pear, blending in a blender with the rest of the ingredients is the best way to incorporate that flavor into the marinade. Simply cutting up small just doesn’t give the recipe the same flavor.

Add all the ingredients in a blender and blend. I used my Vitamix when making this recipe. Any blender will work, this one is definitely bad ass though. 

Pour the marinade into a ziplock bag and add the jerky strips to the marinade. Make sure that all the strips are covered fully with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator for 6-24 hours mixing the strips in the bag every 4 hours or so to make sure the strips marinate evenly. 

After the jerky has finished marinating, strain the strips in a colander. The jerky will not soak up all the marinade and the excess will need to be removed. 

Lay out paper towels and place the strained pieces of meat on the paper towel. Pat the top of the strips with more paper towels to remove any more excess marinade before drying. Doing this will help speed up the drying process.

After patting the strips dry, place the jerky strips into a dehydrator, oven, or smoker. I used my Nesco Dehydrator when making this recipe. Make sure the pieces of meat are not touching and have space for air to flow around each piece.

You can also use an oven or smoker to make this recipe. For step by step instructions on how to use a dehydrator, oven, and smoker to make jerky; make sure to visit my How to Make Jerky page.

Testing For When The Jerky Is Finished

While drying the jerky, you want to start testing to see if it has finished at about the 3-4 hour mark. Take a piece of jerky out of the dehydrator, oven, or smoker and allow it to cool for 5 minutes to room temperature. Bend the jerky in half, it should bend and crack but not break in half. You will also see white fibers in the meat. The fibers are really visible when a piece is ripped in half.

If the jerky is not finished, continue drying for another hour and repeat the same process until the jerky is finished. 90% of the jerky i make is finished within 4-6 hours when using a dehydrator or oven and 6-9 hours when using a smoker. If pre-heating the meat in the oven, drying time can be as little as 2.5 hours.

It took about 4 hours at 165°F to be done just right. The jerky turned out tasting pretty good! It had a mild pear flavor and not much spice from the red pepper. This is definitely a mild jerky, so if you are looking for more of a kick you can make some adjustments. Increasing the red pepper will give it more spice and increasing the sugar will make it a little more sweet.

Storing Jerky

To make the jerky last as long as possible, curing salt will really help along with keeping in air tight containers. I have put together a page on storing jerky and steps you can take to make your jerky have an extended shelf life. Check it out!

Old Pro Tips:

• Trim all fat from the meat before marinating for longer lasting jerky once it’s finished drying
• Use curing salt or celery juice powder to extend the life of the jerky
• Pre-soak venison for a couple hours in 2 cups water and 1 cup vinegar to remove ‘gamey’ flavor
• Increase red pepper for spicier jerky
• Freeze meat before slicing to make even strips

For more in depth directions on how to dry your jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods.

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Rosemary Pear Deer Jerky

Fresh ingredients really give this jerky a great flavor that will have you wishing you made a bigger batch.

Course Beef Jerky, deer jerky, venison jerky

Cuisine American

Keyword beef jerky, Deer Jerky, Jerky, Venison Jerky

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours 30 minutes

Total Time 5 hours

Servings 5

Calories 186 kcal

Author Will

Ingredients

Lean Meat

• 1 lb Venison or Beef Roast

Marinade

• 1 pear
• 3 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 cup apple juice
• 1 1/2 tsp rosemary dried or fresh
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp curing salt optional

Instructions

1. Trim all visible fat from the venison or beef and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.

2. While the meat is in the freezer, combine marinade ingredients in a blender and blend until the ingredients are fully mixed. Transfer to a bowl or ziplock bag. 

3. Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain for an easy chew. Cut with the grain for a more chewy jerky. Visit my page on slicing jerky for more information. I used my Weston Jerky Slicer when making this recipe.

4. Add sliced venison or beef to the mixture in the ziplock bag or bowl and marinate for 6-24 hours in the refrigerator.
5. After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade in a colander and pat dry with paper towels.

6. Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my Nesco Dehydrator and dried for 4 hours at 165F.

7. The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half. White fibers will also be seen when the jerky is bent.

Recipe Notes

Old Pro Tips:

• Trim all fat from the meat before marinating for longer lasting jerky once it’s finished drying
• Use curing salt or celery juice powder to extend the life of the jerky
• Pre-soak venison for a couple hours in 2 cups water and 1 cup vinegar to remove 'gamey' flavor
• Partially freeze meat before slicing for even strips

Nutrition Facts

Rosemary Pear Deer Jerky

Amount Per Serving

Calories 186 Calories from Fat 18

% Daily Value*

Fat 2g3%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Cholesterol 77mg26%

Sodium 967mg42%

Potassium 441mg13%

Carbohydrates 20g7%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 16g18%

Protein 21g42%

Vitamin A 59IU1%

Vitamin C 3mg4%

Calcium 25mg3%

Iron 4mg22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

You Might Also Like:

BEST CUTS OF BEEF FOR JERKY

HOW TO MAKE BEEF JERKY WITH A DEHYDRATOR

THE BEST DEHYDRATOR FOR MAKING BEEF JERKY

SLICING MEAT FOR BEEF JERKY

Hunting season is upon us and it’s time to start making some great tasting venison jerky! Bring a little flavor of summer with the blueberries and the boldness of your favorite bourbon to this new jerky recipe.

Slicing The Meat

I have been defrosting the last of the venison in my freezer from last hunting season. Hopefully you have some fresh deer from this season. If not, venison can be bought at many local butcher shops.

I thawed my freezer packed venison roasts in a bowl of water in the refrigerator prior to slicing. Make sure to defrost any meat in the refrigerator and NOT on your kitchen counter. Submerging the meat in water will speed up the thawing process immensely.

After thawing and rinsing the deer roast, trim as much fat and silver skin as you can from the meat. Fat spoils faster than meat and will shorten the shelf life of the finished jerky.

I sliced the deer roast by hand with a very sharp knife. If you do not have a really sharp knife, wrap the roast in saran wrap and put the meat back in the freezer for 1-2 hours to partially freeze/harden the meat so slicing evenly sized strips is easier. Visit my how to slice jerky page for more information on slicing meat for the perfect jerky.

Using a jerky slicer is another great option. I like using my Weston Jerky Slicer to cut the beef and deer roasts into jerky strips.

This jerky slicer is not needed to slice the meat, but it makes it a lot easier!

RELATED PAGE: DOZENS OF JERKY RECIPES – CLICK HERE!!!

Making The Marinade

The fresh blueberries really give this jerky the flavor that it needs to be a great tasting jerky. Frozen can be used if you don’t have any fresh blueberries. 

Whenever using fresh ingredients such as blueberries, blending them in a blender with the rest of the ingredients is the best way to incorporate that flavor into the marinade. Simply cutting up small just doesn’t give the recipe the same flavor.

Add all the ingredients in a blender and blend. I used my Vitamix when making this recipe. Any blender will work, this one is definitely bad ass though. 

Pour the marinade into a ziplock bag and add the jerky strips to the marinade. Make sure that all the strips are covered fully with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator for 6-24 hours mixing the strips in the bag every 4 hours or so to make sure the strips marinate evenly. 

After the jerky has finished marinating, strain the strips in a colander. The jerky will not soak up all the marinade and the excess will need to be removed. 

After patting the strips dry, place the jerky strips into a dehydrator, oven, or smoker. I used my Excalibur Dehydrator when making this recipe. You can also use an oven or smoker to make this recipe. For step by step instructions on how to use a dehydrator, oven, and smoker to make jerky; make sure to visit my How to Make Jerky page.

Testing For When The Jerky Is Finished

While drying the jerky, you want to start testing to see if it has finished at about the 3-4 hour mark. Take a piece of jerky out of the dehydrator, oven, or smoker and allow it to cool for 5 minutes to room temperature. Bend the jerky in half, it should bend and crack but not break in half. You will also see white fibers in the meat. The fibers are really visible when a piece is ripped in half.

If the jerky is not finished, continue drying for another hour and repeat the same process until the jerky is finished. 90% of the jerky i make is finished within 4-6 hours when using a dehydrator or oven and 6-9 hours when using a smoker. If pre-heating the meat in the oven, drying time can be as little as 2.5 hours.

It took about 4 1/2 hours at 165°F to be done just right. The jerky turned out tasting pretty good. There is a mild blueberry and bourbon flavor. They don’t over power the jerky which is nice, I’m not a fan of overly alcohol flavored jerky.

I happened to be driving through Kentucky a couple days ago when visiting my sisters and saw a sign for Buffalo Trace Distillery about 20 minutes down the road. I LOVE their bourbon and just happened to be putting out this jerky recipe where I used their bourbon, (talk about great timing) I just had to stop and take a tour of the place!

The buildings are original from the 1800’s and the tour was a real blast to take. Especially the tasting at the end! 

Had to grab a bottle for later….

Storing Jerky

To make the jerky last as long as possible, curing salt will really help along with keeping in air tight containers. I have put together a page on storing jerky and steps you can take to make your jerky have an extended shelf life. Check it out!

Old Pro Tips:

• Trim all fat from the meat before marinating for longer lasting jerky once it’s finished drying
• Use curing salt or celery juice powder to extend the life of the jerky
• Pre-soak venison for a couple hours in 2 cups water and 1 cup vinegar to remove ‘gamey’ flavor
• Frozen blueberries can also be used if no fresh are available

For more in depth directions on how to dry your jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods.

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Blueberry Bourbon Deer Jerky

Bring a little flavor of summer with the blueberries and the boldness of your favorite bourbon to this new jerky recipe.

Course Beef Jerky

Cuisine American

Keyword beef jerky, blueberry, bourbon, Jerky

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours 30 minutes

Total Time 5 hours

Servings 5

Calories 223 kcal

Author Will

Ingredients

Lean Meat

• 1 lb Venison or Beef Roast

Marinade

• 1/2 cup bourbon
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/4 tsp curing salt optional

Instructions

1. Trim all visible fat from the venison or beef and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.

2. While the meat is in the freezer, combine marinade ingredients in a blender and blend until the ingredients are fully mixed. Transfer to a bowl or ziplock bag. 

3. Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain for an easy chew. Cut with the grain for a more chewy jerky. Visit my page on slicing jerky for more information. I used my Weston Jerky Slicer when making this recipe.

4. Add sliced venison or beef to the mixture in the ziplock bag or bowl and marinate for 6-24 hours in the refrigerator.
5. After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade in a colander and pat dry with paper towels.
6. Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my Excalibur Dehydrator and dried for 4.5 hours at 165F.
7. The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half. White fibers will also be seen when the jerky is bent.

Recipe Notes

Old Pro Tips:

• Trim all fat from the meat before marinating for longer lasting jerky once it’s finished drying
• Use curing salt or celery juice powder to extend the life of the jerky
• Pre-soak venison for a couple hours in 2 cups water and 1 cup vinegar to remove 'gamey' flavor
• Frozen blueberries can also be used if no fresh are available

Nutrition Facts

Blueberry Bourbon Deer Jerky

Amount Per Serving

Calories 223 Calories from Fat 18

% Daily Value*

Fat 2g3%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Cholesterol 77mg26%

Sodium 964mg42%

Potassium 418mg12%

Carbohydrates 14g5%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 11g12%

Protein 21g42%

Vitamin A 16IU0%

Vitamin C 4mg5%

Calcium 21mg2%

Iron 4mg22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

You Might Also Like:

BEST CUTS OF BEEF FOR JERKY

HOW TO MAKE BEEF JERKY WITH A DEHYDRATOR

THE BEST DEHYDRATOR FOR MAKING BEEF JERKY

SLICING MEAT FOR BEEF JERKY

Red wine isn’t only for drinking, it makes a great addition to a fabulous tasting jerky recipe! I am a big fan of red wine, and this jerky has a great red wine flavor. 

Slicing The Meat

I have been defrosting and using the venison in my freezer when making jerky over the past couple of months. Venison can be bought at many local butcher shops if you don’t have any stashed away in your freezer.

I thawed my freezer packed venison roasts in a bowl of water in the refrigerator prior to slicing. Make sure to defrost any meat in the refrigerator and NOT on your kitchen counter. Submerging the meat in water will speed up the thawing process immensely.

After thawing and rinsing the deer roast, trim as much fat and silver skin as you can from the meat. Fat spoils faster than meat and will shorten the shelf life of the finished jerky.

Since I was going to use my Weston Jerky Slicer to cut the roast into jerky strips, I had to first slice the roast into 1″ thick pieces so they would fit into the slicer. Using a sharp knife really helps slice through meat that is not partially frozen. If you do not have a really sharp knife, you can put the meat back in the freezer for 1-2 hours to partially freeze/harden the meat so slicing evenly sized strips is easier. Visit my how to slice jerky page for more information on slicing meat for the perfect jerky.

To slice the perfect strips, I fed my venison steaks through the jerky slicer and it cut it perfectly like always. I LOVE this thing! You do not NEED this slicer, you can slice the meat by hand into strips. However, if you start making a lot of jerky, this thing is a must!

I made three different recipes out of this deer roast. You can see the roast separated into three 1lb piles in the above photo.

Related Page: Dozens of Jerky Recipes – Click Here!!!

Making The Marinade

This corkscrew deer jerky has some great ingredients such as wine, vinegar, salt, pepper, soy sauce… Most of these can already be found in your kitchen.

Start by adding all the ingredients in a ziplock bag or shallow bowl or dish. Add the jerky strips to the marinade and make sure that all the strips are covered fully with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator for 6-24 hours mixing the strips in the bag every 4 hours or so to make sure the strips marinate evenly. 

After the jerky has finished marinating, strain the strips in a colander. The jerky will not soak up all the marinade and the excess will need to be removed. 

Before adding to the dehydrator, oven, or smoker; pat the strips dry with paper towels. This helps speed up the drying process and also prevents the jerky from having a ‘sticky’ feel when finished. 

I used my Excalibur Dehydrator when making this recipe. Above you can see the strips laid out on the dehydrator trays with space between them so air can flow around each piece and dry each strip evenly. You can also use an oven or smoker to make this recipe. For step by step instructions on how to use a dehydrator, oven, and smoker to make jerky; make sure to visit my How to Make Jerky page.

Testing For When The Jerky Is Finished

While drying the jerky, you want to start testing to see if it has finished at about the 3-4 hour mark. Take a piece of jerky out of the dehydrator, oven, or smoker and allow it to cool for 5 minutes to room temperature. Bend the jerky in half; it should bend and crack but not break in half. You will also see white fibers in the meat. The fibers are really visible when a piece is ripped in half.

If the jerky is not finished, continue drying for another hour and repeat the same process until the jerky is finished. 90% of the jerky i make is finished within 4-6 hours when using a dehydrator or oven and 6-9 hours when using a smoker. If pre-heating the meat in the oven, drying time can be as little as 2.5 hours.

It took about 4 1/2 hours at 165°F to be done just right. The jerky turned out tasting very good. It has a little bit of a sour flavor from the red wine vinegar but also a nice berry taste from the wine.

The black pepper also gave this jerky a nice little spice that comes through towards the end of chewing a piece. If you are a big wine drinker, this is the jerky that will excite your taste buds! Anyone up for some wine and jerky after a long hard day at work? I am!

Storing Jerky

To make the jerky last as long as possible, curing salt will really help along with keeping in air tight containers. I have put together a page on storing jerky and steps you can take to make your jerky have an extended shelf life. Check it out!

Old Pro Tips:

• Trim all fat from the meat before marinating for longer lasting jerky once it’s finished drying
• Use curing salt or celery juice powder to extend the life of the jerky
• Marinate closer to 24 hours for the most intense flavor
• Any red wine can be used when making this jerky

For more in depth directions on how to dry your jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods.

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Corkscrew Deer Jerky

Red wine isn't only for drinking, it makes a great addition to a fabulous tasting jerky recipe! I am a big fan of red wine, and this jerky has a great red wine flavor that will excite your taste buds! 

Course Beef Jerky

Cuisine American

Keyword beef jerky, Jerky, Wine jerky

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours 30 minutes

Total Time 5 hours

Servings 5

Calories 128 kcal

Author Will

Ingredients

Lean Meat

• 1 lb Venison or Beef Roast

Marinade

• 1/4 cup red wine
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 cup beef broth
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp curing salt optional

Instructions

1. Trim all visible fat from the venison or beef and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.
2. While the meat is in the freezer, combine marinade ingredients in a bowl or ziplock bag. 

3. Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain for an easy chew. Cut with the grain for a more chewy jerky. Visit my page on slicing jerky for more information. I used my Weston Jerky Slicer when making this recipe.

4. Add sliced venison or beef to the mixture in the ziplock bag or bowl and marinate for 6-24 hours in the refrigerator.
5. After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade in a colander and pat dry with paper towels.
6. Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my Excalibur Dehydrator and dried for 4.5 hours at 165F.
7. The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half. White fibers will also be seen when the jerky is bent.

Recipe Notes

Old Pro Tips:

• Trim all fat from the meat before marinating for longer lasting jerky once it’s finished drying
• Use curing salt or celery juice powder to extend the life of the jerky
• Marinate closer to 24 hours for the most intense flavor
• Any red wine can be used when making this jerky

Nutrition Facts

Corkscrew Deer Jerky

Amount Per Serving

Calories 128 Calories from Fat 18

% Daily Value*

Fat 2g3%

Cholesterol 77mg26%

Sodium 726mg32%

Potassium 326mg9%

Carbohydrates 1g0%

Protein 21g42%

Calcium 5mg1%

Iron 3.3mg18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

You Might Also Like:

Best Cuts of Beef for Jerky

How to Make Beef Jerky with a Dehydrator

The Best Dehydrator for Making Beef Jerky

Slicing Meat for Beef Jerky

The best thing you can do with that venison you harvested this season is to make it into jerky! This spicy (or not) recipe has a fantastic original jerky flavor that won’t last long if you share it with friends!

Making the Jerky

Just like many of you, I have a BUNCH of deer meat from this last hunting season in the freezer. I plan on using it ALL to make jerky this upcoming year. Is there any other way to eat venison?

I thawed my freezer packed venison roasts in a bowl of water in the refrigerator prior to slicing. Make sure to defrost any meat in the refrigerator and NOT on your kitchen counter. Submerging the meat in water will speed up the thawing process immensely. 

After thawing and rinsing the deer roast, trim as much fat and silver skin as you can from the meat. Fat spoils faster than meat and will shorten the shelf life of the finished jerky.

Since I was going to use my Weston Jerky Slicer to cut the roast into jerky strips, I had to first slice the roast into 1″ thick pieces so they would fit into the slicer. Using a sharp knife really helps slice through meat that is not partially frozen. If you do not have a really sharp knife, you can put the meat back in the freezer for 1-2 hours to partially freeze/harden the meat so slicing evenly sized strips is easier. Visit my how to slice jerky page for more information on slicing meat for the perfect jerky.

To slice the perfect strips, I fed my venison steaks through the jerky slicer and it cut it perfectly like always. I LOVE this thing! You do not NEED this slicer, you can slice the meat by hand into strips. However, if you start making a lot of jerky, this thing is a must!

You can see above I separated the meat into three 1lb piles. I made three different jerky recipes out of this roast. 

Related Page: Dozens of Jerky Recipes – Click Here!!!

Let’s make this marinade! This Rage jerky has a great marinade base with soy sauce and worcestershire sauce. You can make this recipe with peppers or not. I made it both ways and they came out great either way. I prefer a little spicy jerky, so throwing in a ghost pepper was a must!

If you decide to add peppers, it is best to use a blender  to chop them up very small and fully incorporate them into the recipe. This allows the meat to be evenly covered with the pepper giving it an even amount of spice over all the jerky slices. I used 1 dried ghost pepper when making this recipe, but 2 peppers would have been perfect.

Add the marinade to a ziplock bag or bowl and add in the jerky slices. I like using a ziplock bag because I feel like the slices are more evenly covered. Marinate for 6-24 hours in the refrigerator, the longer the better! Every 4 hours or so mix up the jerky in the bag so every part of the slices are covered with marinade. 

Once you have finished marinating, strain any excess marinade in a colander. The jerky should soak up about half of the marinade. 

Lay out several paper towels and place the jerky strips on the paper towels. Place more paper towels on top of the strips and pat them dry. This helps speed up the drying process in the dehydrator, oven, or smoker.

I used my Excalibur Dehydrator when making this recipe. Above you can see the strips laid out on the dehydrator trays with space between them so air can flow around each piece and dry each strip evenly. You can also use an oven or smoker to make this recipe. For step by step instructions on how to use a dehydrator, oven, and smoker to make jerky; make sure to visit my How to Make Jerky page.

This jerky took about 4 1/2 hours at 165°F to dry just right. The jerky tasted AMAZING! Without the peppers the jerky has an original jerky flavor that most people have come to know. My wife LOVED this jerky! I preferred the spicy version that had a ghost pepper added. The jerky didn’t turn out as spicy as the marinade (it never does), so I would add 2 pepper next time for some real heat!

The soy sauce and worcestershire were mild and the jerky even had a little bit of a sweet flavor. This is a must make recipe, just be careful if you decide to share any…. You might have to make more to keep everyone satisfied!

Once the jerky is finished and cool, store in an airtight bag or vacuum seal for longer storage. Read my tips on storing beef jerky for more information.

Old Pro Tips:

• Marinate for 24 hours for best flavor.
• Ziplock bags make the best container for marinating. Release all the air from the bag and roll up so all pieces are totally covered when marinating. Rotate several times throughout the 24 hours for even marinated jerky.
• Allow jerky to cool for 5 minutes before checking to see if it is finished drying.
• Use more than 1 pepper for a more spicy flavor. Habanero peppers would also be great with this recipe.
• Use a blender to chop up peppers into the marinade if adding to the recipe. (I recommend adding some!)

For more in depth directions on how to dry your jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods.

0 from 0 votes

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Rage Deer Jerky

The best thing you can do with that venison you harvested this season is to make it into jerky! This spicy (or not) recipe has a fantastic original jerky flavor that won't last long if you share it with friends!

Course Jerky

Cuisine American

Keyword Deer Jerky, Ghost Pepper, Jerky

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours 30 minutes

Total Time 5 hours 10 minutes

Servings 5

Calories 166 kcal

Author Will

Ingredients

Lean Meat

• 1 lb Venison or Beef Roast

Marinade

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup beef stock
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp liquid smoke Wrights
• 1/4 tsp curing salt optional
• 2 whole dried ghost pepper or habaneros optional

Instructions

1. Trim all visible fat from the venison or beef and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.

2. While the meat is in the freezer, combine marinade ingredients in a bowl or ziplock bag. If adding peppers, blend the peppers with the marinade in a blender before adding to ziplock bag. 

3. Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain for an easy chew. Cut with the grain for a more chewy jerky. Visit my page on slicing jerky for more information. I used my Weston Jerky Slicer when making this recipe.
4. Add sliced venison or beef to the mixture in the ziplock bag or bowl and marinate for 6-24 hours in the refrigerator.

5. After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade in a colander and pat dry with paper towels.

6. Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my Excalibur Dehydrator and dried for 4.5 hours at 165F.

7. The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half. White fibers will also be seen when the jerky is bent.

Recipe Notes

Old Pro Tips:

• Marinate for 24 hours for best flavor.
• Ziplock bags make the best container for marinating. Release all the air from the bag and roll up so all pieces are totally covered when marinating. Rotate several times throughout the 24 hours for even marinated jerky.
• Allow jerky to cool for 5 minutes before checking to see if it is finished drying.
• Use more than 1 pepper for a more spicy flavor. Habanero peppers would also be great with this recipe.
• Use a blender to chop up peppers into the marinade if adding to the recipe. (I recommend adding some!)

Nutrition Facts

Rage Deer Jerky

Amount Per Serving

Calories 166 Calories from Fat 18

% Daily Value*

Fat 2g3%

Cholesterol 77mg26%

Sodium 790mg34%

Potassium 404mg12%

Carbohydrates 13g4%

Sugar 11g12%

Protein 22g44%

Vitamin C 1.5mg2%

Calcium 23mg2%

Iron 3.8mg21%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Hunting season is coming to a close and if you are like me, your freezer is full of magnificent venison just waiting to be made into some jerky! That is exactly what I did with this venison roast, I made some sweet and spicy great tasting jerky with local honey and fresh cracked black pepper.

Making the Jerky:

I used a venison roast that I harvested this past December on a hunt with some friends and family while I was visiting South Texas. I am happy that I was able to get some much needed meat for my freezer as well as being able to use my VERY expensive out of state Texas Hunting License. Ha.

I thawed my freezer packed venison roasts in a bowl of water in the refrigerator prior to slicing. Make sure to defrost any meat in the refrigerator and NOT on your kitchen counter. Submerging the meat in water will speed up the thawing process immensely. 

After thawing and rinsing the deer roast, trim as much fat and silver skin as you can from the meat. Fat spoils faster than meat and will shorten the shelf life of the finished jerky.

Since I was going to use my Weston Jerky Slicer to cut the roast into jerky strips, I had to first slice the roast into 1″ thick pieces so they would fit into the slicer. Using a sharp knife really helps slice through meat that is not partially frozen. If you do not have a really sharp knife, you can put the meat back in the freezer for 1-2 hours to partially freeze/harden the meat so slicing evenly sized strips is easier. Visit my how to slice jerky page for more information on slicing meat for the perfect jerky.

To slice the perfect strips, I fed my venison steaks through the jerky slicer and it cut it perfectly like always. You do not NEED this slicer, you can slice the meat by hand into strips. 

I was making three different recipes with these two deer roasts. Above you can see my deer jerky pieces separated into three 1lb piles. This Honey Peppered Vension Jerky is one of the three recipes I made.

I added all the ingredients into a bowl and mixed them together very well. Don’t those red pepper flakes look delicious?! This great tasting recipe has soy sauce, honey, fresh cracked black pepper and many more great tasting ingredients. You will find the complete recipe at the bottom of the page.

Add the marinade to a plastic bag and add the jerky strips. Mix the jerky around so that all the pieces are coated in the mixture. Release all the air from the bag and marinate for 6-24 hours. The longer you marinate the more intense of a flavor!

When the meat is finished marinating, strain any excess marinade in a colander. The jerky should soak up about half of the marinade.

Lay out several paper towels and place the jerky strips on the paper towels. Place more paper towels on top of the strips and pat them dry. This helps speed up the drying process in the dehydrator, oven, or smoker. The paper towels should not remove any of the pepper or red pepper flakes on the jerky.

I used my Excalibur Dehydrator when making this recipe. So above you can see the strips laid out on the dehydrator trays with space between for air to flow and dry each strip evenly. You can also use an oven or smoker to make this recipe. For step by step instructions on how to use a dehydrator, oven, and smoker to make jerky; make sure to visit my How to Make Jerky page.

This jerky took just over 4 hours at 165° to dry perfectly and boy did it taste GREAT! The fresh cracked black pepper and red pepper flakes really gives this jerky a fantastic flavor with a little bit of heat. The saltiness of the soy sauce and the sweetness of the local honey comes through at the end of the chew. You NEED to make this jerky. Definitely put it at the top of your list. It also can be made with beef and will turn out just as tasty.

Once the jerky is finished and cool, store in an airtight bag or vacuum seal for longer storage. Read my tips on storing beef jerky for more information.

Old Pro Tips:

• Marinate for 24 hours for best flavor.
• Ziplock bags make the best container for marinating. Release all the air from the bag and roll up so all pieces are totally covered when marinating. Rotate several times throughout the 24 hours for even marinated jerky.
• Allow jerky to cool for 5 minutes before checking to see if it is finished drying.
• Double the red pepper flakes for a more spicy jerky.

For more in depth directions on how to dry your jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods.

5 from 3 votes

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Honey Peppered Deer Jerky

Fantastic tasting jerky that is sweet and spicy and is made with local honey, fresh cracked black pepper, and spicy red pepper flakes. This is a must make jerky recipe!

Course Beef Jerky

Cuisine American

Keyword black pepper, Deer Jerky, honey, Venison Jerky

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes

Servings 5

Calories 179 kcal

Author Will

Ingredients

Meat

• 1 lb Venison Roast

Marinade

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup beef stock
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp black pepper freshly cracked
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• 1/4 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp curing salt optional

Instructions

1. Trim all visible fat from the venison or beef and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.

2. While the meat is in the freezer, combine marinade ingredients in a bowl or ziplock bag.

3. Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain for an easy chew. Cut with the grain for a more chewy jerky. Visit my page on slicing jerky for more information. I used my Weston Jerky Slicer when making this recipe.

4. Add sliced venison or beef to the mixture in the ziplock bag or bowl and marinate for 6-24 hours in the refrigerator.

5. After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade in a colander and pat dry with paper towels.
6. Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my Excalibur Dehydrator and dried for 4.5 hours at 165F.

7. The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.

Recipe Notes

Old Pro Tips:

• Marinate for 24 hours for best flavor.
• Ziplock bags make the best container for marinating. Release all the air from the bag and roll up so all pieces are totally covered when marinating. Rotate several times throughout the 24 hours for even marinated jerky.
• Allow jerky to cool for 5 minutes before checking to see if it is finished drying.
• Double the red pepper flakes for a more spicy jerky.

Nutrition Facts

Honey Peppered Deer Jerky

Amount Per Serving (1 g)

Calories 179 Calories from Fat 18

% Daily Value*

Fat 2g3%

Cholesterol 77mg26%

Sodium 788mg34%

Potassium 398mg11%

Carbohydrates 16g5%

Sugar 14g16%

Protein 22g44%

Vitamin A 60IU1%

Vitamin C 0.9mg1%

Calcium 14mg1%

Iron 3.8mg21%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Bugling Elk Jerky is a great tasting sweet and salty jerky that will not disappoint! Didn’t harvest an Elk this year? No worries, make with beef or venison too!

I sliced up this elk roast that I got from a buddy at work. Bugling Elk Jerky is one of the recipes I made with this roast. Why did I call it bugling elk jerky? I remember camping with my wife in Yellowstone and hearing the elk bugling throughout the night. It was amazing, and I thought the name just fit…

I sliced this roast with my Weston Jerky Slicer into perfect jerky slices. You don’t need a jerky slicer; but if you are going to start making a bunch of jerky, it makes it sooooooo much easier to get even strips!

This recipe is a VERY easy one to make. With only 2 ingredients, 3 if you add curing salt, it’s an easy recipe to make that comes out tasting fantastic! I like using pre-made marinades when I am feeling a little lazy… Ha.

After marinating for 16 hours, the meat was drained in a colander and patted dry with paper towels. I made this recipe while I was at work, so I filled up the drying racks on my Nesco Dehydrator.

Just look at those great looking jerky strips about to turn into some amazing tasting elk jerky! These took 4 hours at 160°F to finish with a perfect texture. Drying times may vary depending on how thick you slice your jerky. Mine normally take between 4-6 hours.

When I tasted this jerky the first flavor that hits you is the soy sauce from the Allegro Original Marinade. It has a very bold flavor that is sweet and salty. The pepper added a great peppery flavor that goes great on any kind of jerky. I really enjoyed this batch and recommend you trying it.

This recipe doesn’t have to be used on Elk only. Make this with beef or venison and it will also turn out really good! Enjoy!!!

For more in depth directions on how to dry your jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods or click on the pictures below. 

0 from 0 votes

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Bugling Elk Jerky

Bugling Elk Jerky is a great tasting sweet and salty jerky that will not disappoint! Didn't harvest an Elk this year? No worries, make with beef or venison too!

Course Snack

Cuisine elk jerky

Keyword elk jerky

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 4 hours

Total Time 5 hours

Servings 5

Calories 160 kcal

Author Will

Ingredients

Lean Meat

• 1 lb Elk Venison, or Beef (Best Slices of Meat for Jerky)

Marinade

• 3/4 cup Allegro Original Marinade
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp curing salt optional

Instructions

1. Trim all visible fat from the meat and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.
2. While the meat is in the freezer, combine marinade ingredients in a bowl or ziplock bag.
3. Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain for an easy chew. Cut with the grain for a more chewy jerky. (I did not freeze the jerky and used my Jerky Slicer with the grain)
4. Add sliced meat to the mixture in the ziplock bag or bowl and marinate for 8-24 hours in the refrigerator.
5. After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade in a colander and pat dry with paper towels.
6. Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my Nesco Dehydrator and dried for 4 hours at 160F.
7. The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.

Nutrition Facts

Bugling Elk Jerky

Amount Per Serving

Calories 160 Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Fat 1g2%

Cholesterol 49mg16%

Sodium 723mg31%

Potassium 302mg9%

Carbohydrates 12g4%

Sugar 9g10%

Protein 22g44%

Calcium 4mg0%

Iron 2.5mg14%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

You Might Also Like:

Best Cuts of Beef for Jerky

How to Make Beef Jerky with a Dehydrator

The Best Dehydrator for Making Beef Jerky

Slicing Meat for Beef Jerky

I had a buddy hook me up with an Elk Roast from this past hunting season. So what did I decide to do with it? Make some Elk jerky!!! This is the first time I have made jerky out of Elk and was very happy with the flavor and texture of the meat. Check out one of the recipes I made below.

The roast was very lean with only a little bit of fat to be trimmed. I trimmed the fat and cut into several chunks in preparation for slicing.

I used my Weston Jerky Slicer to slice this elk roast into even and consistent strips. I love using this jerky slicer and haven’t sliced meat by hand since I purchased it.

The only problem I had when slicing this roast is that the meat was not as firm as most beef roasts I use which made the slicer have a hard time pulling the roast through the blades. The next time I slice elk I will make sure to place the meat in the freezer for about an hour to just firm up the meat.

So why is this called Grim Reaper Elk Jerky? It’s because I finally got my hands on some Carolina Reaper peppers, the hottest pepper in the world! ***Spoiler Alert – This jerky was HOT!***

Okay….. So I did not get the whole or dried peppers, but I did get this Reaper Puree which is made up of the peppers and some vinegar. I got it from my local Savory Spice Shop. You can order this puree online at their website if you don’t have a store near you. It is about $20, but will last a LONG time!

After marinating for 20 hours I strained the jerky strips in a colander before dehydrating. I did not need to use gloves when removing the strips from the colander and placing on the dehydrator. I was worried it might burn or leave residue on my fingers, but this did not happen.

I used my Nesco Dehydrator when making this Elk Jerky. It took about 4 hours at 160°F to get it just right. This is one of my favorite dehydrators to use when making jerky. The smell of this jerky made my house smell fantastic! I couldn’t wait for it to finish…

This recipe is super easy to put together! It only has two ingredients, but it produces an AMAZING tasting jerky!

At first I was amazed it wasn’t that spicy, but then the heat crept up on me and revealed it’s full flavor! The saltiness from soy sauce based Allegro Original Marinade compliments the peppers and makes this a very tasty jerky.

If you follow the recipe below, you will have some VERY spicy jerky. When I and friends ate this jerky, we all started sweating. I could only eat one piece and had to wait about another 30 minutes before eating another.

If you do NOT want this spicy of jerky, cut the amount of Reaper Puree by half. This will still produce a spicy jerky, but won’t have you raiding your fridge for some milk!

For more in depth directions on how to dry your jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods or click on the pictures below. 

4.34 from 3 votes

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Grim Reaper Elk Jerky

At first I was amazed it wasn't that spicy, but then the heat crept up on me and revealed it's full flavor! The saltiness from soy sauce based Allegro Original Marinade compliments the peppers and makes this a very tasty jerky.

Course Snack

Cuisine jerky

Keyword elk jerky, Jerky

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes

Servings 5

Calories 159 kcal

Author Will

Ingredients

Lean Meat

• 1 lb Elk Venison, or Beef

Marinade

• 3/4 cup Allegro Original Marinade
• 1 1/2 tsp Carolina Reaper Puree
• 1/4 tsp curing salt optional

Instructions

1. Trim all visible fat from the meat and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.
2. While the meat is in the freezer, combine marinade ingredients in a bowl or ziplock bag.
3. Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain for an easy chew. Cut with the grain for a more chewy jerky. (I did not freeze the jerky and used my Jerky Slicer with the grain)
4. Add sliced beef to the mixture in the ziplock bag or bowl and marinate for 8-24 hours in the refrigerator.
5. After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade in a colander and pat dry with paper towels.
6. Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my Nesco Dehydrator and dried for 4 hours at 160F.
7. The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.

Nutrition Facts

Grim Reaper Elk Jerky

Amount Per Serving (70 g)

Calories 159 Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Fat 1g2%

Cholesterol 49mg16%

Sodium 722mg31%

Potassium 302mg9%

Carbohydrates 11g4%

Sugar 9g10%

Protein 22g44%

Calcium 4mg0%

Iron 2.5mg14%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

You Might Also Like:

Best Cuts of Beef for Jerky

How to Make Beef Jerky with a Dehydrator

The Best Dehydrator for Making Beef Jerky

Slicing Meat for Beef Jerky

The inspiration for this jerky came from my love for a good breakfast sausage. This was the last of my venison from this past hunting season, and i’m thrilled the jerky turned out tasting great!

Common sausage ingredients like sage and thyme are the main flavors found in First Light Deer Jerky. The cayenne pepper also can’t be missed, it gives this jerky a definite kick!

The venison was sliced with the grain making this a chewier jerky. You can slice against the grain if you don’t like too much of a chew. The venison was marinated for 18 hours which gave it an immense amount of flavor.

The jerky was strained, but not dried with paper towels as some of my recipes are. You can do that with this recipe, but I didn’t want to wipe off any of the thyme or sage during this process. If you do decide to dry with paper towels, just dab each piece lightly to get off the excess marinade.

After straining the jerky, the jerky slices were placed on a baking rack so air can flow on top as well as around the bottom of the jerky slices for the initial heat treatment. The baking rack sat on top of a aluminum foil lined cookie sheet. This helps make the clean up SO much easier! I then baked in a pre-heated oven at 300F for 12 minutes with the oven door closed.

The reason I did an initial heat treatment on this deer jerky is because I did not use a curing salt. This initial heat treatment makes sure that the jerky reaches an internal temperature of 160F killing any potential bacteria. After the initial heat treatment, the jerky was transferred to my Nesco Snackmaster Pro Dehydrator to be finished off.

After drying for 2 hours at 160F, the heat was turned down to 145F and dried for an additional 1.5 hours. That’s all it took to dry this deer jerky to my liking.

It turned out tasting great too! The flavors this jerky has will remind you of your favorite breakfast sausage. This does have a pretty good kick, so if you don’t want a spicy jerky, I would cut the red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper in half. Enjoy!

For more in depth directions on how to dry your beef or deer jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods or click on the pictures below.

4.67 from 3 votes

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First Light Deer Jerky

The inspiration for this jerky came from my love for a good breakfast sausage. This was the last of my venison from this past hunting season, and i'm thrilled the jerky turned out tasting great!

Course Snack

Cuisine deer jerky

Keyword Deer Jerky

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 4 hours

Total Time 5 hours

Servings 5

Calories 114 kcal

Author Will

Ingredients

Lean Protein

• 1 lb Venison Beef can also be used

Marinade

• 2 tsp rubbed sage
• 1 1/2 tsp ground thyme
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 cup cold water

Optional

• 1/4 tsp Curing Salt Prague Powder #1

Instructions

1. Trim all visible fat from the venison and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.
2. While the meat is in the freezer, combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl or ziplock bag and mix well.
3. Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips with the grain for a chewy jerky. Cut against the grain for less of a chew.
4. Add sliced venison to the mixture in a ziplock bag or bowl and marinate for 8-24 hours in the refrigerator.
5. After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade in a colander.
6. Place jerky strips on a baking rack on top of an aluminum lined cookie sheet
7. Place in a 300F pre-heated oven for 12 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my Nesco Dehydrator and dried for 2 hours at 160F & 1.5 hours at 145F.
9. The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.

Nutrition Facts

First Light Deer Jerky

Amount Per Serving

Calories 114 Calories from Fat 18

% Daily Value*

Fat 2g3%

Cholesterol 77mg26%

Sodium 519mg23%

Potassium 303mg9%

Carbohydrates 1g0%

Protein 21g42%

Vitamin A 295IU6%

Vitamin C 0.4mg0%

Calcium 15mg2%

Iron 3.6mg20%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Best Cuts of Beef for Jerky

How to Make Beef Jerky with a Dehydrator

The Best Dehydrator for Making Beef Jerky

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This Peppered Venison Jerky has an outstanding fresh cracked black pepper flavor!

The soy sauce and worcestershire sauce also give this recipe a really nice sweet and salty taste.

This deer roast was harvested in South Texas on a hunting trip with some buddies. I freezer packed the roast until I was ready to make some jerky. I let it partially defrost and sliced it into 1/4″ strips.

The marinade is a pretty basic mixture of soy sauce, worcestershire, pepper, and curing salt. This batch marinated in the fridge for about 20 hours before dredging in fresh cracked black pepper and put in the dehydrator.

You can see the marinated meat was strained in a colander and each piece of jerky dredged on ONE side with fresh black pepper. I would recommend only doing one side of the jerky as both sides would be way too much pepper. 

The strips were placed on my Nesco Dehydrator and dried for 2 hours at 160F and another 2 hours at 145F.  The final result was very tasty. The jerky had a nice sweet and salty taste with that spicy peppery flavor coming out towards the end! If you do NOT like salty jerky, use low sodium soy sauce when making this recipe.

For more in depth directions on how to dry your beef jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods or click on the pictures below.

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Peppered Venison Jerky

This Peppered Venison Jerky has an outstanding fresh cracked black pepper flavor!

Course Snack

Cuisine deer jerky

Keyword Deer Jerky

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 4 hours

Total Time 5 hours

Servings 5

Calories 200 kcal

Author Will

Ingredients

Lean Beef

• 1 lb Venison Roast

Marinade

• 3/4 cup soy sauce low sodium if wanting less salt
• 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tbsp pure ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp prague powder #1 Curing Salt

Toppings

• 1/4 cup coarsly ground fresh black pepper enough to cover ONE side of each jerky strip

Instructions

1. Trim all visible fat from the venison and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.
2. While the meat is in the freezer, combine the soy sauce, worcestershire, ground pepper, and curing salt in a bowl or ziplock bag and mix well.
3. Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain for an easy chew. Cut with the grain for a more chewy jerky.
4. Add sliced venison to the mixture in a ziplock bag or bowl and marinate for 8-24 hours in the refrigerator.
5. After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade in a colander.

6. Freshly grind about a 1/4 cup of ground pepper in a bowl or plate.

7. Dredge ONE side of each jerky strip with your desired amount of fresh pepper
8. Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my Nesco Dehydrator and dried for 2 hours at 160F & 2 hour at 145F.
9. The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.

Nutrition Facts

Peppered Venison Jerky

Amount Per Serving (70 g)

Calories 200 Calories from Fat 54

% Daily Value*

Fat 6g9%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Cholesterol 70mg23%

Sodium 2111mg92%

Potassium 393mg11%

Carbohydrates 5g2%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 28g56%

Vitamin A 10IU0%

Vitamin C 1.8mg2%

Calcium 30mg3%

Iron 3.8mg21%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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