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    Home » Game Jerky Recipes

    Honey Peppered Deer Jerky

    Published: Jan 21, 2019 · Modified: Nov 23, 2020 by Will · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my privacy policy.

    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.
    Peppered honey deer jerky on a leaf with a jar of honey with wood background

    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.

    Thawed freezer packed venison in bowl

    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. 

    Venison roast on cutting board with knife

    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.

    Venison steaks on cutting board

    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.

    Venison being sliced by a jerky meat slicer

    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. 

    Venison sliced for jerky on cutting board with tongs

    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.

    Peppered honey deer jerky marinade in bowl with fork, red pepper flakes, and notebook

    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.

    Deer Jerky marinating in plastic bag

    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!

    Deer jerky strained in colander before dehydrating

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

    Peppered Honey Deer Jerky being patted dry on paper towels

    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.

    Deer jerky on dehydrator trays ready to be dried

    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.

    Peppered Honey Deer Jerky finished on wood boards with jar of honey

    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.

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

    Peppered Honey Deer Jerky finished on wood boards with jar of honey

    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!
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 4 hours
    Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
    Course: Beef Jerky
    Cuisine: American
    Type: Game Jerky
    Flavor: Savory, Sweet
    Servings: 5
    Calories: 179kcal
    Author: Will

    Ingredients
     

    Meat

    • 1 lb Venison Roast

    Marinade

    • ¼ cup soy sauce
    • ¼ cup beef stock
    • ¼ cup honey
    • 2 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper (freshly cracked)
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • ½ teaspoon ginger powder
    • ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
    • ¼ teaspoon curing salt (optional)

    Equipment

    Excalibur Dehydrator
    Excalibur Dehydrator
    Colander
    Colander

    Instructions

    • Trim all visible fat from the venison or beef and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.
    • While the meat is in the freezer, combine marinade ingredients in a bowl or ziplock bag.
    • 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.
    • Add sliced venison or beef to the mixture in the ziplock bag or bowl and marinate for 6-24 hours in the refrigerator.
    • After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade in a colander and pat dry with paper towels.
    • Dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my Excalibur Dehydrator and dried for 4.5 hours at 165F.
    • The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.

    Pro Tips

    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

    Serving: 1g | Calories: 179kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 788mg | Potassium: 398mg | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 60IU | Vitamin C: 0.9mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 3.8mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    Honey Peppered Deer Jerky
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    Hi! My name is Will and I live in Colorado with my beautiful wife. I love to hunt, fish, & make jerky. After making homemade jerky for over two decades, I started this website and published a Recipe Book to share some of my favorite recipes with you! Learn more →

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