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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 deer 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.
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Making the deer 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.
Slicing the meat
After thawing and rinsing the deer roast, trim as much fat and silver skin as you can from the meat.
Top Tip: Fat spoils faster than meat and will shorten the shelf life of the finished venison jerky.
Since I am using my Weston Jerky Slicer to cut the roast into jerky strips, I first slice the roast into 1" thick pieces so they would fit into the slicer.
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 achieve the perfect strips, I fed my venison steaks through the jerky slicer. You do not NEED this slicer, you can slice the meat by hand into strips.
Marinating the venison
Ingredients
- Soy Sauce
- Beef Stock
- Honey
- Worcestershire
- Black Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Ginger Powder
- Sesame Oil
- Curing Salt
First, add all the ingredients into a bowl and mixed them together very well. Don't those red pepper flakes look delicious?!
Second, pour the marinade in a plastic bag and add the jerky strips. Then mix the jerky around so that all the pieces are coated in the marinade. Release all the air from the bag and marinate for 6-24 hours.
The longer you marinate the more intense of a flavor!
Drying the jerky
After the meat is finished marinating, strain any excess marinade in a colander. The meat 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.
Using my Excalibur Dehydrator, I laid the deer jerky strips on dehydrator trays with space between for air to flow and dry each strip evenly.
For step by step instructions on how to use an oven or smoker to make jerky, 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 deer 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.
Definitely put it at the top of your list. I've also made this recipe with beef and it turned out just as tasty.
Storage
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 on getting the longest shelf life from jerky.
You might like these jerky recipes!
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
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
- 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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