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Why the name Montana Mountain Jerky? Well, it's a jerky inspired by hiking in the Montana Mountains of Glacier National Park... Pretty good name I thought....
Beef jerky is by far the best hiking snack you can bring with you when taking in the beautiful scenery of mother nature. That is why I ALWAYS have a stash of fresh jerky stuffed away in my trail bag on all of my adventures.
What I have learned over the years and many hikes is that an easy mild tasting jerky is the way to go when in the backwoods. Remember, water weighs 8.34 lb/gal (I know the this b/c of my day job) and can make your back pack quite heavy if you bring too much. So stay away from spicy recipes that will have you guzzling all your water and require you to bring extra.
This Montana Mountain Jerky recipe has a little bit of black pepper and a tiny amount of cayenne pepper. Just enough to give it a nice taste, but not too much that you will be up ending all your water bottles.
The beef top round was sliced against the grain to make for an easier bite. No teeth pulling when eating this batch. You can also see from the picture above that the amount of spice is very minimal, giving this Montana Mountain Jerky a smooth overall taste. After 5 hours in the dehydrator, this jerky did not disappoint...
So if you are going on a hike in the near future and looking for a great jerky that will pack along nicely, give this one a shot! If you do want this recipe a little spicier; up the cayenne pepper from ¼ teaspoon to 1 ½ tsp. Enjoy!
For more in depth directions on how to dry your beef jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods.
Ingredients
Lean Meat
- 1 lb Beef Top Round or Venison
Marinade
- ¼ teaspoon Prague Powder #1 (curing salt)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke (hickory)
- ½ cup cold water
Equipment
Instructions
- Trim all visible fat from the beef and place in freezer for an hour or two to partially freeze.
- While the meat is in the freezer, combine the Prague Powder #1, garlic powder, black pepper, sea salt, cayenne pepper, liquid smoke, and cold water in a medium size bowl or ziplock bag. Mix well.
- Remove the meat from the freezer and slice ¼" strips against the grain. Cut with the grain for a chewier jerky. Or skip the freezing phase and use a Jerky Slicer for evenly sliced strips.
- Add sliced beef to the mixture and marinate for 6-24 hours in the refrigerator.
- After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and pat dry with paper towels.
- Dry with your favorite jerky making method. A dehydrator was used with this recipe and dried for 5 hours at 160 degrees.
Nutrition
For more in depth directions on how to dry your beef jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods.
Gary, in W. Kootenia, Montana says
This is my go to Jerky for Elk, Deer, or Beef.
Have to make in double batch's.
Great flavor and the Gran Kids are addicted to it.
Can't go wrong and won't last long!
Theresa says
Hi, is it necessary to use Prague Powder #1? Your recipes are the only ones I see it listed in. I'm new to making beef jerky. I've only tried making one recipe, but I want to try some other flavors. Thank you.
Will says
Hey Theresa. It is not mandatory to use curing salt (Prague Powder #1) when making jerky, but it will help prevent bacteria and extend the shelf life of your jerky. You can learn more on my Beef Jerky safety page.
Larry says
You still making Jerky Will?
I have 3 lbs of Deer meat in the dehydrator as we speak, testing an old recipe my wife had tucked away in an old cook book, made with brown sugar and jalapeno juice , Im not a big fan of the stickiness that Sugar creates on jerky pieces.. Do you know of a way to get the same sweetness without the stickiness? I have about 100 lbs of deer meat Im turning into Jerky 8 pounds at a time, so ill be trying all your recipes
Thanks.
Jerky is like Chinese food, even when its bad, its still pretty darn good...
Will says
Using sugar is going to be the best way to give it sweetness while making it the least sticky. Using honey will make it even MORE sticky. You're going to have a lot of jerky on your hands Larry!
Paully says
Love the recipes you have in here.
My favorite is the Rig Hand Jerky.
Brings back memories of working in Texas in the Oil and Gas fields around Bryan Tx.
Will says
Gotta love the oilfield!
Gary in Montana says
One of the best sites for making your own Jerky!!!
I've tried over half the formulas... outstanding.
From beginner to jerky pro.. keep em coming.
Will says
Thanks Gary!
bill mccracken says
will can you email me this jerky for 7 lbs of meat thank you my first time trying
to mak it thanks
Will says
You should be able to just multiply the ingredients by 7 and use that. I would maybe start with a little less liquid smoke however. Try the marinade with 3 tbsp before putting the meat in there and see how it tastes.
Chris says
Lots of good ideas here! I'm a purist with jerky 90% of the time, so the only one I've tried is the Montana jerky. 1) Because there is no sugar in the recipe. Now I'm not one of those hippies that's against sugar, but I have had a saying for the last 20 years, and it's " Don't sweet the meat." Kind of like Miller Lite says of the Man Law "don't fruit the beer". 2) it's got a nice smoky flavor. I don't have the time to make a cold smoker, so liquid smoke is my 2nd bff in the world. I always sprinkle super course black pepper after I add it the the dehydrator also. Reminds me of the jerky I had growing up in TX. Just meat, smoke flavor, and pepper. Thanks for the recipe!!!
Will says
No problem man. Glad you are enjoying the recipes!
Dee Baker says
I too am a jerkyholic, and I can’t wait to try your recipe.....thanks for posting it!!!
Will says
No problem!
Dale says
Hi, I see in this receipt you say 5 hours at 145 degrees. Do you have to heat to 160 first or are you ok with not going to 160? In the general info about making Jerky you said you always aim for the 160. I am going to give this a try on the weekend and wanted to double check.
Thanks,
Will says
It should have said 160F. If I do go down to 145F, it's after at least 2 hours at 160F. I'll fix it on the site, thanks for the heads up!
Chris G. says
hey Will,
THX for your inspiration. Great recipe.
I'm just a beginner but with your recipes and descriptions it is very easy to make awesome jerky. I love it!
greeting from Germany
Will says
Glad I can help Chris! Hope all is going well across the pond!
Jim says
Great recipe, just as it is... Normally I always cut with the grain...I like the chewiness, as well because we use Jerky as a staple in our canoe tripping, it is important that everything is shelf stable... ergo.. I use Prague #1 all the time, then evacuate the air from the storage bags and toss into the freezer until the next trip...
One thing I want to try with this particular recipe is to do it with ground beef! I think it would be a great way to bring the beef on a trip for either chewing on or re-hydrating for chili.. etc.
Tom says
After reading countless soy/worcestershire recipes I found your site very useful. While I am still experimenting with many of your recipes, "Montana Mountain" is currently my top shelf choice. I think it proves that less is sometimes more and it fits with my idea of what jerky tastes like.
I applied the peppers from a shaker in the dehydrator trays rather than adding them to the marinade for a more uniform coating. (I might have gotten it a little hot)
John says
Found your site by chance lots of recipes some look good so not so much (don't care for sweet jerky) will start with the Montana Mountain and let you know (I,m jerking elk meat and using a smoker instead of dehydrator)
Will says
Glad you are liking the site. Let me know how your jerky turns out!
Denise says
Hi your recipe is lovely and better than most I have bought!! thankyou
Will says
Thanks for stopping by, I'm glad you liked it!
Dave VandenBosch says
I stumble across your web site, you listed a lot of recipes I would like to try to find a favorite, I like that they are listed in one pound
Patrick says
Stumbled on your website recently, and I really enjoy all your recipes. Doing a few jerky varieties from here in my oven. Thanks for the effort in publishing these!
Will says
Glad you are enjoying the recipes! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Happy jerky making!