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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 teaspoon 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.
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.
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.
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...
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!
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.
Gotta love the oilfield!
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.
Thanks Gary!
will can you email me this jerky for 7 lbs of meat thank you my first time trying
to mak it thanks
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.