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This Smokey flavored Cajun Turkey Jerky will quench your thirst for a spicy flavorful turkey jerky snack! I really liked this jerky, and you will too...
Making the Jerky
I bought a frozen turkey breast from my local grocery store. You can also use turkey cutlets that can be easily found anywhere. I believe Jennie-O is a popular brand sold nation wide.
This jerky marinade was started with some great staples of any great cajun flavor; garlic, paprika, and cayenne. I feel like any jerky that has these three ingredients is bound for greatness; and this turkey jerky is definitely great!
I marinated the turkey meat for 45 minutes in my Chef's Elite Vacuum Marinator. I love using this thing whenever I don't have time, or don't want to wait, 6-24 hours for my meat to marinate. Sometimes you just need jerky right away, and this bad boy helps you do that.
When making fowl jerky, always make sure to pre-heat the strips in the oven to 165F before dehydrating. Using curing salt is also a great idea in order to make sure the jerky will be safe from any bacteria. These strips took about 8 minutes at 300F laying directly on a baking sheet inside the oven with the door closed.
I dried these in my Nesco Dehydrator at 145F for 2.5 hours. This thing is my tried and true jerky making machine!
So how did it turn out? GREAT! This was a very tasty turkey jerky recipe. The flavor was very intense and the spice lingered for several minutes. Feel free to adjust the spices to your liking. You have to make this jerky! So go...... go make it....
For more in depth directions on how to dry your turkey jerky, visit my page Jerky Making Methods or click on the pictures below.
Ingredients
Lean Turkey Breast
- 1 lb Turkey Breast
Marinade
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper (freshly cracked)
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cayenne powder
- ⅓ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup turkey broth
- 1 tbsp liquid smoke (hickory)
- ¼ tsp curing salt (optional)
Equipment
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl or ziplock bag and mix well.
- Trim all visible fat from the turkey breast and slice ¼" strips with the grain
- Add sliced turkey breast to the mixture in the ziplock bag or bowl and marinate for 8-24 hours in the refrigerator or 45 minutes in a Vacuum Marinator.
- After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade in a colander.
- Pre-heat oven to 300F.
- Place turkey strips on a aluminum foil lined baking sheet.
- Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until the strips reach an internal temperature of 165F.
- Remove from the oven and dry with your favorite jerky making method. I used my Nesco Dehydrator and dried for 2.5 hours at 145F.
- The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.
Nutrition
Sorry I'm a beginner is this recipe starting with raw or cooked turkey
Starting with raw turkey.
Will, have you tried doing turkey jerky in a smoker? I have a 30” MES that I’ve done beef jerky in, but am exploring doing turkey or chicken breast in lieu of the beef.
The Excalibur has a setting of 165. Is that for drying poultry jerky? Or...do I need to use the oven preheat? How's that work? Use a meat thermometer?