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Looking for something different from the usual jerky made out of beef? Well, you found it! This easy to make turkey jerky has a fantastic salty and sweet flavor that will top any jerky you have tried up to this point. I know that's a bold statement, but it's most definitely THAT good.
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Video - Making Turkey Jerky
Why this recipe works
Using simple and proven great tasting ingredients, this turkey jerky recipe is set up to have fantastic flavor. The soy sauce and worcestershire give it a nice salty flavor that is synonymous with jerky while the brown sugar provides that perfect balance with sweetness. You're going to love this!
What turkey is best?
Turkey breast is going to be the best cut of turkey to use when making turkey jerky. The reason being it's so lean. Using a lean cut of meat that has little fat is very important. Fat spoils faster than meat, the leaner the meat the longer the finished jerky will last when it's finished drying.
Turkey breast can be bought at most supermarkets already removed from the bird. No need to buy a whole turkey, the breast or tenderloin (a tender cut from the breast) can normally be found on the shelf alongside the ground turkey.
How to slice the meat
The best thickness when slicing turkey jerky is ⅛" to ¼" thick and as long as you want. The length doesn't matter at all, only how thick the turkey is. Making sure to have consistent pieces of turkey is also very important as it ensures all the jerky will be finished drying at the same time.
Using a sharp knife
The most important tool to have when slicing the breast for turkey jerky is a really sharp knife. This will make a huge difference, I am currently using a Victorinox knife that has a really good feel and sharp blade. When it starts getting dull, a quick sharpen and it is just like new.
If you have never sharpened a knife before, it's super easy and will make a HUGE difference when slicing nice even strips of turkey. The people at Cook's Illustrated put together a great article on how to sharpen a knife, it's a must read.
Partially freeze the turkey
Another really important step when preparing to slice the turkey is partially freezing the breast. By wrapping the turkey breast in plastic wrap and placing in the freezer for about an hour will firm the meat up and make slicing even strips a LOT easier.
Combining the partially frozen turkey breast with a really sharp knife is a game changer when slicing turkey for jerky. Don't make your life hard, make it SUPER easy by following those two steps.
Making the marinade
Oh yes, this is the fun part of making turkey jerky! Great tasting and strong flavors are what make this jerky taste SO good.
Step 1 - Combine all of the jerky marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Once the brown sugar has dissolved, pour the marinade into a large ziplock bag and set aside.
Step 2 - Combine the previously sliced turkey strips with the marinade and mix the bag well. Make sure that all the strips are evenly coated.
Marinate in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours for a full flavored turkey jerky. While the meat is marinating, make sure to shake the bag several times to move the strips around to further make sure they are all covered and marinate evenly.
Should I use curing salt?
When making chicken or turkey jerky, I always include curing salt into the marinade to help prevent bacteria in the jerky. Curing salt is mostly table salt with about 6% sodium nitrite, an ingredient that removes water from the meat and the bacteria cells themselves.
Drying the jerky
Once the turkey has finished marinating and is full of all that great sweet and salty flavor, it's time to dry it and make it into jerky! You can dry jerky in either an Oven, Dehydrator, or Smoker. I decided to dry this jerky with a Nesco Dehydrator, it's so easy and produces great tasting jerky.
The first step of drying the jerky is to strain the turkey strips in a colander to remove any of the excess marinade.
The second step is placing the jerky strips onto the dehydrator trays leaving space in between so air can flow all around the turkey jerky.
Turn the dehydrator on the highest setting and dry until finished, this is on average 4-6 hours. You want to make sure the turkey is heated to an internal temperature of 165°F to further help in killing any bacteria.
Pre or post heat treatment
If you are not sure if your dehydrator heats the jerky to this temperature, you can pre-heat the meat or do a post heat treatment to make sure the jerky reaches the all important 165°F. This is done by placing the meat on a cookie sheet and putting in a 300°F pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes. This can be done before dehydrating or after.
Food safety is very important when making jerky, especially chicken or turkey jerky. Here I have put together a lot of great information on jerky safety and food safety steps you can follow when making homemade turkey jerky.
How to tell when the jerky is finished
Start checking your jerky after about 3.5hrs on the dehydrator. Take a piece out of the dehydrator and allow it to cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Once it is cool, the easiest way to test the jerky is to perform the bend test or the rip test.
The bend test
Take a piece of the turkey jerky and bend in half. The jerky should bend and crack but not break in half. If it just bends into a U shape without cracking, it is not finished and needs to continue to be dried. If it breaks in half, the jerky has been over dried.
It should take at least 3.5 hours to dry the jerky in a dehydrator (could be as little as 2.5hrs in a pellet smoker) so as long as you start checking it then, this shouldn't happen.
The rip test
Rip a piece of jerky in half lengthwise down the strip of jerky. It should rip easily and white fibers should be seen within the meat. This is a sure way to tell if it's finished drying.
FAQ
It is a cut of meat from the turkey breast that is very tender, it makes great turkey jerky.
4-6 hours in a dehydrator or oven, 2-7 hours in a smoker.
Yes! Turkey jerky is very lean and packed full of protein. This recipe does have sugar and salt, but not high amount. Check the nutrition information for more information.
In airtight bags or jars in a cool spot out of sunlight. Here I have more information on the best way to store your recently made jerky.
Old pro tips
- Definitely partially freeze and use a sharp knife when slicing strips
- If using a smoker, you can smoke for 1 hour and then transfer to a dehydrator to give the jerky a real smoke flavor with the fantastic finished texture of a dehydrator
- Liquid smoke can be used for a smoke flavor as well. Hickory would go perfect with this recipe.
Other recipes and information
Ingredients
Lean Turkey Breast
- 1 lb Turkey Breast
Marinade
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke (optional (hickory))
- ¼ teaspoon curing salt (optional)
Equipment
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well until the brown sugar is dissolved. Pour into ziplock bag.
- Trim all visible fat from the turkey breast and slice into ¼" strips.
- Add sliced turkey breast to the marinade in the ziplock bag and marinate for 12-24 hours in the refrigerator.
- After the meat has finished marinating, remove from refrigerator and strain excess marinade in a colander.
- Lay the strips on the dehydrator trays leaving space between the meat for air to circulate. Make sure the strips are not touching.
- Dehydrate for 4-6 hours. Start checking the jerky if it's finished around the 3.5hr mark.
- The jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.
Pre or Post Heat Treatment
- If you are unsure if your dehydrator will heat the strips to an internal temperature of 165°F, heat them in the oven either before or after drying at 300°F for 10 minutes.
Pro Tips
- Definitely partially freeze and use a sharp knife when slicing strips
- If using a smoker, you can smoke for 1 hour and then transfer to a dehydrator to give the jerky a real smoke flavor with the fantastic finished texture of a dehydrator
- Liquid smoke can be used for a smoke flavor as well. Hickory would go perfect with this recipe.
Nutrition
John Rhoe says
I am glad you warn all to smoke to a temp of 165 internal.
Al T says
When I tried preheating the turkey (and chicken) as suggested. After 10mins in oven the thickness out of the oven is just too thick to make good jerky. I tried to trim it again but it was too difficult.
My dehydrator peaks at 165, would that be good enough to skip the preheat. (I can't get a good reading with a meat thermometer)
Will says
If your dehydrator reaches 165°, that should be enough to heat the turkey or chicken hot enough to kill bacteria. I would slice the meat thin, the faster it reaches that internal temperature, the better the chances of killing any bacteria. I would also use curing salt to help prevent bacteria.
Diana says
Hang on. When using the drying method in the oven, I should put a wooden spoon to allow moisture to escape. This is with the marinade on, right?
Will says
Yes. When drying the marinated meat into jerky, place a wooden spoon in the door of the oven so it's cracked open to allow moisture to escape.
Alex Spalding says
Wow
Dom says
Bit too salty for my taste but everything else was fine. I used my electric convection oven for 3 hrs at 170 and was perfectly done.
Stephen Lorentz says
hi will i just took my first batch of turkey jerky out of my cosori dehydrator using your recipe ... it is wonderfull i dehydrated it at 165 degrees , at 3 hrs. and 10 minutes internal temp. was 165 degrees i took it out and did your bend test it bent but didn't break i think its perfect ! I think i would like a little more salt flavor how much sea salt would you suggest to use in a 2lb. recipe ? In the last month Ive spent a lot of time on your website , did I see somewhere you suggested after cooling the jerky put in an air tight container with a stick of celery to help keep the jerky softer ?
Will says
That's great to hear! If the soy sauce doesn't have enough salt flavor for you, add about 2tsp of sea salt for 2lbs of meat. Glad you are checking out the site. I however did not mention the celery stick in the container trick. I will now be trying it though to see if it helps keep it nice and soft! Thanks!
Karl says
Can you use ground turkey for this recipe? Thanks!
Will says
Yes, but cut any liquid ingredients in half. So do 2 tbsp of soy sauce and Worcestershire instead of the 1/4 cup it calls for.
Donna says
Can I make this for my dogs less the marinade? Also, I don't own a dehydrator. Can I make jerky in the oven? TY Happy Holidays
Will says
Yes! Simply leave out the marinade and dry some thin slicing of turkey in your oven. Turn the oven to 170-190°F and place the turkey inside atop cooling racks on baking sheets and bake for 4-5 hours. Place a wooden spoon in the door to prop it open allowing moisture to escape while baking.
Karen says
1st. Try on turkey jerky. Was great. I used a pit boss pellet grill. Took about 1 1/2 hours. On smoker setting.. Next time I'll try adding a little heat. Such an easy way to make a pretty healthy snack... Thank's
MarkM says
Way too much worscestershire in this recipe. Takes over all other seasonings. Wish I would have tried small batch first prior dehydrating so much meat. Thought Curing salt would be more noticeable, seems table salt would have given more flavor.
Toni says
It turned out so good! Thanks for the recipe!
Audrey says
I love jerky, I can't wait to try this out!
Pam Greer says
I'm going to use my Traeger, but use your marinade! Sounds delish!
Jere Cassidy says
So interesting on how you make jerky and how easy it is to do. I think the smoked version sounds delicious.
Cindy Acker says
Can I use cooked turkey ?
Will says
If it is turkey that is cooked slow as a complete bird, it more than likely won't turn out well as jerky. It will be extremely crumbly with an undesired texture. This happens to an extent even when preheated sliced of marinated turkey. I would go buy a turkey breast and make jerky from scratch out of that.
AISilva says
We don't currently own a dehydrator but I have been thinking about it. My kids would love this. Thank you for the recipe!
Kay says
I love this turkey alternative to beef jerky. Will be trying it out over the weekend.