As a hunter, and someone who butchers their own meat, I am always searching for different ways to enjoy our harvest. Admittedly I am not a huge fan of store bought beef jerky, but this year I really wanted to make our own homemade venison jerky! One that was healthy, and packed with flavour. Jerky is an incredible snack for taking on hiking, camping & hunting trips! My kids and husband enjoy it so much, and I wanted to create something with ingredients I could feel good about. Fortunately our freezers are packed with meat this year and it was time to do some different things with it!
You can use any large wild game meat for this jerky recipe. Moose, elk, deer, or even bear would be great options! This is similar to a teriyaki marinade but more on the gingery side! Now I am not using any curing salt, so I do not recommend storing it at room temperature.
This recipe is really easy to make, and I thought jerky would be way more hands on! You definitely could use ground meat with this marinade, and then shoot it through a jerky gun. We prefer the texture of the sliced meat, but it would be great using 1-2 pounds of ground as well. If you don’t have a jerky gun, I have heard of methods where you thinly spread your ground on your trays, dry them and then cut the jerky into strips, using scissors. I haven’t personally tried that method, but have heard it works.
What you’ll need:
- A Dehydrator or an Oven
- Parchment paper or silicone tray liners
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Garlic mincer
- Fine grater
Ingredients:
- 2-3 lbs Venison Roast (Or neck roll cut)
- Soy Sauce
- Orange Juice
- Brown Sugar
- Rice Vinegar
- Sesame Oil
- 4 Garlic Cloves
- 2-3″ Knob of Ginger
- Pepper
How To Make The Best Venison Jerky?
Mixing the Marinade:
Start by mixing the soy sauce, orange juice, brown sugar, rice vinegar, & sesame oil, in a medium mixing bowl. Grate or mince your garlic cloves into the bowl, as well as your ginger. Whisk really well, and then add your pepper and mix again. You do not need to add any salt to this recipe – trust me I tried it, the soy sauce has enough salty flavour! Set your marinade aside.
Slicing the Jerky Pieces:
You want to make sure that your roast is completely thawed for this, and that you have a sharp knife. Start by trimming any fat, or silver skin off your cut of meat. You want it trimmed up really well, more than you would if you were just cooking it, so that your jerky doesn’t have any extremely chewy parts. Once it is all trimmed up, begin thinly slicing your roast, in 1/4″ thick slices. Depending on the size of the roast, you may need to cut the slices in half so that they are about 1-2″ wide. They will shrink up a bit in the dehydrator so keep that in mind not to make them too small.
Marinating the Jerky:
Once all of your jerky is cut, place all of the pieces into the marinade and mix really well. You want to ensure that all of the jerky is evenly coated before placing it in the fridge. It is okay if all of the jerky is not fully submerged in the marinade, we are going to mix it a handful of times while it’s in the fridge.
Cover with plastic wrap or a tight fitting lid, and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours. During this time you are going to take it out and give it a good mix, 3-4 times. This ensures that everything is evenly coated, and all of the jerky will be packed with flavour!
Dehydrating Venison Jerky:
After the jerky has been in the marinade for 24 hours, it is time to dry it! When you are ready to get it in the dehydrator, get your trays out and line them with parchment paper or silicone mats. Using tongs, transfer your jerky pieces one by one, to your trays. Letting the excess marinade drip off before you place it on the tray. Arrange them evenly spaced apart, in a single layer on the trays. Place them in the dehydrator, and set your dehydrator to 160 F. At the 3 hour mark, flip all of your pieces, and the proceed for another 2-3 hours.
You want your jerky to be dried, but not crispy, it should still be pliable. Keep an eye on it in the last couple hours, because depending on the thickness of your pieces you may want to pull it out sooner. If some pieces are thicker like a few of mine have been, I have pulled out the thin pieces and left the thicker ones a bit longer.
My dehydrator is the 10- Tray Kitchen Dehydrator from Commercial Dehydrators, and it comes with its own tray liners. (Use code XVIACRES to get 10% off dehydrators!) I really like this dehydrator, and use it for many things in my kitchen!
Can you use an oven to dehydrate? Yes, you can use an oven to dehydrate your jerky! Heat your oven to 170 F, place jerky on cooling racks and set on top of baking sheets. Place the jerky in the oven and prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon. Cook for 3-4 hours.
Storage of Venison Jerky:
When your jerky is done, pull it out of the dehydrator and place it in a container with a loosely fitting lid. Allow it to sit on the counter for 2 hours, it will create steam which will reabsorb into the jerky and this is what we want. This is not a cured jerky, so it needs to be stored in the refrigerator. It will last for 3 weeks, and can be frozen for up to 6 months.
When I am taking it out and about, or if I am wanting a bit of a longer storage for a trip etc. I vacuum seal it into portioned bags and then just keep it in a cooler.
The Best Venison Jerky!
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs Venison Roast I have used a neck roll cut as well
- 1 cup Soy Sauce Coconut Aminos works too
- ½ cup Orange Juice
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- ¼ cup Rice Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 4 cloves Fresh Garlic Grated or Minced
- 2 tbsp Fresh Ginger Grated
- 1 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl, and whisk well. Set aside until ready to use.
- Make sure your meat is totally thawed.
- Trim any fat or silver skin tissue really well.
- With a sharp knife, thinly slice your roast, into about 1/4" pieces that are about 1-2" wide.
- Once all your meat is cut up, place them in the marinade and mix until they are thoroughly coated.
- Place in the fridge for 24 hours, periodically mixing so that all of the pieces are well coated.
- When the jerky is done marinating, prepare your dehydrator trays with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- Let excess marinade drip off jerky as you move them to your trays, space them in single layers over your trays.
- Dehydrate at 160℉ for 6-8 hours, flipping jerky at the half way mark. If you have some thicker pieces, they may need a few more hours, you don't want them to be crispy, they should still be tender.
- When done, remove the jerky and place in a container with a loose fitting lid for 2 hours, allowing the jerky to steam and reabsorb any moisture. Once cool store in a sealed container or bag in the fridge for 3 weeks, or freeze for 4-6 months.
