MMMMMM JERKY!!!

[moleman]

I'm sitting here enjoying some nice missouri deer thats been turned into jerky. I was wondering what recipie everyone uses to make their jerky. I have an electric smoker and dehydrator but usually perfer to use the dehydrator because so far I've been able to produce better jerky with it over the smoker. I know the smoker can produce great jerky so how are you guys doing it?
Here's my jerky recipie for the dehydrator. I've been making it this way for about 18 years and have quite a few jerky vultures that start asking for some after they hear I've got a deer.

The meat cuts easier if you freeze it and wait till its just starting to thaw out so that it still has the big ice crystals in it. Remove all of the fat, gristle and silver skin you can. Cut the meat across the grain about 1/4" thick . Soak it in the marinade for 8-12 hours in a non metalic bowl in the fridge. The longer you leave it in the marinade the saltier it will be. I put the pieces on the dehydrator trays until the pieces are starting to look pretty dried out on the bottem, then flip them over. I continue to dehydrate them until they are hard to bend, but not so hard they crack.
I make dog treats out of all the scraps by grinding them up into deerburger.Try not to use the fat as it wont keep as long as the dried out meat and will quickly get rancid. I usually do a quarter at a time which takes at least two batches of marinade. I take the two batches of left over marinade from the cut jerky and add 2 more table spoons of salt and mix it up. Then mix it with a 1 gallon ziplock back full of deer burger. Then make it into small patties and put them on the dehydrator until they're dried out. I usually dry them out more than I do the jerky.
Heres the marinade ingredients which I combine in a mon metalic bowl and slightly warm to be sure the ingredients disolve before putting the meat in.

2 cups port or water (but the port makes it taste better)
3/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1-1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
3 tablespoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons chilli powder
3 tablespoons black pepper
3 tablespoons salt
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses

It will keep for a very long time (years) in a paper sack in a cool dry place. It will dry out more and get hard losing some of it flavor in the process though. I usually vaccum pack it into several small bags and them freeze them until I'm ready to eat them. That way its still fresh when you take it out.

[4thIDvet]

Sounds good moleman. Yum.
Dag blast it I just got a bunch of Venison shoulder and cooked it up. Tough as nails.
Wish I read that recipe two days ago.
Man and woman sell jerky on the way too Daytona. Have a stand set up.
Expensive to buy but fun to make and keep. Life saving food.
My buddy down the street has a freezer full of Gator meat. Wonder if we could make Gator jerky?

[sjohnson]

Originally Posted by 4thIDvet

Sounds good moleman. Yum.
Dag blast it I just got a bunch of Venison shoulder and cooked it up. Tough as nails.
...

Next time, cube up that shoulder.

We have a great little dish pretty much unknown outside of South Dakota, called chislic.

Cubed meat, deep fried and then seasoned (seasonall, garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper, whatever). Even the driest, toughest cuts are tender when done this way.

The blood in the meat makes the grease all funky after a while, so don't use your fish/chicken/french fry grease else they'll taste a bit funky, too.

[moleman]

My wifes uncle retired from a meat distributor and makes extra money selling beef and turkey jerky. The company he retired from lets him buy meat at cost. He uses a applejuice marinade for the turkey which would be closer to the gator. Give it a try, If it doesn't taste good you can always use them as dog treats. Thats what I ended up doing with bad batches over the years until I got my recipie down good.

[MUSIBIKE]

This one sounds like a super project! I like that it is simple.

[AKarl_12]

Here is the recipe I use, everyone that tastes this jerky likes it.
I use a round electric dehydrator it takes about 6 to 8 hours to do a batch.
Just don't fall asleep and leave the dehydrator on, I have melted two dehydrators so far.



Beef or Venison Jerky Recipe

Let's begin by collecting the following ingredients:

1 cup Soy Sauce
1 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbs. Hickory Liquid Smoke
1 tbs. Onion Powder
1 tbs. Garlic Powder
2 cloves Fresh Garlic, Minced
1 tbs. Salt
1 tbs. Black Powder
3 tbs. Ketchup
½ cup Brown Sugar
¼ cup Sugar
3 lbs. of Lean-meat cut cross grain in thin strips

For spicy jerky add;
1 tsp. Ground Cayenne Pepper

Or even HOTTER jerky add;
½ tsp. Ground Habanero Pepper (Caution Extremely HOT)

Combine the ingredients in a non-reactive bowl (Except the meat)
Add meat one piece at a time making sure it gets coated with mixture.

Marinate for at least 3hrs, not more than 6hrs.
(Stiring every ½ hour)

Dehydrate until it gets a leathery texture or until weight is reduced by half.
Keep dry & cool in zip-lock or vac-u-seal bags.

[moleman]

I ended up just having jerky for lunch while I vaccum packed my first batch. I make pretty much the whole deer into jerky except the tenderloins, but I'm going to have to try the chislic that SJ spoke of. Keep those jerky or deer recipies comming!

[sjohnson]

Originally Posted by moleman

I ended up just having jerky for lunch while I vaccum packed my first batch. I make pretty much the whole deer into jerky except the tenderloins, but I'm going to have to try the chislic that SJ spoke of. Keep those jerky or deer recipies comming!

Chislic is best when rare. It can go back to being tough and dry if cooked well-done.

[sjohnson]

One of my favorites, works with deboned pheasant or cubed red meat. Equally good with venison, elk, moose, beef or lamb. Haven't tried it with antelope, but should work.

Dredge bite-sized or a bit larger pieces of meat through flour seasoned with salt and pepper.

Chicken-fry until crisp on the outside.

Lay the cooked pieces in an iron skillet or dutch oven. Cover with equal parts of heavy cream and sour cream. Bake covered at 325 degrees for 1/2 to 1 hour.

Let sit for 5 minutes before serving, stirring the gravy and meat. Add a little milk if the gravy is too thick.

Serve over rice or noodles. The enzymes in the sour cream tenderize the meat and make it flavorful.

[moleman]

One of my favorite ways to have venison is a way my sister cooks with a sauce. About 15 -20 years ago she was traveling to switerland pretty regular and they raise reindeer for meat. She brought back a recipie from a friend out there. She had to change it a bit since you can't get all the same ingredients as in europe. First take your venison steak and while running it under cold water squeeze it like a sponge to get the blood out. You marinade the venison steaks in 1cup red wine, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 tablespoon beef bullion, 2 teaspoons crushed rosemary. Marinade the steaks for at least one hour, 2-3 is better. For the sauce 1can campbells beef consomme, 1/4 cup dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons crushed rosemary, 3 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup sherry or port. Boil the consomme until its reduced by 1/3rd. gradually mix in the mustard. Add the rosemary and sherry/port bring to a boil. mix in butter 1 tblsp at a time. Grill the steaks to med rare and serve with the sauce or grill steaks to rare and cook another 5 minutes in the sauce before serving. Its a pain in the ass fancy dinner that is best reserved for a special occasion. Thats why I let my sister cook it
It is quite tasty though.