What’s your jerky recipe?
Contributors to this thread:General Topic
From: LINK
26-Dec-17
My marinade has consisted of varying ratios of soy, worchester, liquid smoke, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes. While it’s ok I’m looking for something next level;). My favorite manufactured jerky is No Mans Land Beef Jeeky and it’s ingredients list says it has soy, liquid smoke, water, honey, spices and flavorings(whatever that is). Let’s her your recipes.
From: venison
26-Dec-17
My favorite and only one I will use is High Mountain . I just made and ate a big batch of the Hunters blend High Mountain seasoning and it has a great flavor . Also like the hickory and original , some times I will put pepper seeds or such to heat up the original. This is a dry cure , let set for 24 hr.
From: venison
26-Dec-17
I like my hickory chips best , when smoking .
From: Bowriter
26-Dec-17
I make soft jerky because I have no teeth. I use something called a "Jerky Shooter", made to use ground meat and you can find one in almost any outdoor catalog. I use 2# ground deer meat and a product called Backwoods Jerky Seasoning-it is a marinade for ground meat. It comes from LEM products in Ohio. I simply follow the ditrections for marinading. Some, I season with Tony Chachere Cajun seasoning, some with a mixture of "stuff", I combine and some I leave just as it is from the marinade. You can season any way you want. I place the strips or slim jims on a foil covered, baking sheet in the oven at 225 with the door cracked for about an hour. Then, I remove and put in my smoker on 200 for an hour with heavy smoked. Once it stops dripping or "weeping", I remove and let cool to room temp. Then I bag in vacuum bags and keep in fridge until ready to eat. To date, about 15-years, I have yet to have anyone try it that did not immediately, want a bag.
From: cnelk
26-Dec-17
First shoot a button buck - they make the best jerky
From: Dphelps
26-Dec-17
Marinate your sliced jerky meat in salt water only for about one hour. Place the meat on the smoker racks and sprinkle with black pepper, lightly smoke for about 30 minutes and then dehydrate until done. I recently discovered that red oak makes the best smoking wood, way better than hickory, mesquite etc.
From: kentuckbowhnter
26-Dec-17
three parts soy sauce, one part liquid smoke. marinate jerky cuts in the brine for an hour and put in dehydrator. hide it from everyone.
From: Woods Walker
26-Dec-17
Bowriter: That's exactly the way I do it and with the LEM seasoning. And it IS good! I'll make a batch with hickory and one with mesquite. For "KICKS" I'll add a bit of Jolokia hot sauce.......but you gotta be REAL careful with that stuff!!!
From: Stekewood
26-Dec-17
Hi Mountain all the way.
From: T Mac
26-Dec-17
From: midwest
26-Dec-17
Liquid smoke???? Real men use real smoke. ;-)
This is a real basic, old fashioned jerky recipe. Very peppery taste. Per pound of meat:
•1½ tsp pickling salt
•¼ tsp Prague Powder #1 (curing salt)
•¼ tsp coriander, ground
•¼ tsp onion powder
•½ tsp garlic powder
•1½ tsp ground black pepper
•1½ tsp granulated sugar
•½ cup cold water
Marinate a day or so. Dry on paper towels.
In the smoker around 170 deg., vent full open, no smoke until it's dry to the touch.
Crank it up and add wood chips, vent half shut, smoke for about an hour.
Turn back down to 150 or 160, vent full open until desired doneness.
From: DanWesson357
26-Dec-17
Made my absolute best this year using the simplest marinade. I used two shoulders and cut 3"-4" meat strips WITH the grain of the meat. This gives the best chew. Then into a pot and cover the meat with worcestershire sauce. Add a fair amount of fresh cracked pepper and a fair amount of crushed red chili pepper let marinade for 48 hours, then in my Char-Broil smoker at 155 degrees for 6 hours using peach wood chips to smoke. Only lasted a few days and my daughters and I couldn't keep our hands off the stuff.
From: Killinstuff
27-Dec-17
I make jerky at least once a month before I have to hit the road for work or fun trips. Quick, simple and tastes great. I like a thick cut, about 1/4". If I use beef I buy the cheapest lean cuts I can get but I do like a little fat for the taste. I brine in tender quick for a couple hours then drain, pat dry and in the frig overnight uncovered as it dries it out more. Then in a bag with 1/2 cup of REAL maple syrup for an hour or so. I lay it all out on racks and into the oven at 170 degrees. The oven is cracked open and I have a small clip on fan blowing air into the oven as I'm looking to dry, not cook. After about 2 hours I pull it out put it all back in the bag for another coat of syrup then back in the oven. Drys the meat in 4-6 depending on how many times I open the door to sample. Sweet, salty, chewy, lasts a long time.
From: chasinbugles
27-Dec-17
chasinbugles's Link
I buy my jerky seasoning from waltonsinc.com. One bag does 25lbs of meat so I divide the pack into smaller portions. I season my jerky and place in fridge for at least 24 hours before dehydrating. My favorite is the Colorado Spicy.
From: LINK
27-Dec-17
Thanks guys I’m going to save this to my favorites and try several of these.
From: Rob Nye
27-Dec-17
I made a pile of venison jerky this Fall and deer clients all said it was best they ever had. I use High Moutain Mandarin Terriyaki seasoning but only 1/4 of the cure they recommend. Mix seasoning and cure with 1/4 cup of water per pound of meat. Marinate in glass bowl in fridge for 24 hours. I sprinkle a bit of Montreal steak spice and Roasted garlic & peppers spice when I lay them on smoker racks. I prefer Alder chips. I smoke it for a couple hours and then finish in oven at 200 degrees so I can watch it and not over cook thinner pieces I hate dried out leathery jerky. It turns out tender and not over cooked doing it this way.
From: Fuzzy
27-Dec-17
quarter cup of soy sauce, tablespoon of cider vinegar, teaspoon of garlic powder, cup of apple juice. red pepper to taste.
marinate 4-8 hours
From: midwest
27-Dec-17
Fuzzy, how much meat will that do?
From: Vonfoust
27-Dec-17
Liking the recipes, only seeing one with cure in it. Is there anyone or any place that I can go to learn about cure, when to use etc? I am totally confused on it and wish to begin making my own sausage, sticks, jerky etc. Have made jerky off an on for years and never put cure in it but the bit of reading I have done so far seems to indicate I should be adding it?
From: oldgoat
27-Dec-17
My recipe consists of driving to Sam's Club and buying the three pack of O'Bertos. I don't get enough wild meat to waste making jerky!
From: midwest
27-Dec-17
There is "fresh" sausage like brats and Italian sausage that have no cure (sodium nitrite) in it, then there are other sausages like salami, pepperoni, etc. that have cure in it. It changes the texture, flavor, and color as well as acting as a preservative. A "cured" smoked turkey tastes way different (more like ham) than just a fresh smoked turkey.
I believe most all of the commercially available jerky seasoning kits have the cure in them.
From: midwest
27-Dec-17
midwest's Link
If you want a great cure for making Canadian bacon, smoked turkey, dried deer, etc., I highly recommend Curley's brown sugar cure. Lots of other great "kits" here, too, and he's just a great guy. At my link...
From: LINK
27-Dec-17
Old goat if you buy very much of that you could afford some out of state tags;). I produce my own beef, can kill 6 deer a year on my lifetime license, my daughter can kill 6 a year too @ $10 a tag and I guide 8-10 hunters a year that usually don’t take their meat home. My daughter and I don’t fill all our tags but I can have as much deer meat as I can tolerate.
From: NEIAbowhunter
28-Dec-17
HI Mountain all the way, hickory for jerky and Hunters blend for snack sticks (I do 100% deer on the sticks). I like to add some red pepper flake to my jerky. I also grind my jerky and shoot it through a gun and smoke all of it on a Pit Boss pellet grill. Been saving 2-3 pounds the last 2 years to make my own recipe jerky and so far haven't had it turn out worth a crap but it has improved. Kinda fun to experiment and hoping i can create my own recipe to be proud of.
From: Fuzzy
28-Dec-17
Sorry Midwest, I just saw your question. That'll handle about 3# of meat if you turn it every couple hours
From: Fuzzy
28-Dec-17
you can add "cure" (nitrates) if you want, but if your jerky is dry enough (low Aw) and you do a "kill step" (heat to 165 degrees F) after drying, you shouldn't need it. I have high blood pressure and try to avoid nitrates
From: elk yinzer
28-Dec-17
I keep trying different recipes. Hank Shaw has one for chili-lime-garlic that turned out ok. But I always come back to my standard:
These are all approx measurements, I don't measure.
Marinate with around 5 pounds of meat, 24 hours in a ziploc bag, then I dry in the oven at 175 with the door propped open.
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
a few ounces water
several cloves of finely minced garlic
healthy splash of sriracha
couple splashes liquid smoke
few tablespoons of honey
lots and lots of black pepper
maybe a tablespoon of powdered ginger
a few grams of sodium nitrite, optional
I store mine in my cellar up to a couple months in ziploc bags.
If you are making for a big gathering, make about a week ahead. It should taste kind of dry and bland straight out of the oven, then the flavor and consistency improves over the next couple days.
From: Greg S
28-Dec-17
I usually use about 5-6lbs meat sliced thin. 1 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup coarse salt, 2Tbsp minced garlic, sm bottle Kikoman Terryaki. Throw it in a bowl mix until evenly coated. Put in fridge mix once or twice overnight. Put on big chief racks and grind on pepper...I like the pepper medley. Smoke until done. The drier and saltier the longer it lasts.
From: ROUGHCOUNTRY
28-Dec-17
I've tried home made recipe's before and I just stay stocked up on High Country Jerky mix made right here in Montana. I used to order cases of it even when I lived in Kansas. I like the original and terryaki. I layer and salt and marinate in a big pan overnight and use the dehydrator........sometimes use the shooter gun and mix directly with ground meat for a softer version.
