A Good Jerky Recipe

Hunting season is winding down, and I have been very blessed again this year with several deer and some great memories with good friends. Although, I'm not quite out of hunting mode yet, this time of year I often shift into processing mode making custom burger, sausage and jerky. Here's one of my newest recipes for deer jerky. If you don't have any deer to spare (or perhaps you don't hunt) substitute venison with beef roasts from the grocery store. Go with an arm or shoulder roast instead of a chuck roast -the leaner, the better.

My favorite way to savor the season's success- Jerky!
Thanks to Kirk Butts from ABC5 for taking this picture.

Here's what you'll need:
5lbs of roast (venison or beef)
1 bottle of liquid smoke
1 bottle of soy sauce (could substitute with teriyaki or worcestershire)
3 shots of Jack Daniels Whiskey (don't worry, no one's getting buzzed off this recipe)
1/4 lb of brown sugar
salt and pepper (season brine to taste)

*If you want to turn up the heat, go with a healthy dose of hot sauce (flavor of choice and season to taste)

1). Put meat in freezer until it is half frozen. Take it out and slice it thin (about 1/4 inch thick). Cut across the grain of the meat and try to be as consistent with the thickness as possible. If you cut with the grain, your jerky will be tougher to chew. Set the meat aside.

2). Mix liquid smoke, soy sauce, sugar, whiskey and seasonings in a big bowl to make the jerky brine. Feel free to adjust recipe to suite your tastes but keep in mind the flavor will be a bit more concentrated once the jerky is done. Add meat in after the brine is thoroughly mixed. Pour into ziploc bags, squeeze the air and store for 24hrs in the fridge.

Watch out, they go fast!

3). A food dehydrator works best, but you can also use your oven to dry the jerky out. Place meat on racks and dehydrate for 8 hrs or put in the oven at the lowest temperature (usually 175)  for 4-5 hours. If you use the oven, be sure to line the bottom with foil to catch the drippings.

After that, enjoy your tasty treat! You'll get to savor the satisfaction of making your own jerky right along with that flavor that I think is better than store bought products any day of the week! Enjoy!

In my next post we'll talk about how much snow we'll see this week, and which days will feature the best hunting and ice fishing weather!