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Venison Jerky

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preserved foods•american•contains meat, dairy-free
19 hours 30 minutes•8 servings•

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds venison
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 5/12 tsp curing salt #1 (Prague Powder #1)
venison jerky

Instructions

  1. 1.

    Partially freeze the venison until firm but not solid, 1–2 hours. Trim away any silverskin and exterior fat.

  2. 2.

    Slice the venison with the grain into 0.25-inch-thick strips for a pleasantly chewy jerky. Keep thickness as even as possible.

  3. 3.

    In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, and curing salt #1 until the sugar dissolves.

  4. 4.

    Add the venison strips to the marinade, toss to coat well, cover, and refrigerate 12 hours, turning once halfway through.

  5. 5.

    Drain the venison and discard the marinade. Pat the strips very dry to speed drying and improve texture.

  6. 6.

    Preheat a dehydrator to 160°F. If using an oven, set it to its lowest setting (usually 170–175°F) and prop the door slightly ajar for airflow.

  7. 7.

    Food-safety preheat (use if your dehydrator cannot reliably hold 160°F): Arrange strips on wire racks and heat in a 275°F oven until the thickest piece reaches 160°F, 8–10 minutes. Transfer immediately to the dehydrator.

  8. 8.

    Arrange the strips in a single, non-overlapping layer on dehydrator or oven racks.

  9. 9.

    Dry at 160°F until the jerky is dry to the touch, darkened, and bends and cracks but does not snap, 4–7 hours in a dehydrator or 3–6 hours in an oven, rotating trays and flipping pieces halfway.

  10. 10.

    If you skipped the preheat in step 7, post-heat the finished jerky on racks in a 275°F oven for 10 minutes to ensure it reaches 160°F.

  11. 11.

    Cool completely, about 30 minutes, then pack in airtight containers. Store up to 1 week at room temperature, 2–3 weeks refrigerated, or 2–3 months frozen.

Venison jerky is a lean, savory snack that showcases the clean, slightly sweet flavor of deer with a firm, chewy bite. A balanced marinade of salty, umami sauces and spices seasons the meat without masking it, while slow drying concentrates both taste and aroma. The result is portable, satisfying, and shelf-stable—ideal for long days outdoors or as a protein-rich pantry staple.

Jerky traces its name to the Quechua word “charqui,” and meat-drying traditions span Indigenous cultures of the Americas. Venison jerky, in particular, is deeply tied to North American hunting seasons, when lean cuts are preserved for year-round enjoyment. Modern dehydrators and ovens have standardized technique, but the core practice—thin slices, well-seasoned, dried low and slow—remains rooted in centuries of preservation know-how.