The Best Deer Jerky Recipe EVER!

You think I’m kidding? I’m not.  My sweet and spicy venison jerky recipe won Grand Champion at the County Fair in the entire canning and preserving class.

There is little I like more than homemade jerky. Seriously, it’s really the perfect food. It’s high in protein, low in carbs (a good thing for me) it’s tasty, lasts a long time and is just AMAZINGLY fantastic.  I hoard my jerky. Literally. I guard it passionately.

But, I will share my homemade jerky marinade recipes and process so you can make your own. There really isn’t any magic to the process, and like any recipe, it can be tweaked to your individual taste.

Ultimate Beef Jerky Gift Basket

If you are not into making beef jerky yourself, or maybe it sounds a little intimidating, then there is an alternative. Order beef jerky as Christmas gifts men will especially love.

How to Make Homemade Jerky

The process of making homemade jerky takes about three days. Two days to slice, prepare, and marinade and one day to dehydrate. But it’s well worth it!

Step 1 – Select your meat: The best meat for jerky is lean with little fat. My husband saves me the rumps, and he uses the shoulders for his ground venison jerky.  If you are making beef jerky then the best meat for beef jerky is a nice large rump roast or round roast.

Step 2 – Slice meat 1/8-1/4″ thick. Half frozen meat will slice easier

I used to hand slice beef for jerky, and that works. But, your hand gets very tired after about 15 minutes. If you are making homemade beef jerky and buying a beef round roast from a meat case you can ask the butcher to slice it for you. There are still a few full-service grocery stores around. They usually have the best meat too.

The best and fastest way to make a large batch of jerky is with a high-quality meat slicer. The Chefs Choice 610 Slicer some of the best reviews. We received our slicer as a Christmas gift a couple of years ago and it’s WONDERFUL!! If you’re going to make jerky on a regular basis then invest good kitchen equipment and tools to do the job.

Nesco FD-1040 Gardenmaster Food Dehydrator, White, 1000-watt – MADE IN USAChef’sChoice 609-A Electric Food Slicer with Tilted Food Carriage Easy-clean Design Rugged Construction High Torque Cool Running Motor Gear Drive Operation with

Step 3 – Place Slices into a deep storage container. Crisscross them leaving gaps where marinade travel and do its magic

Step 4 – Pour prepared jerky marinade 

Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the container is full. Then press the meat down and make sure it’s covered in the jerky juice marinade.

Step 5 – Marinade in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours

Step 6 – Dehydrate on high (160F) for approximately 4-6 hours

Lay your marinated jerky meat on the dehydrator trays close together. It will shrink as it dries. Depending on the thickness of your jerky and how much jerky marinade juice it soaked up will determine your drying time. You want the final product to be dry, but not too dry. It should bend just slightly without breaking. BUT, if it does get drier that’s okay too. It will still taste great. In fact, it will last longer as you have to suck on it longer to eat it.

Step 7 – Eat and Enjoy! Be prepared for friends coming out of the woodwork asking for jerky. Giving you meat to make into jerky, loaning you their dehydrators because they can’t make it as good as you do. Yes, it’s happened. I put their dehydrator in the garage and use mine.

The Best Dehydrator for Jerky

Seriously, the best dehydrator for jerky is the Nesco Gardenmaster Dehydrator.  Don’t use any other kind. I have tested about 5 different ones, you will be VERY disappointed if you use any other brand.

Nesco FD-1040 Gardenmaster Food Dehydrator, White, 1000-watt – MADE IN USA

The heater and fan are on TOP of the Nesco Gardenmaster Dehydrator, which is VERY important. This pushes warm air down through the center tunnel and racks assuring an even airflow. There is no need to rotate racks. The jerky dries evenly. Our Nesco dehydrator is going on fifteen years old and is still going strong. Really any of the Nesco professional dehydrators will do a good job.

Don’t skimp on a jerky dehydrator. If you find a “bargain” with a heater or fan on the bottom, walk away. Think about it, you don’t want the jerky marinade to drip on the heating unit.

Packaging Jerky – Bags and Labels

Normally I use freezer quart bags and store my jerky in the deep freeze. It is rare that I give away my homemade jerky. But occasionally I do put them in my Christmas baskets and boxes. It’s then that packaging is important.

This is label can be ordered on Etsy and I’m sure you can ask the artist for a venison jerky label too.

Homemade Jerky Recipes

My best deer jerky marinade recipes start with a base blend. I then adapt it depending on what I feel like.  I started with the Sweet and Spicy Venison jerky and spun off from there. A lot of this has been experimentation, but without fail it came out delicious every time.  The base blend of marinade will cover approximately 4-5 lbs of meat.  If you have marinade leftover that you haven’t used store it in the refrigerator for your next batch.

Venison Jerky Marinade: (Base )

• 30 oz Worchestire Sauce
• 15 oz Soy Sauce
• 2 TBSP Garlic Powder
• 1 TBSP Lowry’s Seasoning Salt
• 1 TBSP Onion Powder
• 1 TBSP Black Pepper
• 1 tsp Liquid Smoke

(Championship) Sweet and Spicy Venison Jerky

• Base Blend
• 1/4 Barbeque Sauce
• 1/4 Honey
• 1 TBSP Chilli Powder

Teriyaki Jerky Recipe

• Base Blend
• 10 oz Teriyaki Sauce
• 2 TBSP Crushed Garlic

Venison Sweet Hot Jerky Recipe

• Base Blend
• 1/4 barbeque sauce
• 1/4 cup Jalapeno Jelly (I use my own recipe)
• 1 TBSP Chilli Powder

Spicy Hot Jerky Recipe

Now I’m warning you if you do NOT like hot and spicy then do NOT try this! 

The longer you marinade this the hotter the jerky. Let this sit for two days and age.  I don’t like super hot jerky, heck I don’t even like hot jerky. When I licked my fingers after I got some marinade on my fingers it set my lips on fire. I much prefer my Sweet and Spicy Venison jerky more. The chili powder is just enough for my tastes buds.

• Base Blend
• 1 TBSP Chilli Powder
• 2 TBSP Habanero Pepper Flakes
• 2 TBSP Daves Gourmet Scorpion Pepper Hot Sauce

Cabela Jerky Recipe

Since I live in Nebraska a lot of people ask me if this is the Cabela jerky recipe. I’ve tried it. But, I like mine better mainly because of the liquid smoke and the garlic.  But if you have been searching for the Caela jerky recipe here it is for you to try.

• 3 lbs venison (or beef)
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp Accent seasoning
• 2 tsp table salt
• 2/3 tsp onion powder
• 2/3 tsp black pepper