Deer Jerky

BigBody79

BigBody79

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2005
Location
Lumberton
I am looking to start making my own deer jerky sometime soon.

Can anyone give me a recommendation on what dehydrator works well and will give me a quaility product.

Any advise on making jerky would be great

Thanks
 
Subscribed...just started making my own as well. I'm using a borrowed dehydrator, and can't remember the name of the spices and curing stuff I'm using. So I'm not much help. Only thing I can suggest is, if you think the meat is thin enough, go half again as thin. My first batch of jerky was extremely thick.
 
I have been making my own deer jerky for the past 5 years or so. My recommendation is get a flat dehydrator and not a round one (more even air flow). Get a quality dehydrator and it will have several settings for different products (fruit, meat, etc.) You will find making your own dried fruit is also a great snack.

x2 on what Ben said; cutting the meat as this as possible, it will also help your drying times.

I have found soaking my meat in a wet sauce (like BBQ) over night and then patting the slices dry before you put them in the dehydrator works best. If you do a dry rub then make sure it is not caked on there too thick. I like spicy jerky so I always use some texas pete sauce and some cayenne pepper in what ever marinade I make.

Hope this helps. I should be making a batch this weekend, and I can give you some more specific drying times and temperatures for the deer jerky.
 
I used to do the cut it thin bit but found it was very hard to get it all to dry at the same rate. I got a "jerky shooter" (caulk gun looking thing) and started grinding the meat and making it that way. Mixed in the flavors when the meat was ground up. Worked great and tastes great. Get a good sized dehydrator with good air flow. Don't crowd the meat in it. Good even air flow is the key to good consistent jerky. BPS and Cabela’s have some good dryers. Remember make 3 times what you think you want…lol. In my house that stuff went fast! Then all your friends will want some too.
 
I used to make jerky all the time. I used the elcheapo round one with about 5 trays. Never an issue

I marinated my meat in a wet goop about 24 hours before putting it on the trays, always good.
Sliced as thin as possible

Thanks now I wanna make some!
 
I was thinking about going the jerky shooter route when I started. I have a grinder that I have yet to use.

You guys have said to get a good dehydrator, does any one have any specific model or brand they recommend?'
 
Not a fan here of the shooter, I would eat it way too fast. I like the "jerky" part as well, harder to chew, last longer.
 
heres the trick that nobody tells you. if its frozen, thaw it till its sliceable but still cold so you can get it to cut thin - has some 'body' to it. silver skin pulls off better too. if its not frozen, stick it in the freezer for a couple of hours for same effect.
ive done it in vinegar base marinade for years, but this last time and today, I went with a $0.99 jerky mix from gander/bps/(not cabelas - trout unlimited fags) and it has a 'curing agent' that makes a huge difference in flavor and texture. better jerky and cheaper than worchestershire sauce. spray the racks with pam before you get going, itll save cleanup time later.
have fun!

edit- if you dried a whole deer, would it come out the size of a squirrel????
 
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