favorite deer jerky seasoning mix or from scratch recipe?

[raisins]

I'm getting an LEM 10 tray dehydrator and LEM jerky gun with a gift card from Sportsman's Warehouse.

I've never made deer jerky before but love it.

I am going to grind it and use a gun (my jaws hurt from too much chewing).

Anyone have a killer seasoning packet or a DIY recipe to share?

 

[BTaylor]

Had a guy tell me the other day I need to try tree branch jerky marinade. Said it was awesome. I havent looked it up or ordered it yet though.

 

[GCTerpfan]

This is my dads recipe and is my favorite jerky recipe. Only difference is we make it out of ground so we don’t add the tenderizer and we add a 1/2 cup of honey or pure maple syrup to the recipe. I also add some more red pepper flakes. Everybody that has ever tried it has asked for the recipe.

 

[SNIPERBBB]

With as much salt that's in most seasonings for jerky, adding tenderizer/quick cure is pointless. Tender quick is basically salt with sodium nitrate and nitrite added. If you don't cook enough moisture out of the jerky you might want the nitrites in it.

 

[arrow30]

high mountain hickory, and add a little brown sugar for a touch of sweetness, or a little cayenne pepper/ black pepper for a little heat, or both. i have ruined a lot of meat trying other guys concoctions,..

 

[Skunkworkx]

I use pre made seasons with my ground deer. Easy
1/4 cup per pound, mixed well, covered and set in fridge overnight, add 1/4 cup of water, re-mix, load gun and shoot.

Last 2 times I used McCormick Taco seasoning, added some salt and garlic.

 

[Nutterbuster]

I like to basically start with a 60/40 mix of soy sauce and Worcestershire. Add a little liquid smoke, some black pepper, a little bit of garlic and onion powder, and a LOT of black pepper. Maybe a little ketchup or brown sugar. Then a little more black pepper.

The important thing is to remember the black pepper.

 

[Nutterbuster]

I'm getting an LEM 10 tray dehydrator and LEM jerky gun with a gift card from Sportsman's Warehouse.

I've never made deer jerky before but love it.

I am going to grind it and use a gun (my jaws hurt from too much chewing).

Anyone have a killer seasoning packet or a DIY recipe to share?

If you've never made it before, here are my tips.

Make more than you think you should. It always goes quick.

The recipe doesn't matter nearly as much as the dry time. IMO, I'd rather under than over-cook it. Especially if it's getting eaten within the week like most of it.

I made 2 batches with nitrates, and then stopped. You're eating it quick enough that it just doesn't matter. Stick it in the freezer if you have a little left over.

I'm not usually anal about trimming, but I am with jerky.

Cut is better than ground, and jerky nuggets are better than cut slices.

Black




















Pepper

 

[avgjoe]

I've had really good results with a bunch of the different Hi Mountain pre-mixed jerky seasoning. Like @Nutterbuster I add extra black pepper (fresh ground is the best) usually after I put it on the drying tray. Still looking for a good diy recipe. Always seemed kinda bland when I made my own spice mixture....

 

[Nutterbuster]

Forgot I actually wrote a whole article about jerky recipes.

Deer Jerky Recipes - The Ultimate Guide | Great Days Outdoors

...article, we’ll talk about how you can follow make your very own jerky right there at your kitchen counter using several different deer jerky recipes.

greatdaysoutdoors.com

Not all the recipes are mine, but some are. Worth noting that we advocate for cure in here because that's best practices. It really isn't expensive or hard to use. I'm just extraordinarily lazy and ever since I ran out me wanting jerky never coincided with the opportunity to quickly get the stuff, so I haven't used it for a while. I need to just order a bag.

 

[thedutchtouch]

Follow up question if the OP doesn't mind- smoker or dehydrator? What do you prefer/use?

 

[Horn]

Follow up question if the OP doesn't mind- smoker or dehydrator? What do you prefer/use?

I've done smoker, dehydrator and oven. I'm an oven fan with the smoker and light smoke being second

 

[raisins]

Follow up question if the OP doesn't mind- smoker or dehydrator? What do you prefer/use?

go for it....I don't like the oven idea because propping open an oven and running it just seems weird to me

 

[Horn]

go for it....I don't like the oven idea because propping open an oven and running it just seems weird to me

the oven I used to have was gas and it had a dehydrate setting that would vent it for you. Even on bake/convection bake it lights and puts out the flame so it used the vent to maintain the low temp. I do 175° for 6 hours. But I do understand what you're saying, and yes I had a pretty fancy stove lol

 

[raisins]

the oven I used to have was gas and it had a dehydrate setting that would vent it for you. Even on bake/convection bake it lights and puts out the flame so it used the vent to maintain the low temp. I do 175° for 6 hours. But I do understand what you're saying, and yes I had a pretty fancy stove lol

yeah...the whole "prop the door open" on the stove just is sketchy to me.

I'm hoping my new dehydrator is the bomb. It goes up to 155 F.

I'll probably leave it at a family member's house that is retired and then tell them when to turn it off. Jerky while you worky.

 

[Horn]

yeah...the whole "prop the door open" on the stove just is sketchy to me.

I'm hoping my new dehydrator is the bomb. It goes up to 155 F.

I'll probably leave it at a family member's house that is retired and then tell them when to turn it off. Jerky while you worky.

I used to put it in on time cook or whatever when I went to bed and take it out before I left for work. Worked pretty good, it was cooled off enough to put in containers in the fridge without condensation forming in them. I'm a hard worker lol

 

[Horn]

As far as flavor Teriyaki has always been very well received, LEM is a good easy to find option. I kinda liked jerk from PS seasonings.

I'll have to look it up if someone wants it, but I once made jerk chicken jerky from scratch that was really spicy but delicious if you can take the heat. * disclaimer, I'm not 100% on the rules for poultry jerky but I do always use cure. Also chicken jerky was a p.i.t. butt to trim

 

[SNIPERBBB]

yeah...the whole "prop the door open" on the stove just is sketchy to me.

I'm hoping my new dehydrator is the bomb. It goes up to 155 F.

I'll probably leave it at a family member's house that is retired and then tell them when to turn it off. Jerky while you worky.

We did this method for years before we had a dehydrator

 

[bigmike23]

I like the typical peppered jerky recipes with a whole dehydrated Carolina Reaper thrown in. Makes the sit on the porcelain throne the next morning electric

 

[10essee]

Curing salt white wine vinegar

1 tbsp liquid smoke
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder

Mix and refrigerate for 12-24 hours
Per 3# of meat

This is for whole muscle jerky.