Venison Jerky Recipe

This is not your ordinary jerky. Venison Jerky
Steven Grostick•

Pssst, are you in the market for a venison jerky recipe? How about a venison jerky recipe that hails from one of Michigan's most celebrated charcuterie experts, Chef Steven Grostick The one thing Grostick knows better than Michigan is meat, and this recipe perfectly combines his two greatest passions. The French may prefer their charcuterie to come from pigs, but this is America, dammit. We like jerky, and we like venison, and when you put the two together, well, what's not to like?

Venison Jerky Recipe
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Prep Time
20
minutes
Cook Time
2
hours
Servings
3
pounds jerky
Ingredients
  • 3 pounds lean venison meat
  • 1/2 ounce kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon tinted cure mix (curing salt)
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 ounces worcestershire sauce
  • 1 ounce brandy
  • 1 teaspoon juniper berries
  • 1 ounce madeira wine
  • 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
  • 2 ounces orange zest
Directions
  1. Slice the venison thin, about 1/4 inch thick, into strips, against the grain.
  2. Mix all of the ingredients other than the venison in a mixing bowl and then roll the slices of venison in the mixture. Let the venison marinate in the mixture in a refrigerator for at least 24 hours.
  3. Drain the liquid off of the meat and lay on oiled drying racks. Cold smoke* for 2 hours.
  4. Dry at about 80 degrees for 24 hours, preferably in a food dehydrator. At Toasted Oak Grill & Market, we turn the oven to 100 degrees for 1 hour, then shut it off. We place the meat on racks that are then placed in the pre-warmed oven, and, using a wooden spoon, prop the door open slightly and let the residual heat begin the drying process.
  5. Store in an airtight container up to 1 month.
  6. The best way to cold smoke at home is in a bbq grill; it really does not matter what type. Soak your desired woodchips (apple, cherry, etc.) for 12 hours in water. Drain the water, place in a sauté pan or metal pan and place on the rack of the bbq grill. 
  7. Fill another pan with ice and place over the top of the woodchip pan, leaving just a corner of the bottom pan exposed to allow smoke to be released. Turn the grill on and allow the chips to begin smoking.
  8. Place the jerky on the top rack of the bbq grill and smoke for 2 hours.
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