How to make dry venison?
Making dried venison (or deer jerky) follows the same rules as making beef jerky. Use select cuts from the animal and choose the marinade that best suits you. Some people prefer a sweet marinade; others like it savory and spicy, while many Asian cultures prefer a tangy quality.
Flank steaks are usually the cut of choice for making dried venison. However, as the meat is cut thin and tenderness is not a requirement, nearly any cut will suffice. A thin slice is essential, regardless of the cut of meat, usually about ¼ inch thick, though you may prefer slightly thicker or thinner pieces. Keep in mind that as the meat dries, it shrivels.
Always choose cuts of meat that are lean and as free of tendons or any other tough fibrous material as possible, as this makes it harder the chew. Most jerky is already tough enough; you don’t need to make eating it even harder on yourself. For easier to eat pieces, slice the meat against the grain. If you’re making it for a friend who tends to overeat and you don’t want to make it easy on him, use a tough cut such as a shoulder roast and slice it with the grain. He’ll be lucky if he can get through more than one piece in an hour.
Choose your marinade with care. It doesn’t hurt to experiment with small batches and marinating only a couple pieces of meat at a time, then drying and sampling them. Venison isn’t cheap if you buy it; if you’re a hunter, you’re only allowed so many kills a year, so try not to waste meat with iffy recipes. Marinate the meat overnight, for at least 6 hours, preferably twice that long.
The best way to dry the meat is in a designated meat drier or, better yet, inside a smoker, which will instill a delicious smoky flavor. However, cheapskates can get away with drying the meat inside an oven. First, line the bottom of the oven with aluminum foil so that when the pieces drip marinade—and they will—it won’t make a mess. If it’s a gas oven with a warm pilot light, you may not have to turn it on at all. If not (or if it’s an electric oven), turn it on to the lowest setting. Drape the meat over the rungs of the oven rack, above and below if possible. The pieces on the lower rack will take longer to dry than those above, as the higher pieces will drip marinade onto the lower ones. Allow between 6 and 12 hours for the meat to dry. Check it every hour after the sixth hour, remove the dried pieces, and store them in a resealable plastic bag at room temperature. They should keep for a week or more.
VENISON JERKY (Deer Jerky) 3 lbs. deer meat cut into 1/2 x 1/4 inch thick strips 1 tsp. onion powder 1 tsp. black pepper 1/4 c. soy sauce 1 tbsp. salt 1 tsp. garlic powder 1/3 c. Worcestershire sauce Mix all the above ingredients and pour over meat and marinate overnight in refrigerator or where cool. (Zip Lock bags do very well for this purpose.) Dry in sunlight or in very low oven setting, about 200 degrees, until completely dry (about 3 to 5 hours).
