Analyze the grain structure of this jerky strip.
Make deer jerky with fresh venison. Dehydrate venison by choosing one of several dehydration methods to create smoked deer jerky. Deer jerky is a popular snack in the Appalachian states. Hunters often transform their venison into jerky, and supply friends and family with the delectable snack. Venison is a lean meat that has to cook appropriately to ensure that bacteria do not grow. Deer jerky is easy to make, and only requires a little preparation time.
Instructions
Make Smoked Deer Jerky in the Oven
1. Slice venison into 1-inch-wide strips. Cut the strips with the grain of the meat, and make sure the slices are the same thickness. Try to cut all the strips into ¼-inch slices. Remove fat and tissue. Rinse away hair or debris.
2. Combine soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, ketchup, garlic powder, ground pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes in a plastic bag, and add the venison strips. Liquid smoke is a seasoning made from water that has captured a smoked flavor. Shake the bag until the seasoning mix saturates the strips of venison. Allow the venison to marinate overnight.
3. Preheat the oven to 165 degrees. Place a pan or container in the bottom of the oven to catch any drippings that fall from the meat.
4. Distribute the strips onto a rack in the oven, and carefully separate in order to prevent them from touching each other. Allow the meat to dehydrate for 6 to 8 hours in the oven, and the venison will transform into deer jerky.
5. Check the jerky to ensure that it is finished cooking. Make sure that there is no pink in the meat, and that it does not easily crumble when touched.
Make Smoked Deer Jerky in a Smoker
6. Prepare the smoker by allowing the coals or wood to burn for at least 30 minutes. Inspect smoker to ensure that the racks are clean and free of debris.
7. Slice the venison into strips that are an inch wide and ¼ inch thick. Clean the venison of any remaining fat and dirt.
8. Season the venison with your personal choice of seasonings. Combine soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, ketchup, ground pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes for an easy seasoning mix. Allow the venison strips to marinate at least an hour before placing them onto the smoker racks.
9. Add wood chips or pellets to the coals to increase the smoked flavor of the venison. Keep stirring the coals and adding more wood chips when necessary. The smoker will require constant attention to ensure the quality of the jerky.
10. Cook the venison for 4 to 6 hours in the smoker. Keep checking the texture of the jerky. The deer jerky will not easily fall apart, or appear pink, when it is finished cooking.
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