Venison jerky is not an uncommon way to store venison (deer) meat, especially for hunters who return home with more meat than they can use at one time. Freezer storage of the extra venison is common, but making jerky is an great way to turn some of the meat into something special.
Many of us give away some of our extra meat, but why not give it away as jerky, an easy way impress someone. Venison tends to be a much leaner meat than beef, so preparation should not be as time consuming, and since venison tends to be more gamey than beef, it will hold up to stronger flavors after being marinated.
In fact, this can be used to your advantage, allowing for more interesting and stronger flavors than you might use when making beef jerky.
5# ground venison (may substitute ground beef)
1/4 cup of Tenderquick (a commercial dry brine found in most grocery stores)
2 Tablespoons black pepper
2 Tablespoons garlic pepper
2 Tablespoons marjoram
3 Tablespoons accent
4 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce (Lea and Perrins)
1/2 Tablespoon cayenne pepper
Mix ground meat and seasonings. Roll out on wax paper to fit your smoker to 1/8" thick. Smoke for 2 hours at 140°F. Remove from smoker and blot excess fat with paper towel. Flip meat over on new wax paper.
Smoke for 1 hour more at 140°F. Remove jerky. Cut into strips and serve.
Yield: approximately 3 lbs. jerky