How to Dehydrate Deer Meat
Deer meat--also known as venison--is typically dehydrated in a food dehydrator for use as jerky. Deer jerky is a popular treat for campers, farmers and hunters for its taste, nutritional value and ease of carrying and storage. During deer hunting season--which is also near the winter holiday season--jerky is in abundance and can be made to give out as delicious homemade gifts. Making deer jerky is a relatively simple process. However, it takes hours for the meat to dry completely. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Freezer
- Cutting knife
- Cutting board
- Glass baking dish
- Dehydrator
- Air tight container
- Soy sauce
- Worcestershire sauce
- Onion powder
- Pepper
- Garlic powder
- Liquid smoke
Instructions
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1
Place the deer meat into your freezer for a few hours. This will make it easier to slice. You do not want the meat to be frozen completely. Instead, freeze the meat just long enough so that it is barely flexible but still able to cut through.
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2
Cut along the grain of the deer meat in thin strips. A general rule for cutting deer meat for jerky is 1/4" thick and 6" long.
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3
Marinate the deer meat strips. This step is optional. Choosing to marinating will add flavor to your jerky. To marinate, mix the ingredients according to the recipe you choose. Plan for about 1/2 cup of the mixture per each pound of meat. Saturate the meat in the mixture, coating the strips completely. Lay the meat strips in a shallow glass baking dish. Pour the remaining mixture over top the meat, cover and place into your refrigerate for at least 8 hours. After the allotted time, remove the meat strips and pat dry with paper towels.
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Remove the trays from your dehydrator.
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Lay the deer meat slices on each tray. Do not allow the meat slices to overlap or touch.
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Place the trays back into the dehydrator and set the temperature for 120 to 170 degrees.
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Allow the deer meat to dry. This process can take anywhere from 4 to 24 hours depending on the thickness of the meat.
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Test the deer meat periodically for doneness. When the deer jerky is done it will have become a much darker color then it was in the beginning. It will also bend but not break in half.
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After it has completely cooled, store your deer meat in an airtight container.
Basic Venison Jerky Recipe
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Combined 1/4 cup of soy sauce with 1 tbs. of Worcestershire sauce.
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Add 1/2 tsp. of onion powder, 1/4 tsp. of pepper and 1/4 tsp. pf garlic powder.
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Stir in 1/4 tsp. of liquid smoke and mix well.
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Tips & Warnings
Alternatively, preheat your oven to 170 degrees. Arraign the marinated deer meat slices onto a cookie sheet. Make sure the slices do not touch. Allow the deer meat to dry for 5 to 8 hours in the oven.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit oven image by Evgeny Rodionov from Fotolia.com
