venison jerky A great way to use up a whole bunch of deer, this jerky recipe is particularly good with older, tough animals. If you don’t have any deer meat or antlered game, try it with trimmed, skinless duck or goose breasts, but increase the oven temperature to 165°F. Make sure that you remove any fat, gristle, silver skin, etc. before marinating the meat. This jerky is not brined or cured, so it should be refrigerated or frozen if you plan on keeping it around for over 1 week.
2 to 3 pounds trimmed deer meat, slightly frozen 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce 1 cup soy sauce 1 cup pineapple juice 1 tablespoon brown sugar ¼ cup rice vinegar 1 teaspoon minced ginger 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon (or more) Tabasco or Asian chili-garlic sauce
The barely frozen meat will be easier to slice. Slice meat with the grain, as thinly as possible, into strips. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. Add meat and toss to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours. Place two baking sheets on lower rack of oven to catch drippings. Preheat oven to 160°F. Remove marinated meat from fridge. Place on paper towels and squeeze to remove as much moisture as possible. Place meat strips in a single layer, not overlapping, directly on oven rack above the baking sheets. Make sure oven door is cracked open about ½ inch so that moisture will escape. Turn meat over every two hours. Meat is done when it is still slightly pliable, not so dry as to be crisp and breakable. This will take 4 to 5 hours. If storing, let meat cool before putting into sealed container in refrigerator. The jerky will keep for 1 to 2 months. Makes about 1 to 1½ pounds jerky
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