Ground Venison Jerky
Ground venison jerky is a such a filling and delicious snack! It doesn't last long in my house, and I bet it won't in yours either!
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 151kcal
Equipment
- Wire rack (oven safe)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground venison
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- Crushed red peppers optional
Instructions
- Combine the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, sea salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper (if desired) in a small bowl. Whisk them together until well combined.
- Add the ground venison to a large bowl and pour the seasoning mixture over it. Mix with your hands until the seasoning is worked all the way through. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, up to overnight.
- Once the meat has chilled, get two large pieces of parchment paper, lay out one, place about half the meat on it, then cover with the second sheet. Roll it out into an even thickness, about ¼" or so. The thinner, the better, but the thinner it is, the harder it is to work with, so there is a tradeoff.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and place a wire rack over it.
- Peel off the top sheet and cut your slices with a pizza cutter about an inch wide and 4-6" long, or however long you prefer them.
- Transfer the strips to the wire rack, and then repeat with the second half of the meat.
- Preheat oven to 175°F. (see notes below) Bake on the center rack for 4 hours, rotating the pan halfway through.
- After 4 hours, remove one of the pieces of jerky carefully, and once it has cooled to the touch, try bending it in half. If it splits, but doesn't break all the way through, that is what we are looking for. Return it to the oven, and increase the oven to 275°F for 10 minutes to finish.
- Carefully remove from heat and allow the jerky to cool completely before sprinkling it with crushed red peppers and storing it in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
- See the post above to find instructions for jerky in the dehydrator.
- Feel free to use a jerky gun if you have one. Just skip rolling out and cutting the meat and use the jerky gun instead.
- In step 7, the oven temp really depends on how low your oven will go. I try to aim for 175°F, and I will crack the door for the last 45 minutes it's in there. Then, when it looks like it's done, close the door and raise the temp to 275°F to ensure it's cooked through.
- Don't skip the chill time! It's what gives all that flavor a chance to soak down into the meat, and it firms the mixture up so it isn't fighting you when you go to roll it out.
- Use an instant thermometer to verify the internal temperature. The temperature must be 160°F.
- Ground jerky is a little harder to make than sliced, in my opinion, just because it tears so easily. Two things help with that: the first is the chill time, and the second is not rolling it out too thin — I find ⅛ to ¼ inch is the perfect spot.
- You can adjust how spicy your jerky is by how many red pepper flakes you add. If you don't want any spice at all, omit the flakes and the cayenne pepper.
- Store your jerky in an airtight container in the fridge for around 2 weeks, or keep it in the freezer for longer.