Here we are, in the thick of deer season! In a family with deer hunters, that means many things for the Lawsons, but one thing is lots of jerky!!! We love deer meat in place of beef for almost every single recipe so it saves us tons of money when we have our freezer stocked, but one of the best perks is the jerky.
We love deer jerky!
My picky eating teenager will sometimes eat jerky as a meal when he doesn’t like what I’ve cooked for dinner (Shhh don’t tell the parenting police!) and I will pack it in my husband’s cooler for an easy keto friendly snack while he’s working.
We have tried many different seasoning mixes, but the past few years we have been ordering this Backwoods multi pack from amazon because it has flavors our whole family likes and the price is better than in retail stores.
You can use any ground meat for this, we just have deer on hand so it’s what we use. The thing I love about this method is it’s ease as well as there being no need for special tools or appliances. We don’t use a dehydrator, just our oven!
I start with ground meat and I use my kitchenaid to mix the seasonings in per package directions.
I then leave the meat mixture in a glass bowl in the fridge overnight to soak up the seasoning.
I preheat the oven to 200° and I prepare my jerky strips.
I have tried multiple methods and tools for this next step, but have found that my pieces come out much better when I use a little olive oil cooking spray directly on my clean countertop and pat out with my hands. I can feel as I press and pat to make sure it is fairly even on thickness to make sure it dries evenly.
I pat the meat out to about 1/8 inch thick, maybe a little more.
I then use a small pizza cutter to cut into 1” wide strips and a silicone spatula to transfer over to a wire baking rack (these baking racks are only a dollar each at Dollar Tree!) sprayed with olive oil cooking spray.
I put in the preheated oven with the door open to the first stop for an hour and a half.
I then flip the pieces and leave for another hour and a half.
If you can bend a piece 90° without moisture coming out, they’re done! If it breaks, it’s overdone. You may want to check your jerky throughout the last hour to make sure it doesn’t dehydrate too long and help you get a feel for the exact timing in your oven!
Ingredient and tools needed:
- Ground meat (chicken, deer, turkey, beef, etc.)
- Backwoods seasoning packs (or your favorite jerky cure/seasoning)
- Glass bowl
- Baking rack
- Cooking spray
What kind of jerky do you like? Comment below with your favorite jerky making tips!
