Smoked Venison Jerky
This smoked venison jerky leans on coarse black pepper and a homemade marinade before getting smoked low and slow. The result: chewy, smoky strips that beat anything from the store.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds venison sliced in long strips between ¼ and ½ inch thick
- â…” cup soy sauce
- â…” cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper coarse ground is best
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Mix all of the marinade ingredients in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves.
- Add the venison strips to the bowl and cover evenly with the marinade.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or transfer to a large zip-top bag and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.
- For better smoke adhesion, lay the strips on racks and refrigerate uncovered overnight.
- Preheat smoker to 165-180°F (or 225°F with the door slightly cracked).
- Lay the strips in a single layer on smoker racks.
- Smoke for 3-5 hours, checking after 2 hours, until strips are leathery and flexible but not brittle.
- Cool completely before storing.
NOTES
Storage: At room temp, smoked jerky can last about 1 week. For safety measures, store in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 weeks. It can be frozen for several months.
Cuts: Hindquarter roasts, such as top round, bottom round, or eye of round, work best. Trim silverskin for the cleanest chew.
Pellet grills: Traeger, Pit Boss, or other pellet smokers work great. Stick to hardwood pellets (hickory, mesquite, apple, cherry).
Texture: Jerky is ready when it bends and cracks slightly but doesn't snap in half.
Adjusting flavor: Adjust pepper, red pepper flakes, and other seasonings for spicier or milder batches.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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