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Home » Wild Game » Venison Jerky

Published: Nov 21, 2020 · Modified: Jun 24, 2021 by Kathy · This post may contain affiliate links

Venison Jerky

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Ground venison or ground elk can be seasoned and dried for delicious homemade venison jerky. This homemade jerky is perfect for snacking and for packing for whenever you're on the go!

A pile of dried jerky on a white surface with a red and white towel.
Table of Contents
Why make this recipe
Jerky marinade
Using the jerky gun
Tips
Variations
More wild game recipes
Venison Jerky

Why make this recipe

Jerky is the perfect snack food for hiking, skiing, school, road trips, and just everyday nibbling.   We often use venison or elk to make our jerky  We live in an area where hunting is prevalent we always have plenty of wild game.

My husband and all three kids are hunters.  We usually end up with several freezers full of game meat.  Not only do they hunt, but Rod and the kids butcher and process the meat as well.  We grind a lot of the meat into burger.

Since we have so many hunters, we end up with a lot of ground venison and elk burger in our freezer. I mean A LOT!  Rod often makes jerky from elk or venison roasts sliced thin.  

One day we discovered a jerky gun at a store and we decided to give it a try.  In the end the only real difference between sliced jerky and burger jerky is the burger jerky tends to be easier to take a bite and chew.

It's a great way for us to use up some of that burger in our freezer!

Dehydrated trays topped with parts of a jerky gun.

A jerky gun resembles a caulking gun. And the process is pretty similar to caulking, except you're shooting out meat.

Rod makes jerky quite regularly. The only problem is try to nail down an actual recipe from him! Over the years I have finally convinced him to keep a notebook with his recipes. He has a three ring binder and jots down what he does each time.

He's perfected a lot of recipes from homemade bacon and hams, venison pastrami, smoked fish and of course jerky.

I understand why it was hard for him to write things down. This is how Rod works - a little red wine, some brown sugar, garlic powder,  red pepper flakes, black pepper, more red wine. Give a little taste - add more salt, onion powder - give a little taste.  That's hard to capture in a recipe, but he's finally captured a master recipe.

Use this recipe as a master and then you can decide to cook like Rod does and try a little of this and a little of that.

Jerky marinade

Jerky marinade is flavored with liquid and spices. With ground meat, marinade for at least 4 hours. For sliced meat, marinade for at least 8 hours.

  • Red Wine - Add a ton of flavor. Use whatever you have on hand
  • Brown Sugar - A little sweetener goes a long way
  • Teriyaki - Helps balance the flavors
  • Whisky - Well, why not? It was in the recipe my husband made!
  • Spices - Onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and you could also add red pepper flakes for a little kick!
Pouring liquid marinade over the top of ground burger.

The marinade is heated so the sugar and salt are dissolved in the liquid. Once cooled, the marinade is poured over the meat and then combined.

This is a job best done with your hands. Just dive right in and really mix everything together until all the liquid is fully incorporated into the meat.

A glass bowl filled with ground venison.

Using the jerky gun

To use the jerky gun, fill ground seasoned burger into the tube. Add a single or double spout to the end. Slowly depress handle until the meat comes out the end. Pipe onto a dehydrating tray in long strips.

Squeezing our ground venison onto a dehydrator tray.

Dry in dehydrator.  Drying takes 4-8 hours.  The time varies depending on your dehydrator, how thick your strips of meat are, and how many trays you've used. 

We often need to rotate our trays so we get an even dry with all trays.  Even with rotating, we still have some trays that dry quicker than the rest.  

A dehydrator tray filled with wild game jerky.

Store in a paper bag at room temperature for up to a week (if it lasts that long!) Or place in a freezer safe bag and freeze until ready to use.

Tips

  • Spray your trays lightly with a nonstick spray before adding meat. This helps prevent sticking.
  • Rotate your trays after a few hours
  • Test your jerky to determine when it's done. Remove a strip from the dehydrator and let it cool. The exterior should be dry and when you bend the jerky, it should be flexible, not crumbly. It's okay to dry longer than this point if that's your preference.

Variations

  • Use ground venison or ground elk
  • Can use ground beef, but make certain you select the leanest ground beef you can find
  • To make with a roast, slice into thin strips. Marinade for at least 8 hours. Remove strips from marinade and place on dehydrator. Discard remaining marinade.
  • For spicier jerky, add an additional ½ teaspoon black pepper and 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
Dried jerky on a white surface with a jar filled of jerky in the background.

More wild game recipes

  • Mongolian Beef
  • Italian Meatballs
  • Cocktail Meatballs
  • Enchilada Soup
  • Instant Pot Bone Broth
  • Venison Stew
  • Elk Steak au Poivre

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop

Be certain to check out all my Wild Game Recipes!

  • Three tacos held in a hand.
    Venison Tacos
  • Venison backstrap cut into pieces and fanned out on a cutting board.
    Seared Venison Backstrap
  • Elk shanks with a rich sauce on a bed of mashed potatoes.
    Elk Osso Buco
  • Slices of homemade pastrami on butcher paper.
    Venison Pastrami

Listen to the podcast episode all about this recipe!

A pile of dried jerky on a white surface with a red and white towel.

Venison Jerky

Kathy
Homemade jerky using ground wild game meat.
5 from 41 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 5 hrs
Marinade 3 hrs
Total Time 8 hrs 15 mins
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 40 Strips
Calories 100 kcal

Equipment

  • Dehydrator
  • Jerky Gun
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients
  

  • 5 pounds ground venison (or elk)
  • ½ cup red wine
  • ¼ cup teriyaki
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon whisky
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Combine all ingredients, except for meat in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until brown sugar has dissolved. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature. Pour marinade mixture over ground venison.
    ½ cup red wine, ¼ cup teriyaki, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon whisky, 1 tablespoon salt, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Combine until marinade is fully mixed into ground meat.
    Cover and refrigerate for 4-24 hours.
    5 pounds ground venison
  • Use a jerky gun to make long strips on dehydrator trays.
  • Dry at 145-165°F for 6-8 hours.

Notes

Tips
  • Spray your trays lightly with a nonstick spray before adding meat. This helps prevent sticking.
  • Rotate your trays after a few hours
  • Test your jerky to determine when it's done. Remove a strip from the dehydrator and let it cool. The exterior should be dry and when you bend the jerky, it should be flexible, not crumbly. It's okay to dry longer than this point if that's your preference.
Variations
  • Use ground venison or ground elk
  • Can use ground beef, but make certain you select the leanest ground beef you can find
  • To make with a roast, slice into thin strips. Marinade for at least 4 hours. Remove strips from marinade and place on dehydrator. Discard remaining marinade.
  • For spicier jerky, add an additional ½ teaspoon black pepper and 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
Drying time will vary depending on your dehydrator, the thickness of your strips and the number of trays on your dehydrator.
Yield may vary depending on thickness of your strips.

Nutritional Disclaimer:

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Serving: 2stripsCalories: 100kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 12gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 286mgPotassium: 197mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gCalcium: 8mgIron: 2mg
Keyword Elk Jerky, Ground Venison Jerky, Jerky, Vesnion Jerky
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @BeyondTheChickenCoop or tag #beyondthechickencoop!

This recipe was originally posted in February 2015. The recipe and images have been updated.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Melanie says

    November 26, 2022 at 12:28 pm

    Do you need to add any curing salt for this recipe? I’ve always used it when making jerky. This sounds delicious! Can’t wait to try!

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      November 26, 2022 at 12:35 pm

      Hi Melanie,
      We don't use any curing salt in this recipe.
      Enjoy! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Trent Bolton says

    August 12, 2022 at 5:44 pm

    How much Worcestershire sauce should I add as well?

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      August 12, 2022 at 6:36 pm

      If adding Worcestershire sauce, add 1-2 tablespoons. Start with 1 and then taste. If you think it needs a bit more then add the second tablespoon.
      Enjoy! 🙂

      Reply
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More about me →

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    Chicken Fajita Casserole
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