Deer Jerky Recipe

This simple, old-fashioned deer jerky recipe is really awesome. You don’t have to have anything fancy – not even a dehydrator!

I love jerky. I mean, who doesn’t, right? And it’s pretty much the biggest reason I look forward to hunting season every year, but the thing is, it’s kind of expensive, and not only that, it’s full of nitrates and nitrites – preservatives. I really do try my hardest to avoid those kinds of things. I’ve even been making my own bacon for years now because of it.

Most jerky recipes feature ground meat – which I love and have used many time for my teriyaki venison jerky recipe. It’s easy to chew, which is always pretty awesome, right? But if you don’t have a meat grinder, or a jerky press, that can kind of put the kibosh on all your fun. That’s where this kind of old school jerky recipe comes in.

Because guess what? You can make deer jerky – or beef jerky for that matter – with real (a.k.a not ground) meat. No jerky press required – just a sharp knife.

I highly recommend using the most tender cuts of beef or deer that you can. Loin is great for larger pieces, as are some of the other choice cuts. Lower quality cuts of meat are still good, though I do recommend cutting those into jerky “tidbits” rather than strips.

Regardless of what cuts you choose, always remember to cut across the grain. As you look at a piece of meat, you will notice that the muscle fibers run in a particular direction. You’ll want to cut across those fibers.