Eddie’s Deer Jerky

Eddie’s deer Jerky is named for a great neighbor who helped in hunting, harvesting, and processing the buck that provided all of this meat. He is a good friend and a great hunter. He is also a good steward of the animal and has some great recipes for the meat we are blessed to have. Thanks for this one, Eddie!

For this recipe you will need:

• Ground deer meat
• Desired Spices (we used freshly ground Himalayan Pink Salt and Black Pepper)
• Mixing Bowl
• Baking Sheet
• Jerky Gun
• Stacking Dehydrator

Time requirements:

• Prep Time = 20 Minutes
• Cook Time = Roughly 6 Hours

Step One:

Spread ground deer into a baking sheet so that it is thin and even. Apply spices. In this case, we only used freshly ground pepper and pink Himalayan salt.

Step Two:

Transfer meat into a bowl layer by layer and apply spices to the unseasoned side of that layer.

Step Three:

Mix well in mixing bowl.

Step Four:

Using a jerky gun, make concentric rings of meat on each layer of a dehydrator until all the meat is used up. You will want to make sure to leave some space for airflow to pass by each layer. Additionally, we have found that the nozzle that extrudes wide and flat shapes works best.

Step Five:

Set dehydrator to high heat and let run for roughly three hours.

Step Six:

After three hours, take apart your stack and reverse the order of the layers so that the top layer becomes the bottom layer and the bottom layer becomes the top layer etc. Let dehydrator run on medium for another three hours or longer if you desire an even drier jerky (or if jerky is to be used later for creating Pemmican).

Notes and tips for enjoyment:

As we were fortunate to find out this year, this jerky is best enjoyed as a backpack snack while hunting for your next game. You will want to be careful just how much salt you include in this recipe. While the salt is necessary for curing the meat, too much salt can leave you feeling rather parched on the side of a mountain.

We also like pairing this jerky with some cheese. A nice Butterkäse is an exceptional pairing.

We’d love to hear about different spices or variations of this recipe in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy hunting!