From the Cookbook: Venison Jerky

by
posted on December 13, 2012
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
2012121410246-venison_jerky_f.jpg

You've got your venison steaks and maybe even some ground venison burger, but now you're looking for a good venison snack. Jerky's the perfect on-the-go venison treat, and handing it out when you're hunting with your buddies will make you popular as ever. Looking for a sure-fire venison jerky recipe? Here's one from the NRA Members' Wild Game Cookbook.

Remember, you can substitute just about any wild game (or store bought, even) meat you've got laying around if you haven't had any luck killing a deer yet this fall.

Venison Meatloaf
The following recipe is taken directly from the NRA Members' Wild Game Cookbook, Second Edition. To buy your very own copy of the cookbook, visit the NRA Program Materials Center.

Ingredients:
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup red wine
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon Tabasco
• ¼ cup salt
• 2 cups water
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 5 pounds venison

Mix these ingredients together and set aside.

Prepare about 5 pounds venison by trimming all fat and waste away. Slice the meat with the grain in slices one fourth thick and one inch wide at most. If meat is semi-frozen, it will be easier to work with. Layer meat in a large, flat, glass dish, covering each layer with marinade before starting the next. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator overnight.

In the morning, remove strips from marinade and dry on paper towels for about one hour. If you have an electric smoker, put meat in and smoke it for 12 to 18 hours, depending on how dry you like it, and how large the pieces are.

If you don't have a smoker, set oven on a low heat 150-175 degrees and cook. Store your jerky in a plastic bag or glass jar in the refrigerator. Its shelf life depends on how dry you let it get and how many people you tell about it. Mine lasts a week if I'm careful.

I hope you like this one as much as we do.

Originally Submitted By:
Charles Hofmeister, III
Spencer, OH

Latest

Ledeboone And Crockett Club Launches
Ledeboone And Crockett Club Launches

Fueled by AI: Boone and Crockett Club Launches Big Game Records Live 2.0

The Boone and Crockett Club recently launched Big Game Records Live 2.0, a major evolution of its digital platform that transforms the world’s oldest big game records database into an interactive analytics tool for hunters.

Lightweight AR-10: Building a Hunt-Focused Backcountry Rifle (Part 1)

Curious how to create a .308-chambered AR-10 that *doesn't* suck to carry into the backcountry? Dennis Bradley does just that, off a DPMS-pattern lower, and comes it at a shocking weight (read on for the exact number, but it is sub 2). Read on, to see how he does it.

ScentLok Launches Realtree XT-3 Apparel

ScentLok is going all-in on Realtree's new XT-3 pattern, dropping it onto more than half of its latest product introductions. This new look is headlined by the Savanna Fuse, Ridge and BE:1 collections.

New for 2026: Latitude Outdoors Whitetail Frame Packs

Mobile whitetail hunters have long faced a familiar compromise: carry a lightweight pack for the hunt, or haul a frame pack for the pack out. Latitude Outdoors has released a pack to solve that problem, with a frame system built from the ground up for the mobile whitetail hunter.

The Problem with Pressures: A +Peak Revolution?

The history of the projectile, and of the centerfire cartridge, is fascinating, and it seems as though we are ready to take the next step forward. Or are we? Let's take a look at how pressures have affected cartridges throughout history, and the evolution that seems to be currently starting.

More than $1.3 Billion Raised by Duck Stamp Sales

On June 26 the 2026-2027 Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, aka Duck Stamp, went on sale. The fact it raises about $40 million for conservation annually gets the headlines, but there are underpublicized benefits for making the $25 purchase—even non-hunters.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.