The Only Big-Game Jerky Recipe You’ll Ever Need

This tried-and-true big game jerky recipe is insanely simple, wildly delicious and most importantly, you will likely already have every ingredient in your pantry so you won’t need to make any special trips to turn your big game meat into this crowd pleasing snack.

The history and origins of jerky is a bit of a mystery. It’s hard to get an exact date on something like that; some say it originated in Egypt thousands of years ago, China in the 1500s, or in South America, where the Quechua people, originally from the ancient Incan empire, called it “Ch’arki”, which literally translates into “dried meat” and later evolved into what we think of as jerky.

It really just depends on who you ask, but I know that, as long as there’s been people hunting game, there’s been jerky.

Jerky was created as a way to preserve meats when refrigeration and food storage didn’t yet exist. I can imagine the Native Americans celebrating with their tribe over a fresh buffalo kill, slicing hundreds of pounds of thin cuts of meat and placing it over reeds or sticks built into homemade smoke houses, or allowed to air dry so the meat could feed them for weeks instead of days.

Drying meat gave early people who relied on hunting as a primary food sourch the ability to have substantial meat and protein in between kills, and, especially in harsh winter months where mobility was limited and hunting difficult or impossible.

White-tailed deer buck in prime condition during the fall rut.

The modern method of preparing jerky is hardly different than the way people made similar meat products thousands of years ago: slice the meat very thin, cure it, and let it dry to remove the moisture.

We’ve only modernized the way we do it by using dehydrators or smokers, but those devices just speed up the same age-old process, and, more importantly the end result is the same.

Today, jerky is still just as popular as it’s ever been. You can’t walk into a grocery story or gas station anywhere in the country and not find a dedicated jerky section of some kind. Heck, Buc-ees has a floor to ceiling wall dedicated to the stuff. (If you’ve never been to a Buc-ees, I highly suggest you find one just to witness the spectacle.)

Two hunters find their shot deer while on a deer hunt, in the field and prepare for processing

But, store bought jerky is pricey, so you can lean on this recipe and make a whole lot of your own jerky out of your next deer or any big game meat. This is just a baseline recipe for when you’re in a pinch and need something basic but so incredibly tasty.

There’s countless jerky prep options out there, so feel free to build on this as you’d please. If you want it spicy, add red chili flakes or hot sauce, if you’d like it smokier then add liquid smoke and if you’re in the teriyaki mood then add pineapple juice and grated ginger. Have fun with it! You really can’t go wrong with making this stuff yourself. Enjoy!

Two male deer hunters prepare to skin, dress and process the shot deer while in the field

Unbeatable Big Game Jerky Recipe

Ingredients:

3 Pounds of Venison Roasts - Trimmed of silver skin, sliced thin against the grain (or whatever big game meat you're using)
1 cup of soy sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Brown Sugar
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Black Pepper
Paprika

Preparation:

venison jerky in a wooden bowl with an antler

Trim your roasts of all silver skin, fat and sinew. Slice thin across the grain. You can place your roasts in the freezer for an hour or two beforehand to make slicing easier but it’s not necessary.
Add all of the ingredients in a big bowl and stir to combine, making sure the sugar is completely dissolved.
Add the venison into your marinade and place into the refrigerator for at least 12 hours minimum but preferably 24 hours or simply overnight will be fine.
This is important. Drain the marinade and put dry the venison to make sure it’s completely dry. If it’s still wet then it will increase the time it takes to dry.
Place the venison on your dehydrator racks and set the temperature to 160 degrees and dry for 3-6 hours, depending on your outside temperature, humidity and how thin or thick you sliced your meat. I dried mine in Tennessee in July so our outside temperature and humidity were outrageous so it took me 6 hours to dry.
Begin checking at the 3 hour mark. It’s hard to probe and check the temperature on something like this but in theory you’ll want it to reach 160 degrees before you remove it. Another way to check for doneness is when the meat is easily bendable and cracks meaning you can see the white stringlike fibers and it’s not wet or greasy anymore.

You want to remove it at this stage and not let it go any further. It’s not the end of the world if you do but it will just make it drier and harder to chew. You might also have to remove some pieces before others if your thickness is different. That’s completely ok! Just eat it right as it comes out. That’s the fun part :)
Remove from dehydrator and let completely cool before you store it. Place in a ziplock bag and store in the refrigerator. You can also vacuum seal and store in the freezer, too.
Share with friends. Share with family. Try to enjoy because it will run out quick!