Ginger & Garlic Smoked Venison Jerky

With summer here its time many of us hit the beaches, lakes and mountains. That also means we pack our backpacks and coolers full our snack and goodies. So lets take a step away from the packaged snacks and look at making our own.

Ive already posted many jerky recipes in the past with your basic Teriyaki and cracked pepper. But this one is different. The flavors in this jerky are bold and have great depth. So if you’re anything like me, you’ll have to make a double batch because it will be gone faster than you can make it. I used my Traeger to smoke this batch, you can use any smoker, dehydrator, or oven. I prefer the smoker because of the added flavor.

Ginger & Garlic Smoked Venison Jerky

Ingredients:

1 pound venison sliced thinly (1/8 inch) It helps cutting is the meat is partially frozen.

1 cup Soy sauce, Low sodium ( if you don’t the meat will be very salty)

1 tsp smoked paprika

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp garlic powder ( not garlic salt )

2 tsp fresh ginger, grated

2 tsp cracked pepper

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp dried thyme

1/4 chili powder

1 tsp onion powder

Directions:

1. in a glass bowl min all ingredients (minus meat) until fully mixed and blended
2. add sliced meat and make sure they are covered completely
3. Marinate for 4-24 hours

1. if you’re using your smoker set it to 180
2. Remove meat from marinade and place directly on grill gate
3. after the first hour of smoking flip the jerky
4. watch it until its dried yet still soft. around 2-4 hours

1. remove from smoker and place immediately  in  ziploc bag and place in fridge. What this step is doing is osmosis. This is a key step, it helps the meat stay tender and returns positive moister back to the meat. If you’re wanting a dried hard jerky, Do not do this step. This step will make a soft “Store Bought” style jerky.
2. Enjoy! Keep in fridge to help it last longer.