Ground Venison Jerky

Ever since I bought a jerky gun, I’ve been designing ALL kinds of ground meat jerky recipes. Going far beyond my Basic Ground Beef Jerky, I’ve been having a ton of fun. Wild game meats, wild berries, hot peppers, whatever.

IMHO, jerky using ground meat is easier - and cheaper! - to make, as well as easier to eat. I love the final texture - more uniform and easier to chew than whole muscle jerky.

Anyway, today I’m sharing my homemade venison jerky recipe - AKA ground deer jerky.

We’ll have some on hand for the actual drive days - it’s much cheaper than popping into gas stations for road trip snacks - and it’s also great to have on hand for a healthy hit of protein when hiking.

This is a great recipe for ground jerky - it has a nice, traditional jerky flavor, but you can also customize it with other spices, if you like.

Also, it takes about 15 minutes of actual work to do!

Let me show you how to make homemade ground venison jerky.

Equipment

There are two specialized pieces of equipment that I use for making jerky, beyond basics like spoons, bowls, and measuring cups:

A Food Dehydrator

While you can apparently make venison jerky in a regular home oven, I’m not a fan of running one for hours on end.

I’ve had food dehydrators before - the basic kinds with no time or temperature controls, - and I’d always been too nervous to try making jerky in them. I need more control over - and knowledge of - the drying process, when meat is concerned.

I’ve since upgraded to a Cosori 6 Tray Food Dehydrator, and LOVE it.

It was only like $200 Canadian, and it’s paid for itself MANY times over, between all the Maple Cinnamon Apple Chips and jerkies I’ve been making!

Think of it this way - The same size of jerky that I tend to make goes for about $4 in a gas station. I get about 10-15 strips out of a batch - let’s average that out to 12.

That’s $48 worth of jerky, for $8 or less. Make 5 batches, that’s your $200 in savings!

Anyway, we’re using a dehydrator a LOT more, now that we have a nice one. Having the control over the temperature really opens up the possibilities.

A Jerky Gun

Also known as a “jerky cannon”, this is basically a nice quality caulking gun (NOT an actual one - keep it food safe!) that you use to pipe out strips of jerky onto your parchment paper.

Mine is the XINQIAO Jerky Gun Food Grade Plastic Beef Jerky Gun Kit . Regular $35 (Canadian) on Amazon, but it had a coupon for something like 25% off, when I purchased it.

Worth every penny, even if I’d paid full price!

I’ve heard of people making jerky by spreading the mixture out, flattening it with a rolling pin, then cutting it with a pizza cutter, but to be honest, that sounds fussy.

The very first time I used my jerk gun, I was HOOKED. I had no idea that the jerky making process could be so quick and easy!

I’ve never been one for single-function, special equipment in the kitchen... but I LOVE it.

Ingredients

While the ground venison is more of a specialty ingredient, the bulk of the ingredients in this recipe are fairly simple and easy to find.

I do have some ingredient notes for you:

Lean Ground Venison

Lean ground venison is fantastic for making jerky - it’s naturally a lean meat!

The thing is, fat can go rancid - so the extra lean types of meat can have better longevity than high fat types.

This recipe uses a pound of meat, but it’s easy to scale up - just multiply the other ingredients by however many pounds of ground venison you will be working with.

Not able to find ground venison? You can substitute beef - just go with the leanest you can find.

Soy Sauce, or Soy-Adjacent Sauce

I developed this recipe using Coconut Aminos, which is what I use for myself - it’s gluten free and paleo/AIP friendly.

Tamari is another gluten free option (USUALLY GF, anyway!), or you could use traditional Soy Sauce.

I do find regular soy sauce to be saltier than Coconut Aminos, though. For best results, I recommend using low sodium soy sauce, if possible - otherwise, you might want to cut back the salt (regular, NOT the curing salt) amount.

Whichever you use, it brings some umami - savory flavor - to the ground venison jerky.

Maple Syrup

Be sure to use Pure Maple Syrup, NOT pancake syrup - it’s definitely not the same.

I like to use a good Dark Maple Syrup, as dark tends to have a more robust flavour.

If you can’t use maple syrup, you can use the same amount of liquid honey.

Liquid Smoke

Liquid smoke is an important ingredient - it’s a big part of what makes any homemade jerky taste like jerky.

When it comes to Liquid Smoke, a little goes a long way - but I don’t recommend skipping it.

There are several flavours of smoke out there on the market, you can really use whatever flavour profile you like - hickory, mesquite, etc.

Prague Powder

Prague Powder is one of a few different curing salts out on the market.

I use Prague Powder #1 Cure, same as I use for my Montreal Smoked Meat Recipe, Back Bacon Recipe, Homemade Corned Beef Recipe, and Peameal Bacon Recipe, as well as in all of my recipes.

This is a bright pink curing salt that’s a mixture of salt and sodium nitrite. It’s commonly used in cured meats - like pepperoni or summer sausages - and is what gives the jerky its characteristic red colour.

Beyond aesthetics, it also contributes to giving dehydrated meat that iconic jerky flavor, AND helps ensure that your homemade meat snack will be good to eat for a long time. It prevents the growth of bacteria, during and after the drying process.

Using curing salt to hamper bacteria growth is not the only way to extend the shelf life - more on that in the recipe itself - but between the safety, the flavour, and the colour... I always use it when making jerky.

Just note two things:

1. Prague Powder is NOT the same thing as Himalayan pink salt!

2. Prague cure is only to be used in small amounts for curing meats, and should never be consumed as-is. The measurements are important - if you want a saltier jerky, add some regular salt, rather than increasing the curing salt.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Smoked Sea Salt (or regular, if you prefer).

... I just don’t have anything else to add, as far as these last few ingredients go!

That said, this is a very basic ground venison jerky recipe - and there’s plenty of room to customize it to your preferences.

For a peppered venison jerky, I’ll usually add at least 2 teaspoon of Ground Black Pepper.

For a spicy venison jerky, try adding some Cayenne Pepper, Hatch Chile Powder, Jalapeno Powder, Red Pepper Flakes, Smoked Paprika, and/or Smoked Serrano Powder.

How to Make Ground Venison Jerky

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is the pictorial walk through:

Cut 2 or 3 squares of parchment paper slightly smaller than your dehydrator trays, set aside.

Note: I don’t like using wax paper for this. Parchment all the way!

In a large mixing bowl - using freshly washed or gloved hands - combine ingredients well. REALLY well - it’s better to overhandle it, than to under-mix it. You want the liquid ingredients - and everything else, mind you! - very well incorporated into the mix!

Return to the dehydrator and continue dehydrating at 165 F for another 2 - 3 hours.

To test for doneness, remove a piece of venison jerky from the dehydrator and let it cool to room temperature. It should feel dry to the touch and be able to bend to 90 degrees without breaking. (A bit of cracking or crackling is ok!)

Ground Venison Jerky Storage

Allow ground venison jerky to cool COMPLETELY to room temperature before packaging.

Venison jerky will keep at room temperature (in a cool dark place) for a week so, or a few weeks in the fridge.

If sealed into an airtight container WITHOUT OXYGEN, it should be good for a month or so in a cool dark place, a couple months in the fridge, and 6 months or so in the freezer.

Once you open your vacuum sealed bag of jerky, it should be eaten within a couple days - or a week, if put in the fridge after opening.

More Homemade Jerky Recipes

Are you someone who loves to bring jerky on road trips, hiking trails, and when camping? Me too! Here are some of my go-to recipes for homemade jerkies!

Basic Ground Beef Jerky
Blueberry Bison Jerky
Buffalo Wing Chicken Jerky
Chipotle Chicken Jerky
Ginger Beef Jerky
Homemade Salmon Jerky
Honey Garlic Chicken Jerky
Jalapeno Chicken Jerky
Jerk Chicken Jerky
Lingonberry Elk Jerky
Mango Habanero Chicken Jerky
Mushroom Jerky, 2 Ways
Pumpkin Spice Chicken Jerky
Rosemary & Blueberry Beef Jerky
Shawarma Chicken Jerky
Spicy Garlic Chicken Jerky
Spicy Orange Chicken Jerky
Sriracha Chicken Jerky
Tofu Jerky, 2 Ways
Pepperoni Jerky

... But wait, there's more! We've been having so much fun designing gourmet jerky recipes, we started a whole new blog for them! Check out Dried & Tasty for all kinds of fun recipes to make in your food dehydrator!