Maple Bourbon Chipotle Jerky

Recipe by Greg Ray

This is one of our favorite things about hunting now. Preparing your own jerky, snack sticks, to throw in your back pack and take on another hunt to enjoy while you are on a mountain side or in the woods is as good as it gets in our opinion.

We are trying several recipes with different types of venison. Let us know what you think. Video at bottom.

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Ingredients:

3 pounds Venison (Bottom round, eye of round are two of our favorites but any cut from the hind quarter will do)

• 2 pounds Venison (Bottom round, eye of round are two of our favorites but any cut from the hind quarter will do)
• 1/2 cup  bourbon

• 1/2 cup  brown sugar
• 1 can chipotles in adobo sauce, pureed
• 2 tablespoons  Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup  apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons  onion powder

• 1 teaspoon ancho powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2teaspoon cayenne (Adjust according to heat preference)
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Method

• Par freeze your venison so it is easier to slice. A slicer works best but you can use a knife like we did. (We’ve since added a slicer to our equipment line up)
• Slice into ¼”  slices and place into bowl
• Mix all dry and wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl
• Pour over venison and mix well by hand

• Place in sealable bowl or use a large sealable bag
• Marinate over night
• Remove from marinade and discard liquid
• Place venison on racks for your dehydrator, smoker or oven.(We set our dehydrator between 140 and 150, we set our pellet smoker to the lowest setting which is around 160 to 180, same for the oven)
• Dehydrate for 4 to 6 hours, thickness of venison will determine dehydrating time.  

• Let them cool, pull from rack and enjoy.  

Notes:

• Be sure to keep an eye on your venison, drying times will vary depending on thickness. You want it to be pliable with out breaking but no moisture coming out.  
• We like using a combination of our dehydrator and pellet smoker. You can use them together or individually. For this batch we only used the dehydrator but the smoker can add extra smoky flavor if desired.  
• We did not use curing salt in this recipe, so leave out what you will eat in the next few days and then seal the rest and place in refrigerator or freezer.
   

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