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This homemade venison jerky recipe is the ultimate backcountry snack. Our guides at Granite Peak Outfitters make batches before every Idaho hunting trip — it’s lightweight, high-protein, and tastes incredible. Here’s our field-tested method.

WILD GAME RECIPES

Better than store-bought — and it will be gone before you know it

Venison jerky is hands-down the most popular way to use up whitetail deer trim, and for good reason — it is portable, packed with protein, and absolutely addictive. This recipe uses a soy-based marinade with brown sugar, garlic, and a kick of black pepper. The key is slicing the meat thin and consistent, marinating overnight, and drying it low and slow. Once you make your own, you will never buy store-bought jerky again.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs venison (top round, bottom round, or eye of round), partially frozen for easier slicing
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)

Directions

1. Place the venison in the freezer for 1-2 hours until firm but not frozen solid for easier slicing.
2. Slice the meat against the grain into strips about 1/4 inch thick, 1 inch wide, and 4-6 inches long.
3. Whisk together soy sauce, Worcestershire, brown sugar, honey, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and liquid smoke.
4. Place venison strips in a gallon zip-lock bag and pour the marinade over them. Seal and massage to coat. Refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
5. Remove strips from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Arrange in a single layer on dehydrator trays or wire racks.
6. Dehydrator method: Dry at 160°F for 4-6 hours. Oven method: Bake at 175°F for 3-4 hours with the door cracked. Done when it bends and cracks but does not snap.

Pro Tips from Our Guides

• Slicing against the grain makes jerky that is easy to chew. Slicing with the grain makes it stringy.
• Trim every bit of fat and silverskin before slicing. Fat does not dry properly and causes jerky to spoil faster.
• Pat the strips dry before drying — excess marinade leads to sticky, tacky jerky.
• Store in zip-lock bags or vacuum seal. Properly dried jerky lasts 1-2 weeks at room temperature or 2+ months frozen.

Our guides make 10+ pounds of this before every hunting season. The ultimate backcountry trail snack.