# Venison Roast Jerky (with lots of pics)



## uncle eddie (Nov 12, 2019)

Firearm deer season starts Saturday here in Missouri and, if you are a deer hunter, this is a HUGE day.  Just as big as Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving.  Lots of tradition too.   And - through proper deep freeze management, I saved my last 2 deer roasts from last season so I could make some jerky for my sons and me for opening weekend.

Here are the 2 deer roasts.  Total weight is a little over 4 pounds.
	

		
			
		

		
	








I trim the roasts into 3 strips of about equal width and then slice it into pieces about 3/16" thick.  If I was doing 5 pounds, I would slice it thicker.  I just use a cheap knife, but it is very sharp.
















I used to make my own marinade, for years.  Then I stumbled onto OwensBBQ.com and their flavor packs.  Super easy to use and each flavor pack comes with a pack of cure.  Awesome stuff.   My faves are regular, hickory, mesquite, and garlic pepper.






I place all the meat in a Great Value zip-lock bag (best for not leaking that I have found so far!)  Mix the marinade in a cup with the cure.  For this batch I used hickory and I added two heaping tablespoons of Mrs. Dash Chipotle Seasoning.  Dump it all in the bag.  Seal it up and squeeze as much air our as you can.  Pop the whole shebang into the fridge and let it soak for at least 12 hours...24 is better.

I sometimes add about the same amount of granulated garlic.  Experiment!  Have fun!  Even your mistakes will be delicious!






24 hours later






Drain it in a colander






Load up the trays.
If you make a sweeter jerky BE SURE TO SPRAY A LITTLE NON-STICK COOKING SPRAY ON YOUR TRAYS BEFORE YOU LOAD THEM! or you will be prying the meat off the trays with a knife.
The meat slices can touch but should not overlap or the drying will be very uneven.  I can get about 1 to 1.25 pounds of meat on each tray depending on how thick I slice it.






I use an Open Country forced air dehydrator.  I run it on high (155F) for the first hour or so.  I then drop it back to 125F to 135F to finish (temp depending on how thick I sliced it).  I left this in the dehydrator about 9 hours to make a drier jerky - which lasts a lot longer than moist jerky.  I usually do wild game this way.  If I do beef, it is easier to obtain a more-moist jerky.






Remember that 4 pounds of venison roast?  It only made 1.6 lbs of of delicious venison roast jerky.






Good luck to all of you deer hunters this season!


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## 73saint (Nov 12, 2019)

This looks great!  I have a batch going in my smoker as we speak....and it’s for the same thing, first rifle in Missouri.   Only it’ll be  this Louisiana boy’s first ever out of state!
Enjoy the jerky and good luck!


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## uncle eddie (Nov 12, 2019)

73saint said:


> This looks great!  I have a batch going in my smoker as we speak....and it’s for the same thing, first rifle in Missouri.   Only it’ll be  this Louisiana boy’s first ever out of state!
> Enjoy the jerky and good luck!



Awesome!  Good luck with your hunt.  Bring me so real Andioulle Sausage please :-)


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## chopsaw (Nov 12, 2019)

Nice Eddie !  Whole muscle venison makes the best jerky . Love the Owens summer sausage and stick seasonings . Bet the jerky is good too . 


 73saint
  , here's a trail cam pic  of a Missouri buck . Older pic , but since we went to a 4 point rule we'er getting some nice bucks where I hunt . 









Good luck .


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## tropics (Nov 13, 2019)

Jerky looks great Likes
Richie


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## xray (Nov 13, 2019)

Great looking jerky Eddie!

That photo brings up some good memories. I hunted when I was younger and when would get a deer, my grandfather would make jerky for me. He had an old white Ronco dehydrator and he’d load it up for me...It looked exactly like your picture.

Like!!


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## uncle eddie (Nov 13, 2019)

xray said:


> Great looking jerky Eddie!
> 
> That photo brings up some good memories. I hunted when I was younger and when would get a deer, my grandfather would make jerky for me. He had an old white Ronco dehydrator and he’d load it up for me...It looked exactly like your picture.
> 
> Like!!





 xray
 - My first dehydrator was a Ronco (like in 1994 or so).  It was convection.  Had to swap the trays around every few hours...but it got the job done!


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## SmokinAl (Nov 13, 2019)

The jerky looks delicious!
Nice work!
Al


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## BGKYSmoker (Nov 13, 2019)

Yum
Looks real good. Cant beat those Owens mixes.


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## HalfSmoked (Nov 13, 2019)

Awesome jerky nice step by step.
 Thanks.

Warren


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## rbnice1 (Nov 13, 2019)

You can be my uncle eddie with jerky like that!


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## dave17a (Nov 13, 2019)

uncle eddie said:


> Awesome!  Good luck with your hunt.  Bring me so real Andioulle Sausage please :-)


Eddie, You mean send us up the seasoning from from cajun country. Love andioulle, have made my own, gumbo, Yum.What part is everybody hunting.  Cass county here, out the back door pretty much. Good luck!


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## dave17a (Nov 13, 2019)

Meant to say. I always put jerky in smoker, as summer sausage. Just so much better to us.


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## uncle eddie (Nov 13, 2019)

dave17a said:


> Eddie, You mean send us up the seasoning from from cajun country. Love andioulle, have made my own, gumbo, Yum.What part is everybody hunting.  Cass county here, out the back door pretty much. Good luck!



Boone County for me...


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## 73saint (Nov 13, 2019)

dave17a said:


> Eddie, You mean send us up the seasoning from from cajun country. Love andioulle, have made my own, gumbo, Yum.What part is everybody hunting.  Cass county here, out the back door pretty much. Good luck!


Macon county for me


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## tallbm (Nov 13, 2019)

uncle eddie said:


> Firearm deer season starts Saturday here in Missouri and, if you are a deer hunter, this is a HUGE day.  Just as big as Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving.  Lots of tradition too.   And - through proper deep freeze management, I saved my last 2 deer roasts from last season so I could make some jerky for my sons and me for opening weekend.
> 
> Here are the 2 deer roasts.  Total weight is a little over 4 pounds.
> 
> ...



Nice job!
I was just on the phone with my brother earlier and he is getting ready to make his first batch of sliced jerky ever.  He was asking for info/tips.  I hope he gets it done and I can have some jerky to as he has a LOT of venison he can jerky up :)


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## chopsaw (Nov 14, 2019)

dave17a said:


> What part is everybody hunting. Cass county here,





uncle eddie said:


> Boone County for me...





73saint said:


> Macon county for me


I'll be In Phelps county . Just outside of St. James . Looks like we got them surrounded .


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## 73saint (Nov 14, 2019)

Good luck everyone!  Someone be sure and start a thread with pics upon return!   Be safe and HAVE FUN!


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## dave17a (Nov 14, 2019)

Good luck! Sometimes go to St. Clair county. Gotta turn deer in first weekend for cwd. I'll just hang around here. Wife saw a nice one out by garden, probably rogue since I never see them. They have been hanging around longer though.


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## chopsaw (Nov 14, 2019)

dave17a said:


> Good luck! Sometimes go to St. Clair county. Gotta turn deer in first weekend for cwd.


I roll thru St. Clair on my way to the farm .  We don't have to test yet , but we're on the edge of Crawford that does .


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## Hawging It (Nov 14, 2019)

That looks tasty.  Really tasty!


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## crazymoon (Nov 15, 2019)

UE, Jerky and deer hunting go hand in hand! Good luck !


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## BC Buck (Nov 15, 2019)

First time I have not been out for opening day in 26+ years . Sitting at Barnes hospital while Dads in surgery. Lord willing Sunday might be out.  I hunt Pike co and Lincoln. Be safe and kill a big one.


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## uncle eddie (Nov 15, 2019)

B
 BC Buck
 - Best wishes for your dad's recovery!  Your dad is going to be glad tomorrow when you are there.


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## BC Buck (Nov 19, 2019)

uncle eddie said:


> B
> BC Buck
> - Best wishes for your dad's recovery!  Your dad is going to be glad tomorrow when you are there.


Thanks, Dad is home doing well. Harvested a buck Sunday but the hart was to damaged to smoke. If I get a opportunity at another deer this season will only take double lung shots.


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## 73saint (Nov 20, 2019)

Well I sure hope you guys did better than us.  We spent a week with an outfitter and didn’t see a single shooter.  My dad didn’t even see a buck.  Terrible experience and I won’t ever go through that outfitter (IMB) again.  But hey, the jerky and snack sticks were great!


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## BC Buck (Nov 21, 2019)

73saint said:


> Well I sure hope you guys did better than us.  We spent a week with an outfitter and didn’t see a single shooter.  My dad didn’t even see a buck.  Terrible experience and I won’t ever go through that outfitter (IMB) again.  But hey, the jerky and snack sticks were great!


I dont trust outfitters. If you dont show up with a camera crew, you will never be place in best stands . Missouri gun  season was late this year falling on the back side of lockdown (peak breading) Nov11-15. Opening weekend report showed 11,000 fewer deer harvest for 2019. What we where seeing was all the mature bucks tending which can make for slow movement. Looks like second weekend of gun season is going to be terribly slow.


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## uncle eddie (Nov 21, 2019)

Friday and Saturday look pretty awesome for deer hunting here in Boone County, MO.  These are the last 2 days we have (with our schedules) to get a trophy buck.  Sunday afternoon is enie-menie-minie-DOE time.

We have two shooters on our farm.  One 10 point that looks to be about 140"-150" and one 12 pt that is probably 150"-160".  We got to watch both for about 20 minutes but had no shots due to thick brush.  We have several promising 8 and 9 pt bucks that we have let walk (115"-135" range) that will be awesome next year, if they survive this season.  Below is a picture of the 9 at about 100 yards...it was as close as 35 but I was hoping for the 12 to step out of the brush.

My oldest son got a bobcat on Tuesday evening...so he defo won deer hunting on Tuesday!


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## rbnice1 (Nov 23, 2019)

I used to hunt at the guard grounds just outside of Macon!  Lots of turkey up there too.


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## chopsaw (Nov 23, 2019)

First day didn't see anything . Second day saw a spike , single Doe , then a pair of Does . Cattle in the back ground so had to let the Does pass . 
Monday morning , In the stand about 6 . Birds singin squirrels making a bunch of noise . I'm thinking It's on today . About 7:00 I see an 8 pointer coming across the pasture right at me . You know how they just appear out of no where . Jumps the fence 2 feet from me , walks in front of the ladder and stops for a minute , then walks on . I let him pass , now I'm kicking myself , because I ended up not going this weekend . 
I might get a chance to hunt Paris Mo. for black powder . Monster bucks up there , and so many Does it's hard to believe .


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## tallbm (Nov 23, 2019)

chopsaw said:


> First day didn't see anything . Second day saw a spike , single Doe , then a pair of Does . Cattle in the back ground so had to let the Does pass .
> Monday morning , In the stand about 6 . Birds singin squirrels making a bunch of noise . I'm thinking It's on today . About 7:00 I see an 8 pointer coming across the pasture right at me . You know how they just appear out of no where . Jumps the fence 2 feet from me , walks in front of the ladder and stops for a minute , then walks on . I let him pass , now I'm kicking myself , because I ended up not going this weekend .
> I might get a chance to hunt Paris Mo. for black powder . Monster bucks up there , and so many Does it's hard to believe .



Do you guys have 2 buck counties where 1 of the "bucks" can be a male with an unbranched antler?  It's nice to be able to take a spike or a 3 point and still have the good buck tag available :)


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## chopsaw (Nov 23, 2019)

Not that I know of ,,, but I agree . We have a 4 point rule . Has to have at least 4 points on one side .  I see bucks where I hunt that have a  " spike " that's 10 inches tall . Any thing over 3 takes your buck tag . Nobody takes them , and they put their DNA back into the herd .


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## tallbm (Nov 24, 2019)

chopsaw said:


> Not that I know of ,,, but I agree . We have a 4 point rule . Has to have at least 4 points on one side .  I see bucks where I hunt that have a  " spike " that's 10 inches tall . Any thing over 3 takes your buck tag . Nobody takes them , and they put their DNA back into the herd .



Wow very interesting.  We can take them in TX if they have an unbranched... and you can take bucks in that county.  I believe there are some oddball counties that have no bucks at all and some that are no does at all.  The desirable counties are the 2 buck 2 antlerless counties :)
Only 1 buck with an antler spread of 13 inches or greater (outside the ears when alert) can be taken as under 13 inches in spread is not a legal buck unless one antler is unbranched.  Translation, you get 1 real buck and 2nd buck has to be unbranched OR you take 2 unbranched bucks.






Man I love deer hunting season and all this talk and the food form it!


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## uncle eddie (Nov 24, 2019)

I am so glad the 4 pt rule is back in Boone County, Missouri.  Too many small bucks never got a chance to grow up and become big bucks.  

I wonder if the CWD testing will show no findings this season?!


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## chopsaw (Nov 24, 2019)

tallbm said:


> Wow very interesting.





chopsaw said:


> Any thing over 3 takes your buck tag .


I said that wrong . Under 3 you can take as an antler less deer . Over 3 is not legal with the 4 point restriction . 
We have two tags for rifle . Antler less and any deer . 
*Legal*






Does, button bucks and bucks with spikes less than 3 inches are legal to take on Antlerless or Any-Deer Permits; but for deer management, it is better to take does.
*Protected*












Protected deer include all antlered deer (defined as having at least one antler 3 inches or longer) that do not have a minimum of at least four points on one side.


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## chopsaw (Nov 24, 2019)

uncle eddie said:


> I am so glad the 4 pt rule is back in Boone County, Missouri. Too many small bucks never got a chance to grow up and become big bucks.
> 
> I wonder if the CWD testing will show no findings this season?!


I agree , . We're getting some nice bucks on camera . 
We don't have to test yet in Phelps . Hope it stays that way .


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## hoity toit (Nov 27, 2019)

Looks very good, nice job & good luck on the hunt.

HT


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