Elk Jerky Maple Syrup
Noble elk jerky with a sweet Canadian-style maple syrup marinade that beautifully complements the mild and tender flavor of elk meat. The natural sweetness of maple syrup slightly caramelizes during drying, forming a glossy surface. A particularly tender and aromatic jerky with a sweet-salty balance.
Ingredients(for 1 kg)
Instructions
Preparation
25 min + 12 hrsTrim elk meat and slightly freeze. Cut into 5 mm thin strips against the grain. Mix maple syrup, soy sauce, salt, pepper, onion powder and apple cider vinegar. Submerge meat strips completely in the marinade and rest covered in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
Draining
15 minRemove meat strips from the marinade and let drain on a wire rack. Pat lightly with paper towels – not too aggressively, so that a thin layer of marinade remains on the meat to caramelize during drying.
Dehydrating
6-8 hrsPlace strips on dehydrator racks. Dry at 65-70 °C. Flip after approximately 3 hours. The jerky is done when the surface is slightly glossy and the meat is pliable but no longer moist. The maple syrup glaze should remain slightly tacky.
Cooling & Packaging
30 minAllow jerky to cool completely on a rack – the glaze firms up slightly during cooling. Wrap in parchment paper and then store in vacuum bags or airtight containers. Refrigerated shelf life up to 4 weeks.
Pro Tip
Use genuine Canadian maple syrup (Grade A, dark color) – it has a more intense flavor than lighter syrup and gives the jerky a deeper caramel note.
Save this recipe to your smoking journal?
With Curination you can scale recipes, track projects, document by voice and browse over 1,269 recipes.