Elk Jerky (Dried Meat)
Lean elk meat is excellent for making aromatic dried meat in the style of American jerky. The robust marinade of soy sauce, garlic, and chili penetrates the meat deeply, giving it a spicy note. Subsequent cold-drying in the smoker produces a shelf-stable, protein-rich snack meat.
Ingredients(for 1 kg)
Instructions
Slice and prepare meat
20 minutes (plus 1-2 hours freezing)Clean the elk meat (e.g., topside or loin) of fat and sinews and lightly freeze for 1-2 hours. Then slice into 3-4 mm thick strips – cut against or with the grain depending on desired texture.
Marinating
12-18 hoursWhisk together all marinade ingredients and fully submerge the meat strips. Marinate covered in the refrigerator at 4 °C, turning once halfway through so all pieces absorb the marinade evenly.
Drying in the smoker
5-8 hoursRemove meat strips from the marinade, rinse, and pat dry with paper towels. Lay on racks in the smoker at 55-65 °C with space between pieces. Smoke with alder and apple wood for 2 hours, then finish drying without smoke until the meat cracks slightly when bent but does not break.
Optional pasteurization and storage
10-15 minutes (optional)For additional safety, place the finished jerky in an oven preheated to 105 °C until a core temperature of 70 °C is reached. Allow to cool completely and store in airtight containers or vacuum bags at room temperature for up to 4 weeks, or in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
Pro Tip
For uniformly thin slices, pre-freeze the meat in the freezer for 1-2 hours. Cut against the grain for more tender jerky; cut with the grain for chewier, more bite-resistant jerky.
Save this recipe to your smoking journal?
With Curination you can scale recipes, track projects, document by voice and browse over 1,269 recipes.