Smoked Venison Jerky

I mostly use slices against the grain from whole-muscle, hind leg roasts to make this jerky. Backstrap is another good option. Do not use overly sinewy cuts.

Prep time: PT20M

Cook time: PT240M

Total time: PT1700M

Rating

4.88 stars (16 reviews)

Keywords

smoked venison jerky

Ingredients

5 pounds venison, (sliced against the grain 1/4 inch thick)
1/2 cup lime or lemon juice ((see below))
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup paprika
2 tablespoons cayenne or other chile powder
2 tablespoon garlic powder, (or 8 garlic cloves, minced and mashed)
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano ((optional))
1 tablespoon citric acid ((optional))

Cuisine

American

Steps

Mix all the spices together in a bowl. If you are not using the citric acid powder (Fruit Fresh), wet the slices of the venison with the lime juice. Coat the venison with the spice mix well, pressing and massaging it into the meat. Put all this in a covered container in the fridge for a day, and up to 2 days. More than that and things might get too salty.
Get your smoker going at about 165°F and no hotter than 200°F. Wood choice is up to you, but I like mesquite. Remove the meat from the container and shake off any excess spices; you do want some on there, though. Lay the meat out in the smoker so they are not touching. Smoke until leathery, so not juicy and not brittle. Start checking on the meat at 2 hours, then every 20 minutes past that.
Once the jerky is to your liking, let this cool to room temperature before you put in the fridge.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 249 kcal
Carbohydrates: 4 g
Protein: 44 g
Fat: 5 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Cholesterol: 161 mg
Sodium: 4815 mg
Sugar: 1 g
Unsaturated Fat: 2 g

Reviews

Jerel L Rackley on 2025-12-04 (3 stars):
used 8.5 lbs of venison and increased the salt proportionally to 3/4 cup. This was WAY too much salt.
Jim Bower on 2025-03-28 (5 stars):
Super deer jerky !
Allen Billiot on 2023-01-01 (5 stars):
Hello Hank I used this recipe on some Axis deer we have here in Texas Hill Country and it came out amazing. I used a Recteq Wood Pellet Grill called the Bully. It's even more convenient than the Traeger as it connects to your home wifi and you can set timers and monitor temperatures from your cell phone.
Julie Gracie on 2022-12-13 (5 stars):
I made this yesterday. Loved the flavor! So different from my usual recipe. Real smoke is a huge improvement over liquid smoke, and I will do this again. I used apple wood and mesquite. It was 100% humidity here, and raining, so I gave up trying to dry it in the smoker after 6 hours. I had to bring it inside and finish in the dehydrator. Still a success.
Jimmy Z on 2022-07-25 (5 stars):
Damn, Man, what a recipe. Didn't have the time to tend the smoker, so did a half recipe, sliced up a couple pounds sirloin steak, added 2 tsp liquid smoke (I know!), brine overnight, put in the dehydrator for about 7 hours. S.O. says the best jerky I've ever made, and I've made quite a few. I'll try it your way next week.
Ernie on 2021-10-21 (5 stars):
Awesome recipe! Still have not tried one of Hank’s recipes that have not been a big hit!
Alex on 2021-10-19 (5 stars):
Just did a batch of your recipe using the chipotles in adobo. Smoked over mesquite and turned out phenomenally. Wondering why you don't include cure in this recipe?