Description:

Spicy venison fruit snacks might also be an appropriate recipe name, since that is how I’d best classify this jerky. There is some decent spice to this jerky—not overwhelming, in my opinion—but it may be too hot for kids, so not exactly kid-friendly venison fruit snacks. I did however give to my 4-year-old daughter and she enjoyed, but took a long time chewing the small piece, saying, “It’s kinda spicy.”

While the recipe does call for bourbon in the marinade, there is a step for burning off most of its alcohol, so you shouldn’t worry about sharing this jerky with anyone who can’t drink alcohol. Additionally, the bourbon flavor is very subtle, as it should be—far from overpowering.

A Few Quick Tips on Jerky:

• Your hindquarter roasts (sirloin tip, top round, and bottom round) are great choices for whole muscle jerky.
• The leaner the jerky, the longer it stays fresh, so trim meat of anything other than ruby-red venison.
• A partially frozen roast (think pulled from freezer and left in fridge for a day) is far easier to trim and slice versus a thawed roast.
• Nitrites and nitrates from Insta Cure #1 help preserve jerky and extend its shelf life while lowering risk of botulism (form of food poisoning). You can also substitute celery juice powder, but according to USDA, that technically isn’t curing your meat despite the presence of natural nitrates.
• Curing jerky ahead of marinating is up to you. Some folks prefer to not consume synthetic sodium nitrites and nitrates. They both do add that cured flavor and will preserve for longer while eliminating risk of botulism, but is still up to you.
• Typically speaking, you want to cut your roasts against the grain for easier-to-eat jerky. This means finding lines in muscle and making a plus sign with your knife to cut against the grain (perpendicular to muscle lines). Cutting with grain, parallel to it, will result in chewier, stringier jerky, but that could be your preference.
• I prefer my jerky closer to leather than soft and supple, but if you like a bit of softness when biting in, reduce the 140 dehydrating timeframe by 1 hour. (So 2 hours at 150, then 3 hours at 140.)
• Lastly, you can of course smoke your jerky on a pellet grill or smoker. A standard 4 hours at 160 should work for this recipe, though I’d suggest checking at 3-1/2 hours to see if your desired texture has been reached.

Ingredients:

For this recipe, I went with bottom round. The muscle striations on bottom round run diagonal to length of roast, so make sure to keep an eye out so you know which way to cut to slice against the grain.

• 1.75-pound venison roast, trimmed and sliced against grain
• 1/2 teaspoon Insta Cure #1
• 1 cup bourbon, simmered and reduced to half
• 15-ounce can of dark sweet cherries (pitted) in heavy syrup
• 7-ounce can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• Freshly cracked coarse black pepper
• Cooking oil spray

Cooking Instructions:

• While roast is still slightly frozen, trim any fascia, fat, and silver skin from roast. Slice against grain in 1/4-inch slices. Place in mixing bowl and add 1/2 teaspoon Insta Cure #1. Mix in with spoon or rubber spatula and set in fridge to cure overnight, up to 24 hours.
• To make marinade, simmer 1 cup of bourbon in saucepan to reduce to half original amount. In a food processor, add bourbon, can of dark sweet cherries (pitted) and small can of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce. Blend thoroughly.
• Add marinade to bowl with cured venison. Marinate overnight, up to 24 hours.
• To dehydrate, spray stainless-steel trays with cooking oil to avoid sticking. Dehydrate for 2 hours at 150 degrees Fahrenheit, then 4 hours at 140 for leather-y texture.
• Let cool for 10 minutes then either serve or package.

Enjoy! Reach out to me on Instagram (@WildGameJack) with any questions or comments.

Get Cooking:

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