A Venison Jerky Recipe that can be made in a Ninja Foodi, Air Fryer or even a classic dehydrator. Tender and flavorful deer meat transformed into homemade venison jerky. The perfect recipe for deer season when you want to create good jerky the whole family will enjoy.
Speed up the prep with a meat slicer, or use a sharp knife like we did. Grab your raw meat and get to slicing. It is an easy venison recipe that you and your family will love. Try my venison roast recipe as well.
Table of contents
If you enjoy wild game and homemade jerky, this recipe for air fryer jerky is a no-brainer.
These Deer Jerky Strips Are…
- Great for long strips of meet.
- Made with thin slices of meat.
- Flavorful venison meat
- Easy jerky-making process
- Freezer friendly
- Similar flavor to a beef jerky
Ingredients Needed
- Deer Meat – Sliced thin, make sure to remove any silver on the meat. You can use any cut of deer meat for this recipe. The key is to ensure you get thin strips of meat.
- Hi-Mountain Cure – This is my go-to seasoning for jerky. You can find all types of flavors from classic teriyaki jerky to spicy, or even a hickory blend.
- Liquid Smoke – Using liquid smoke allows you to get that smoke flavor without using a smoker. It is very concentrated so a little goes a long way.
How to Easily Remove Silver Skin From Deer Meat
The key to a tender and less chewy jerky is taking the time to remove the silver skin. Work with partially frozen deer meat, it is so much easier to hold and slice.
Then use a sharp knife to cut off any silver skin you see on your cut of meat. The silver skin is the silver-white parts of the meat.
Silverskin is very tough and will make your jerky chewy. It adds prep time but it is highly worth it in the end result.
How to Make
Step One: The first step is prepping your deer meat. Thinly slice the meat into even strips. Remove any silver skin.
Step Two: Next you will lay all the meat flat and then mix up the seasoning as directed by the box.
Step Three: Sprinkle over the meat, and flip the meat over and add the rest of the seasoning. Massage the seasoning into the meat.
Step Four: Place the seasoned venison in a Ziploc gallon bag, and then add in the liquid smoke.
Step Five: Massage and store in the fridge for 24 hours. I do like to massage bag a few times as it sits in the fridge to ensure the flavors spread evenly.
Step Six: Place the meat in a single layer in the air fryer or Ninja Foodi – batch cook if needed. Then cook on 160 degrees F or the lowest heat setting. Cook for 3-4 hours and flip over after two hours.
Once the jerky is cooked, remove and allow to cool. Then refrigerate.
Expert Tip: The jerky depending on the size of meat will vary in cook time. It will pull apart when you rip and he inside meat is cooked and not rubbery to look at.
Can You Dehydrate Jerky Too Long
Yes, this is something you want to be aware of. We cook our jerky until it is becoming a bit stiffer in texture and you can tear it easily.
You will find the edges of the jerky will be slightly crispier, but the inside will be tender. You are welcome to cook your jerky to any type of texture you prefer.
Expert Tips
- Work with partially frozen meat. It will slice easier.
- Remove all silver skin from meat for a less chewy jerky.
- Place aluminum foil on the bottom of the air fryer, to make the cleanup easy. It will catch all the drips.
- Marinade for 24 hours to ensure meat cures. Make sure to massage the bag a few times to help incorporate it.
- Don’t let pieces of jerky touch when you lay it out in Air Fryer Or Foodi.
- Flip the venison jerky halfway through the dehydrating to check it.
- Depending on the size of the jerky meat, the cook time will vary. It is a good idea to check on your meat randomly.
- Add red pepper flakes to add spice to the homemade deer jerky.
Related Air Fryer Recipes
FAQs
our air fryer or Ninja Foodi! You just lower the setting to 160-180 degrees and it will dehydrate the meat. I also made Deer Jerky in my Instant Pot Duo Crisp.
You sure can use a beef roast in replace of deer meat if you would like. Prep the meat the same and season and marinade as well. Then cook until the jerky reaches the texture you would like.
Venison is great because almost any cut of the deer meat can be used for making jerky. We prefer to use a roast or meat from the hind legs.
For our meat that we sliced up, it took 3-4 hours total. Now, depending on the thickness of your meat will greatly affect the time it takes to cook your jerky. Air Fryer venison jerky is so easy to do!
We use Hi-Mountain seasoning, this has preservatives in it to help preserve the jerky. So for it to reach the max potential it has to be marinaded for 24 hours. This is a super easy venison jerky marinade that we use.
Then we use 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke per pound of deer meat we do. You can do a rough estimate on how much meat you have at the end.
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Printable Recipe Card
Air Fryer Venison Jerky Recipe
Ingredients
- 3-5 pounds deer roast or do more if you would like
- Hi-Mountain cure and jerky mix or another brand
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke PER pound of meat
Instructions
- First you want to start by slicing your roast into thin strips, and removing any silver skin on each piece of the meat.
- Lay it all out flat, and then mix up your seasoning per the box. Sprinkle on both sides of the meat, massaging it in.
- Then transfer the meat into a bag and add in the liquid smoke. 1 teaspoon per pound of meat you have. Massage bag.
- Store in the fridge for 24 hours to let it marinade and cure.
- Lay the jerky out on your air fryer trays, don’t let the pieces touch. Then cook at 160 degrees for 3-4 hours. Make sure to flip and randomly check, and remove the meat when it is cooked to your texture liking.
Video
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Comments & Reviews
Tammy K Burleson says
Hi, this looks wonderful, thank you for sharing. I just have a quick question though, I am getting the Instant Vortex plus air fryer this weekend and I have some elk. Would I use this recipe on the air fry setting or on dehydrate? Would it change the time or temperature if I used dehydrate setting? Thank you
Kelsey says
I would think it would have no issues swapping Venison with Elk since they are very similar. In terms of setting if you can do the dehydrate, but it can work on the air fryer setting if the temperature is right.
Then depending on the thickness of your elk slices will vary in the cooking time of when it is done. I hope that helps! Good luck!!
John says
Is this 160/180°c or f for the air fryer temperature
Kelsey says
Some air fryers don’t go all the way down to 160- that is why if yours doesn’t you can do 180 degrees.