Smoked Deer Jerky Recipe

Just like marinating chicken before you put it on the grill, mix all of your seasoning ingredients with your stripped deer meat in a large bowl or gallon storage bag and let them marinate in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. (This isn't a requirement if you don't have the time, but it will improve the flavor of your jerky. We recommend preparing this the night before you want to make your jerky.)

If your grill grate is removable in your smoker, pull it out so you can line the grate with the jerky outside the smoker. (Putting your jerky strips on the grate in the kitchen is much easier than directly on a hot grill grate.)

Light your smoker and let it come to a low temperature of 160-180 degrees Fahrenheit. (Remember that most meats you smoke are typically done at 200-225 degrees, so make sure you turn down the smoker or use less charcoal.)

As your smoker heats up to temperature, take your deer meat marinade out of the refrigerator and start to strip out it down into smaller pieces for smoking. (There are numerous methods for making your deer meat into strips but the easiest method is to purchase a deer jerky gun that you can simply shoot out strips automatically. The next best method for making deer jerky strips is to use a rolling pin and cut strips to about 1/4 an inch thick by 1 inch wide.)

Next, add a smaller amount of smoker wood chips than normal. We recommend about a hand full every hour for the 3 hours your jerky will be on the smoker.

Rub some olive oil and cooking spray over the smoker grate and lay out all the strips evenly on a single row. Do not stack the strips on top of one another. If you are still afraid of the jerky sticking you can also put the meat in a foil pan to help pull it off the smoker easily.

After about 2 1/2 hours, turn on your dehydrator to get it warmed up. Smoke the jerky for another 30 minutes (3 hours total) and pull the grill grate off using hot pads. Bring the grill grate into the kitchen where you have your dehydrator warmed.

Line your dehydrator with the deer jerky meat and keep it in the dehydrator for another 5-6 hours. This timing will depend on a number of factors, so just make sure you check your jerky before pulling it off. To see if it's done, let a piece cool, then bend it in half. It should be pliable in the center but the edges should break off.