A friend of mine is planning an Oregon Trail fourth of July party and wanted to serve at least three different jerkies. I volunteered to try out recipes for beef jerky and, next, venison jerky. Given that my father is a hunter, we have a lot of local venison in the freezer making this number two in a series of preparation of random food gifts from Dad (#1). This project should help clear some freezer space out while providing delicious frontier food.

The marinade is not particularly complex: salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and chipotles. After tasting the jerky, I would have upped the garlic powder and probably used dried chipotles in place of the chipotles in adobo because the venison flavor was still quite strong.

Chipotle Venison Jerky

Adapted from recipe from Charcuterie

• 350 g venison
• 7 g kosher salt
• 2 g garlic powder
• 2 g onion powder
• 25 g chipotle in adobo sauce

Step One: Partially freeze venison loin and slice thinly.

Step Two: Combine marinade ingredients and pour over sliced venison in a zip top bad and refrigerate over night.

Step Three: Cook at 170 degrees in oven for 5 hours and let air dry for 24 hours.