The smell of venison jerky is wafting throughout my house my house right now.  The mouth-watering aroma teases the senses, making me wish that I could speed up time.  But, since I can't, I thought I'd just take my mind off things by sitting here beating up the old keyboard. 

     For those of us who lucked out this year, our freezers contain steaks, roasts, sausages, and my favorite, jerky.  There are a quite a few ways to make jerky nowadays.  Some people take it to the butcher, some turn to their friends who've made jerky in the past, and some still have their "secret" jerky recipe that they refuse to share.  Myself, I'm content to head to the grocery store and use Hi Mountain Jerky Cure and Seasoning. 

     Yes, this does sound like a shameless plug, but ask anyone who's used it and they'll tell you the exact same thing: It's simply the best.  The directions on the box are so simple, even a monkey could use the stuff.  Well, maybe not a monkey since they can't read and they lack opposable thumbs.  Monkeys also tend to be rather unclean and any jerky made by them probably should be avoided.  Hi Mountain comes in a wide variety of flavors, from Mesquite to Pepper and Garlic.  On top of that, they have a wondrous variety of utensils that you can use to help your jerky making as enjoyable and painless as possible. 

     Now, some people ask me: "John, why in the world would you want to take perfectly good meat and turn it into jerky?" 

I became addicted to jerky when I used to sneak out of school during the lunch hour and head to the meat market to pick up a handful.  Ever since then, I've tried to score jerky every chance I got.  Making jerky is a wonderful way to preserve your game so you can enjoy it year round.  Jerky isn't limited to venison either.  You can make jerky out of pheasant, duck, turkey, and wild boar.  Actually, I've heard you can use domesticated animals like cows and pigs to make jerky as well. 

     Well, the timer has finally gone off!  Now I can partake in the bounty that nature has provided for me.  On that note, I'll leave you with these words of wisdom:  Make sure to give thanks for what you've received in the field this year.  Maybe it's just me, but I think that if you don't let Mother Nature know you appreciate what she's given you, you may not be able to enjoy the smell of success next year.  But don't just wonder what it is to make your own jerky. Here is how I do it:

How to Make Jerky (Using Hi Mountain Seasonings)

There are several ways you can make jerky.  You can make it out of pretty much every kind of wild game, for starters.  You can make it out of whole meat or ground meat. 

Myself, I can't cook to save my life.  Seriously, if you held a gun to my head and said, "Cook something good or die."  I'd end up dead.

Which is one of the reasons I am such a fan of Hi Mountain; the directions are so simple that even a backwoods boy like me can figure it out.  Hi-Mountain makes every kind of jerky seasoning you can imagine: Original flavor, Hickory, Pepper, Mesquite, Mandarin Teriyaki, Bourbon BBQ, Cajun, Cracked Pepper and Garlic, and the new Inferno Blend (made with chipotle, jalapeno, and habanero peppers).  Also offered are: Turkey seasonings in Bourbon and Apple flavors, Waterfowl jerky cures, Game Bird Brine Mix, Fish Brine Mix -- the list goes on and on.  Visit www.himtnjerky.com for a complete list of all products.  In addition to numerous flavors of jerky seasonings, they also have accessories that make it much easier to make your jerky, and other meat products.

     Okay, I'll skip the basics.  Quite obviously, you're gonna need meat if you want to make jerky.  I prefer venison but beef can be used, although you'll miss out on that top-of-the-food-chain flavor provided by venison.  With Hi-Mountain, they have a convenient chart that will give you a good season-to-meat ratio, so the guesswork is gone there.

Here's a list of things you're going to need:

1. A good sharp knife.
2. A lot of table space to cut, season, and lay out your jerky.
3. Large locking freezer bags (the zip-up kind).
4. A large plastic bowl.
5. Some paper towels.
6. Aluminum Foil
7. A kitchen scale (it works better than weighing yourself, grabbing your steaks, jumping back on the scale, and figuring the difference in weight).
8. Oh yeah, you can use anything to cook your jerky.  Myself, the only thing I have is an oven, so that's what I'm going to use. 

• 1. Cut the meat into strips of desired lengths and widths.  Weigh meat AFTER cutting and trimming.  Now you know the exact amount of mix to use. 
• 2. Mix the spices and cure according to the chart that is included. 
• 3. Lay the strips flat on an even surface.  Wash your game meat and pat it dry.  Make CERTAIN that it is dry, or else you'll end up with the spices clumping.
• 4. Using the blended spices and cure, apply to the prepared meat.  Hi-Mountain encloses a shaker bottle for you to use.
• 5. Sprinkle the first side of the meat with ½ of the measured mix.  Turn the meat over and sprinkle it with the remaining mix.  It is next to impossible to get even distribution on the meat, especially the ends and edges.  Therefore, put all the seasoned strips into your large plastic mixing bowl and tumble by hand until your cure and seasoning mix has been spread evenly over the entire batch.  Oh yeah, you may want to make sure you don't have any open wounds? the seasoning tends to hurt just a tad when it gets inside cuts.
• 6. Stack the strips, pressed together tightly, in a non-metallic container or a zip-lock bag and refrigerate for 24 hours.  The seasoning and cure is meant to penetrate meat at the rate of ¼" per 24 hours so you'd need 28 hours for 3/8" strips of meat.  But do NOT cure any meat less than 24 hours.

• 7. WHEN USING AN OVEN: Place foil or pan in the bottom of the oven to catch the drippings.  Lay strips on the oven racks (Hi-Mountain Jerky Screens are GREAT for this), making sure there is air between each piece.  Set the oven for 200 degrees and let them cook for around an hour and fifteen minutes, making sure that the oven door is open just a crack.  Taste the jerky frequently.  When the jerky is cooked to your liking, take it out of the oven.  Some people like really soft jerky, others like the chewy, rawhide-type stuff.  Due to the use of the cure, the jerky does not have to be dry to the point where you can't chew it.  Remember, taste it often to make sure it's to your liking.
• 8. I've noticed that jerky tends to "sweat" if you put it right from the oven into the freezer.  Let it cool before bagging it.

Now, this is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING to remember.  When leaving your freshly made jerky to cool, KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR DOG!!!  I made this mistake when leaving one batch out to cool and my Great Dane grabbed an entire tray and ate it.  Needless to say, he slept outside that night and no one lit matches near him for about three days.  Oh, another little tip to use when you're mixing the seasoning and meat in the bowl: If you have an itch in your eye, ignore it.  Trust me; the itch is better than an eyeful of seasoning.

     And there you have it.  Pretty simple, huh?  Now, all these instructions (with the exception of footnotes) are found contained with the jerky seasoning of your choice.  I hope you enjoy your jerky as much as I enjoy mine.  Keep in mind though; jerky is best enjoyed in moderation.  Eating an entire batch at one time can have dire consequences on your digestive system.