Natural Venison Jerky -- Without chemicals, can use any meat

Natural Venison Jerky -- Without chemicals, can use any meat

Venison Jerky and soaked and dehydrated almonds for a snack

Natural Venison Jerky  -- Without chemicals, can use any meat

I've been making home made jerky for years.  Typically, I marinade the meat for a couple of days, and I use roast.  Roast is expensive, and rather hard to get.  Burger is relatively inexpensive and easier to find.  This recipe is a modification of my tried and true marinade, without the fuss and bother of the marinade!  It is so simple -- just mix the seasonings into the meat -- in this case venison, but pretty much any ground meat would do -- process and dry in the dehydrator.  Easy peasy.

Natural Venison Jerky -- Without chemicals, can use any meat

**(See below for update!)  Prepare dehydrator trays by lining them with parchment paper.  I have a round dehydrator, so I trace the trays and cut the parchment circles from there.  It takes a few minutes, but it is so nice on the clean-up side of things!

In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, combine:

2 1/2 pounds ground venison or other meat
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon Everything Seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic or lemon pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
2 packets stevia sweetener (or 1 tablespoon other sweetener)
2 teaspoons lime juice (apple cider vinegar or lemon juice would be fine)
(Recipe update, see * below)

Tear two more sheets of parchment paper, about 18" long, and lay one on the work surface.  Place about 1/3 of the mixture onto the parchment, and cover it with the other parchment.  Using a rolling pin, roll the meat mixture out between the parchment layers, until it is about 1/8" thick.  Using a biscuit cutter, cut the meat into about 2 1/2" pieces.  Alternatively, a sharp knife can be used and cut the meat into rectangles, carefully, so as to not cut the paper. ##Using a metal spatula and a table knife, carefully transfer the cut pieces of meat to the parchment lined dehydrator trays.  I find it easiest to slide the spatula under the cut meat one piece at a time, then using the knife, gently slide them onto the trays.  Repeat until all of the meat has been processed in this manner.  Toward the end, It may look like there is too much meat for the dehydrator, but I've found that if I go back and rearrange the cut up meat, I can get the whole recipe onto the trays.  The pieces can just touch, but not be over lapping.  Also, after they have been sitting while I've been working on the rest of the meat, they are easier to move around.  I've never had any extra; it all just fits.

Dehydrate the meat for about 8 hours, or until fully dried.  Alternatively, the meat can be dried in the oven set on lowest heat.  Remove the trays from the dehydrator and place them separately on the working surface to cool.  Otherwise, the trapped heat and humidity will cause them to become soft again.  Eat within two weeks, stored at room temperature in a sealed container, or freeze for longer storage.

Pictured is a typical snack for me.  I enjoy a couple of pieces of jerky with some soaked and dehydrated almonds.

Enjoy!

*Recipe update:  I have recently discovered that cruciferous vegetables, including mustard, work against the thyroid.  If thyroid problems aren't a concern, then, by all means, enjoy them!  However, I have been diagnosed with Hashimoto's in the past, so I'm avoiding cruciferous veggies.  This means that I've modified this recipe.

Everything seasoning has paprika in it, which is a night shade, and I've been avoiding them. 

Also, the garlic pepper I was using has soy in it.  I'm also avoiding soy.

The changes are:
Instead of 1 teaspoon garlic pepper, use 1/2 teaspoon each garlic granules and pepper
Omit the mustard.  
Use Adobo seasoning instead of Everything seasoning


**RECIPE UPDATE 2:
Add 1/3 cup water and the seasonings before adding the meat and mix them until they are combined.  Add the meat and mix until it is just combined.

Place a sheet of parchment on the work surface.  Using a small (1 tablespoon) scoop, scoop out balls of meat mixture onto the parchment about 2"-3" apart.  Cover the balls of meat with another parchment sheet of the same size.  Using the palms of the hands, flatten each ball to about 1/8" thick. Complete recipe as directed from ##.  (Wish I had a Coda sign!)