JERKY - THE ULTIMATE SNACK FOOD

From Ancient Egypt to the Rocky Mountains

Editor's Note: At this time of the year, most successful deer hunters have a freezer full of venison. In just a few hours at night, with little or no preparation time, you can cut up some venison strips, soak them in the marinades that we recommend and dry your jerky in the oven, using toothpicks and a dripping tray. To help you solve the problem of responding when someone asks you, "What are you going to do with that freezer full of venison?" this week we'll offer some of our favorite, easy-to-prepare venison jerky recipes. Come to "John's Journal" every day this week to get new and different recipes for making venison jerky. You'll be glad you did. (Or, you can use beef to make jerky, if you're not fortunate enough to have plenty of deer meat).

Jerky as a food has been around at least since ancient Egypt. Humans have been making jerky from animal meat that was too big to eat all at once such as bear, buffalo, elk or whales for many years. Jerky was known to the Native American Indians as "pemmican," to the African countries as "biltong" and to the Spanish as "charque." Jerky was a staple food for people living in the Rocky Mountains. They stripped the meat from the carcasses of animals they killed, cut it into different sizes, built smoke huts and then hung the cuts over a fire. Jerky was created when the meat was cut into strips, flavored and then cured. Had they not have been able to preserve the meat, some of these cuts would have gone to waste. This curing and smoking method of preserving meat created nourishment for tough times.

Oven Jerky II:
* 1 flank venison steak
* 1 clove
* 1/2 cup honey
* pepper
* 4 Tbsp. lemon juice
* 1/2 cup soy sauce
* salt

1) Put steak in freezer for 1/2-hour, until just firm.
2) Slice across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick strips.
3) Combine remaining ingredients, and marinate steak strips in this for at least two hours.
4) Place slices on rack in pan, and dry in oven at 150 degrees for 12 hours, or until when bent, the strip will crack but not break.

Hamburger Jerky:
* 1 pound ground venison
* 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
* 1 tsp. curing salt (optional, this contains nitrates and sugar; or substitute an equal amount of seasoned salt)
* 1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1) Grind the leanest venison you can.
2) Combine meat with remaining ingredients, mixing well.
3) Cut a piece of plastic wrap the size of your drying tray.
4) Put seasoned ground venison on the plastic wrap and place in the dehydrator. Use a moistened rolling pin to remove the melted fat.
5) Invert meat onto another tray, plastic wrap-side up.
6) Peel off wrap, and discard.
7) Return meat to dehydrator, and dry for another 4 to 6 hours.
8) Top with paper towels, and roll again to absorb the fat.
9) Dry until jerky is hard and leathery. Cut into strips before storing. 10) Package airtight, and store in refrigerator or freezer if possible. Use within 6 months.

More Venison Jerky:
* 2 qt. water
* 2 cups salt
* 1 cup vinegar
* 2 Tbsp. pepper

1) Cut meat as thin as possible, and remove all fat.
2) Boil in mixture approximately six minutes.
3) Roll moisture from meat.
4) Put on cookie sheet in middle of oven for 1-1/2 hours to 2 hours at 200-degrees Fahrenheit.
5) Leave oven door cracked to let moisture out.
6) Coat with Liquid Smoke and A-1 Sauce.
7) Store in airtight jar.

Yet Another Venison Jerky:
* 1/2 pound flank venison steak
* 1 tsp. salt
* 2 tsp. cooking sherry
* 4 tsp. honey
* 3 Tbsp. sugar
* 1 Tbsp. catsup
* 1 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
* 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
* 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
* 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce

1) Partially freeze meat first, and then thinly slice venison.
2) Marinate in rest of ingredients for at least 1 day.
3) Bake single layer at 250 degrees for 45-55 minutes.

To learn more delicious ways to prepare venison, click here to find out about John and Denise Phillips' "Just Venison" CD.

TOMORROW: DON'T WORRY ABOUT MAD COW FROM JERKY