A Venison Jerky Recipe that can be made in a Ninja Foodi, Air Fryer or even a classic dehydrator. Tender and flavorful deer meat transformed into homemade venison jerky. The perfect recipe for deer season when you want to create good jerky the whole family will enjoy.

Ingredients Needed

Deer Meat – Sliced thin, make sure to remove any silver on the meat. You can use any cut of deer meat for this recipe. The key is to ensure you get thin strips of meat.
Hi-Mountain Cure – This is my go-to seasoning for jerky. You can find all types of flavors from classic teriyaki jerky to spicy, or even a hickory blend.
Liquid Smoke – Using liquid smoke allows you to get that smoke flavor without using a smoker. It is very concentrated so a little goes a long way.

How to Easily Remove Silver Skin From Deer Meat

The key to a tender and less chewy jerky is taking the time to remove the silver skin. Work with partially frozen deer meat, it is so much easier to hold and slice.

Then use a sharp knife to cut off any silver skin you see on your cut of meat. The silver skin is the silver-white parts of the meat.

Silverskin is very tough and will make your jerky chewy. It adds prep time but it is highly worth it in the end result.

How to Make

Step One: The first step is prepping your deer meat. Thinly slice the meat into even strips. Remove any silver skin.

Step Two: Next you will lay all the meat flat and then mix up the seasoning as directed by the box.

Step Three: Sprinkle over the meat, and flip the meat over and add the rest of the seasoning. Massage the seasoning into the meat.

Step Four: Place the seasoned venison in a Ziploc gallon bag, and then add in the liquid smoke.

Step Five: Massage and store in the fridge for 24 hours. I do like to massage bag a few times as it sits in the fridge to ensure the flavors spread evenly.

Step Six: Place the meat in a single layer in the air fryer or Ninja Foodi – batch cook if needed. Then cook on 160 degrees F or the lowest heat setting. Cook for 3-4 hours and flip over after two hours.

Once the jerky is cooked, remove and allow to cool. Then refrigerate.

Expert Tip: The jerky depending on the size of meat will vary in cook time. It will pull apart when you rip and he inside meat is cooked and not rubbery to look at.

Can You Dehydrate Jerky Too Long

Yes, this is something you want to be aware of. We cook our jerky until it is becoming a bit stiffer in texture and you can tear it easily.

You will find the edges of the jerky will be slightly crispier, but the inside will be tender. You are welcome to cook your jerky to any type of texture you prefer.

Expert Tips

Work with partially frozen meat. It will slice easier.
Remove all silver skin from meat for a less chewy jerky.
Place aluminum foil on the bottom of the air fryer, to make the cleanup easy. It will catch all the drips.
Marinade for 24 hours to ensure meat cures. Make sure to massage the bag a few times to help incorporate it.
Don’t let pieces of jerky touch when you lay it out in Air Fryer Or Foodi.
Flip the venison jerky halfway through the dehydrating to check it.
Depending on the size of the jerky meat, the cook time will vary. It is a good idea to check on your meat randomly.
Add red pepper flakes to add spice to the homemade deer jerky.

Air Fryer Venison Jerky Recipe

Print Recipe

Air Fryer Venison Jerky is so easy to make. You can make this recipe in your dehydrator or Ninja Foodi. This is a wonderful and simple deer jerky recipe.

Author: Julia
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 4 hrs
Total Time: 17 minute
Yield: 3 1x
Category: Appetizers
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

3–5 pounds deer roast or do more if you would like
Hi-Mountain cure and jerky mix or another brand
1 teaspoon liquid smoke PER pound of meat

Instructions

First you want to start by slicing your roast into thin strips, and removing any silver skin on each piece of the meat.
Lay it all out flat, and then mix up your seasoning per the box. Sprinkle on both sides of the meat, massaging it in.
Then transfer the meat into a bag and add in the liquid smoke. 1 teaspoon per pound of meat you have. Massage bag.
Store in the fridge for 24 hours to let it marinade and cure.
Lay the jerky out on your air fryer trays, don’t let the pieces touch. Then cook at 160 degrees for 3-4 hours. Make sure to flip and randomly check, and remove the meat when it is cooked to your texture liking.

Notes

Dehydrator – If you own a dehydrator you can cook your jerky on that as well. Just follow the instructions that came with your dehydrator. Then cook until the meat is done, and pulls apart easily with no raw meat in the center.

How to Store- Store your deer jerky in a bag in the fridge. Or opt to freeze it for up to three months.

Seasoning – You can use any seasoning you would like. We have just always used High Mountain.

Liquid Smoke – Hickory, Teriyaki or any other flavor works great. Or if you want you can leave it out.

Temperature – Depending on the type of air fryer you own you might have to cook at 165-170. If so reduce the cook time.

Silver skin – Make sure to cut off the white-silver skin on the meat. Otherwise, this will make your jerky very tough and hard to eat. It takes more time but it is worth it.

Marinade – Your jerky needs to marinade for 24 hours in the fridge. A few times massage the bag so that you can begin to mix up the seasoning and liquid smoke. This helps to ensure all the pieces of meat get an even coating.