Instructions

1. Cut the fat and silver skin away from 2 lbs. of fresh lean deer meat. Slice the meat into 1-inch strips.

2. Place the strips between sheets of wax paper and pound with a kitchen mallet or meat tenderizer until the strips are ½ of an inch thick. Place the tenderized strips into a large plastic bag, seal shut and refrigerate.

3. Mix 1 tsp. Kosher salt, 1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp. dried ginger and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a cooking pan. Pour in 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup cider vinegar, 1 cup apple juice and 1 cup water. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and allow the liquid to cool completely.

4. Pour liquid into the plastic bag completely covering the deer meat strips. Reseal the bag and refrigerate for 24 hours.

5. Place the meat and liquid in an oven-safe baking pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Heat at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. Test a strip with a food thermometer to ensure that the meat has reached a temperature of 160 degrees.

6. Lay the strips of deer meat on the food dehydrator trays, leaving a space between each to allow air circulation. Close the dehydrator and turn it to a setting of 135 degrees F. Open the dehydrator after 4 hours and turn the strips over. Continue to dehydrate for another 4 to 6 hours or longer, depending on the efficiency of the dehydrator.

7. Test whether the deer jerky is finished. Remove a strip from the dehydrator and bend it. The jerky is done when it resists bending.