Bologna Jerky Recipe
 | Author:
Eileen Clark
Author: Rifles and Recipes |
Bologna Jerky
For 1 pound of sliced red meat
My husband and I love this jerky--as does everyone we’ve shared it with. It’s partly using white pepper instead of black which is just a bit sharper in flavor. Then there’s the coriander, ginger, mustard and nutmeg. It all makes for a dynamic ‘flavor profile’ as foodies say whether you use mule deer or whitetail, elk, moose, caribou—any wild red meat. I say it’s just darned good. And the brine makes this jerky easy to chew.
This recipe is from my book Stalking the Wild Jerky which has over a hundred easy-to-follow jerky recipes for any game we hunt. But just as important as the spices you add to the meat is the cooking time and temperature. Temperature dictates time and, while I recommend 160F, some newer ovens don’t operate that low. So before you overcook your first batch of jerky, check your oven with an oven thermometer. If it operates at 160F, great. If higher, you’ll need to shorten the cooking time. How much? That also depends on how thick—or thin—you cut the slices. Thinner pieces are done sooner than thicker ones.
That’s the other thing: try to keep your slices about the same thickness. I’ve tried those jerky slicer gadgets but found that partially frozen meat works better (and doesn’t cost anything) just because it doesn’t squirm around under the knife. The meat needs to be thawed enough to get a good purchase with the knife blade, but frozen enough to hold firm as you slice. (How deeply thawed? Something between a ⅛ and ¼-inch of the surface.) A sharp knife helps too.
Finally, brined jerkies tend to look undercooked when they are actually done. So stick with the 3–4-hour cooking time, then let the jerky cool in the turned-off oven. Once cool, the jerky should not sag when you hold it by one end, but it should bend fairly easily and not crack and splinter.
Ingredients
1 pound red meat, sliced ⅛ to ¼ inch thick
1 cup cold water
2 ½ teaspoons non-iodized salt*
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon garlic granules or dried minced garlic
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon powdered mustard
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Preparation
Pat the sliced venison dry with paper towels so it’s not drippy when you add it to the brine--and dilute its flavor. Then mix the rest of the ingredients in a resealable plastic bag, add the meat slices and mix them into the brine well. Let sit 48-72 hours in the refrigerator, giving the meat a stir once a day, to let the flavor permeate the meat and fully develop.
Cooking
Preheat the oven to 160°F. Arrange the meat strips on wire mesh grids over a foil-lined pan. Cook at 160°F for 3-4 hours (¼” takes 4 hours, thinner less), turn the oven off and let the jerky cool in the closed oven. When done, there should be no pink inside but still be bendable. However, after it cools, you should be able to hold it by one end and not have the strip of jerky sag. If it sags, cook a bit more.
*The salt: if you eat fast food a lot, add a full tablespoon. Otherwise, mix the brine and taste it—before adding the raw meat--and add 2 teaspoons of salt. Then add more, ¼ teaspoon at a time, to taste.
Eileen’s wild game cookbooks, including Stalking the Wild Jerky, are available at https://www.riflesandrecipes.com/ 406-521-0273.
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