How to Make Venison Jerky in the Oven
You can make sweet and peppery venison jerky in your oven with this easy recipe. Slice strips of whole muscle venison steak or roast, marinate overnight, suspend with toothpicks in the oven, and bake for 8 hours. Enjoy a healthy and delicious, protein-filled snack!
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Jerky is one of my favorite snacks!
Every year, I put aside at least one eye of round from our deer harvest to make my signature whole-muscle venison jerky in the oven. It’s a little time-consuming and messy, but the recipe is easy and the effort is so worth it! Give it a try!
Materials Needed for Making Venison Jerky in the Oven
- Kitchen scale
- Knife
- Cutting board
- One-gallon freezer bag
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Oven
- Toothpicks
- Washable oven liner
- Aluminum foil
A nice sharp kitchen knife and cutting board will help you slice your venison into thin strips. Use measuring cups and spoons to make the marinade and a gallon-sized freezer bag to marinate the meat overnight in the fridge. When you’re ready to make the jerky, suspend the pieces of meat with toothpicks in the oven and bake until dry.
Alternatively, follow the directions on a food dehydrator.
Ingredients for Making Venison Jerky in the Oven
- 2 pounds of whole muscle venison (steaks or roasts cut into thin strips)
- ½ cup Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup raw honey
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
This recipe makes a delicious, sweet and peppery venison jerky. Feel free to modify the recipe with your own favorite spices or ingredients. A tablespoon of liquid smoke can add depth to the flavor and hot sauce will give it extra kick!
Directions for Making Venison Jerky in the Oven
- Weigh your venison steak or roast with a kitchen scale, a little more or less than two pounds will work fine for this recipe
- With a knife and cutting board, cut your venison into thin strips and put them into a gallon-sized freezer bag. Cut against the grain of the meat for tender jerky. Thinner strips will dry out faster; thicker strips will prolong the baking time.
- Using measuring cups and spoons, add the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, honey, onion powder, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and black pepper to the freezer bag and seal.
- Gently massage the bag so that all the pieces of meat are covered in the marinade.
- Put the bag in the refrigerator to marinate overnight (or for at least 8 hours).
- When you are ready to make the jerky, drain the meat. You can pat it dry with paper towels if you wish.
- Prepare your oven by placing one rack in the middle and another in the lowest position. I use a washable liner that I trimmed to fit so that it doesn’t inhibit air flow on the lowest rack of my oven. It catches any drips from the meat while cooking and makes cleanup a breeze. I cover it with aluminum foil while I get the meat situated on the toothpicks.
- Skewer each piece of meat with a toothpick and suspend it between the grates on the middle oven rack. Situate it so that it doesn’t touch other pieces of meat or the oven liner.
- Remove the foil from the oven liner and set your oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bake the jerky for 8 hours, or until dry. You will know when it is done when it is firm, but still flexible.
- Remove the toothpicks and store your jerky in an airtight container for one week, or for long-term storage, freeze!
