Time for a new addiction. One that my bariatric surgeon may not be so thrilled about, but what the hell...it's for the better. I AM ADDICTED TO VENISON JERKY. Not just any jerky, but my own. and now i'm getting into a full on addiction to making the perfect batch of jerky and I think i have my seasoning mix spot on.

My dehydrator can only dry 4 lbs of jerky at a time on a good day so I limit my batches to that much ground venison. here's my recipe.

1/2 cup Dales Seasoning
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 tbls garlic powder
2 tbls onion powder
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 tbls tenderquick
2 tbls red pepper flakes (flexible with this...do not exceed 5 tbls, it will be TOO hot)
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup water

I mix all these ingredients (the Brine) in a large glass mixing bowl, and throw it in the microwave to a boil, and then let it cool to room temp. this gets the red pepper flakes to release their oils and you actually get the heat out of them, and it makes them a little easier to chew.

Once cooled, mix this brine into the ground venison. Here's where if you have your own grinder you can really do some creative benefit to the end product. DOUBLE GRIND YOUR MEAT WITH A MEDIUM PLATE. the fine plate is too fine, but doing a double grind will give you a good chewy texture when dried properly.

Once the brine is completely mixed. cover the meat with plastic wrap, and set in the fridge for 8 hours to allow the cure to well...cure. Mix it thoroughly again, and then put back in the fridge for another 8 hours to finish the cure. Now you can load the meat into your jerky shooter and up until 2 days ago i would go ahead and put the meat on the dehydrator trays and dry as high as your dehyd will go (usually 155 degrees) until your meat is dried completely but not crunchy. Finished product should be about 4-5 percent moisture.

I will now be following a different method purveyed to me by a guy "in the know" - Rodney from Con Yeager Spice Company. Pipe the jerky onto drying racks on cookie sheets and place in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for one hour. This will kill all fooodborn pathogens by heating the product to 165 degrees internally. this sustained temp for 20 mins or so will surely kill alll the little nasties, and THEN you can transfer the product too the dehydrator to dry thoroughly.

This process can be used for beef, turkey, chicken, fish, pork etc...but some people shy away from poultry and pork jerky but in fact, when prepared this way it is perfectly safe to eat. Between the heat and the cure, this dried meat is safe to store for a couple months on the shelf, frozen for up to a year. ENJOY!