Sometimes, the tastiest of delicacies are derived from the most unexpected ingredients. In the previous posts I made, I highlighted some jerky recipes that are made from bear, buffalo, and squirrel meat.
Of course, they are all delicious and appetite-worthy treats. This time, I will give another exotic jerky variant. And that is the moose jerky.
A moose meat is actually a good choice. It imbibes the same taste like beef, which makes its flavor acceptable to any simple palettes. Moreover, it has more protein content compared to the generic cow meat.
Therefore, it is a great treat for athletes and bodybuilders. Despite this, a moose meat is still not fatty. Specifically, a 100-gram moose meat only has 1.2 milligrams of fat, which is way lesser than the 28 grams of fat that a 100-gram beef has.
Of course, such nutritional value brings value to moose meat. This is the main reason why I love to prepare jerky out of it whenever I have the opportunity. Fortunately, my friends who went to a game came back with a freshly cleaned moose meat. They gave me three pounds of meat, which is already more than enough for my daughter and me.
In this article, I will show you how I did my moose jerky recipe. With the proper tools and ingredients, you can also do the same, too. Let’s get started!
Moose Jerky Recipe
Ingredients:
- Moose meat (3 pounds; rump roast or top round)
- Soy sauce (3 cups)
- Brown sugar (3 cups)
- Hickory liquid smoke (1/2 cup)
- Garlic powder (1 teaspoon)
- Onion powder (1 teaspoon)
- Teriyaki sauce (1/4 cup; optional)
Instructions:
Preparing the Meat
You need to slice off the meat into strips. The thinner the strips, the better. On my case, I sliced the meat into 1/4-inch strips.
In this way, they would dry faster on your heating device. Moreover, the marinade would easily seep through them. Also, do not forget that you have to trim all the fatty layers of the meat. The fat should not be included in any jerky recipe.
Alternatively, you could also ground the moose meat by the use of a meat grinder. After this, use a jerky gun and insert the meat ground on its canister. This particular device will allow you to make thin and uniform meat strips out of any meat ground.
Creating the Marinade
In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients that I listed (except for the meat). Use a spoon to stir the mixture thoroughly. Only after this, you can add the meat to the equation. Make sure that you coat the meat with the marinade to ensure that the flavor would seep in properly.
Do not remove the meat from the bowl yet. Let them strips stay there and put them in your refrigerator. Do not forget to cover the plastic bowl. You should refrigerate the bowl for at least 6 to 12 hours. In this way, the meat will acquire the desired flavor that you want.
Tip:
- If you want the moose jerky to be “punchy,” you ought to include a teaspoon of pepper flakes on the marinade. It just depends on your preferences. But if you want the jerky to be as spicy as it can be, then you can freely increase this amount. It is just your choice that counts! But of course, do not exceed to what your tongue and appetite can take.
Drying the Meat
After the refrigeration period, take out the meat strips from the bowl. Do not ever use the marinade again!
Instead, you just have to throw it in your sink. Arrange the meat on a baking tray and put them back in your refrigerator again. This process will hasten the drying of the meat. Let the meat stay there for 15 to 30 minutes.
After that, remove the tray from the refrigerator. Before you put the meat strips on your heating device, you should gently wipe their surfaces with a clean paper towel. In this way, you can guarantee that there are no fluids on the exteriors of the meat.
Dehydration Process
You can dehydrate the meat thoroughly with the use of an oven. Specifically, the device should have a preheated temperature of around 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you exceed more than 180 degrees Fahrenheit, there is a tendency that you will be frying the meat. Take note that your only goal here is to dehydrate the meat, not cook it.
Tip:
- Alternatively, you could also use a food dehydrator or a gas smoker in drying the meat. Both of these devices have their own sets of advantages. For example, a food dehydrator gives extreme convenience in drying meat. Meanwhile, a gas smoker provides the jerky with an authentic and rich flavor they deserve. Regardless of what you choose, having these utilities in your home is truly a great edge on your part.
How to Know if the Meat is Already a Jerky
With the said temperature range that I have mentioned, the meat should be fully dried after 4 to 7 hours. There is no exact time for the drying process.
The best thing you can do to avoid overcooking is by checking the meat from time to time. First, you need to observe the color of the meat. If the meat strips start to get brownish, then they are jerkies already. Moreover, take one meat strip and try to bend them. If it bends but doesn’t break, then it is already a certified jerky.
Storing the Jerky
Remove the moose jerky from your heating device and let them cool down for a while. If you are planning to consume them at a later time, you should store them in an airtight container. If you put the container in the refrigerator, the jerky will remain consumable for a month.
FAQs
How long do you dehydrate moose jerky?
Like with any kind of meat jerky, moose jerky needs to first be dried then dehydrated no matter what equipment you’re using. Moose jerky needs to be heated for 12 to 20 hours if you’re using a dehydrator.
How do you make moose jerky in the oven?
If you’re using an oven, you need to place your dried strips of moose meat in the oven that’s preheated to 175 degrees Fahrenheit for 4 to 7 hours. If you exceed 180 degrees Fahrenheit, you might fry the meat rather than dehydrate it.
What does moose taste like?
Moose meat tastes very similar to beef, only with more protein content and less fat content.
Does moose meat have parasites?
Like with every animal meat, moose meat can potentially carry parasites. Moose meat does have some common parasites according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, all of which do not pose a risk to people and are completely eliminated when moose meat is cooked. These parasites are tapeworm cysts and roundworms.
Conclusion
Making a moose jerky is surprisingly easy. The only drawback here is that the preparation and dehydration processes take time. But of course, this is just a normal thing, considering that it is a jerky recipe. In fact, some people take several days in making their jerkies! The longer you prepared it, the tastier it becomes!
If you have any questions, comments, and suggestions, feel free to ask me. I will just be right here! Enjoy cooking!
Last update on 2022-09-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API