Deer Jerky on the Smoker: The Safe Way

This deer jerky recipe heats venison strips to 160°F, as USDA advises, then dries them at 140°F until a bent piece cracks but does not break.

Last updated: October 14, 2026 · Originally published October 16, 2026

Deer jerky is simply lean venison sliced thin, seasoned, and dried until it is chewy, shelf-stable, and ready to pack into a hunting coat. A smoker makes that easy for a first-timer: low heat and steady airflow pull moisture out of the meat without cooking it into a tough strip. Done the safe way, with the right salt, temperature, and drying time—it turns a deer into snacks that keep, travel well, and taste like the woods instead of a gas-station bag.

Here is the step that matters most. The USDA, the National Center for Home Food Preservation and North Dakota State University all agree on it: get the meat to 160°F. So this one starts there, then gets to the fun part, the smoke.

Why Does Deer Jerky Need to Hit 160°F?

Because drying alone does not kill what lives on raw venison. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service explains the mechanism plainly. In a dehydrator or a low oven, the evaporating water soaks up most of the heat. So the meat does not climb in temperature until most of the moisture is gone. By then, the bacteria “have become more heat resistant and are more likely to survive.”

This is not a theory. NDSU Extension records that in November 1995, 11 people in Oregon were infected with E. coli O157:H7 from homemade venison jerky. That jerky had been dried at 125°F to 135°F for 12 to 18 hours. The same publication notes a New Mexico outbreak that year, where 93 people got salmonellosis from improperly processed jerky. FSIS adds that lab-inoculated venison carried pathogenic E. coli through drying times of up to 10 hours at temperatures up to 145°F.

Venison also starts out dirtier than store beef. FSIS quotes researchers who found that “venison can be heavily contaminated with fecal bacteria,” depending on the hunter’s skill and the wound location. They also note that deer carcasses often hang at outdoor temperatures. That is the whole case for the 160°F step in a deer jerky recipe. Food safety is the one place where I do not care how Grandpa did it.

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Pick and Prep the Meat

Use the leanest venison you have for this deer jerky recipe. NDSU says to use lean meat free of fat and connective tissue, and the NCHFP says to trim and discard all fat because it goes rancid quickly. So the silver skin and the fat go in the trash, not on the rack.

If the meat is from pork or wild game, the NCHFP says to treat it for the trichinella parasite before slicing. Freeze a portion 6 inches thick or less at 0°F or below for at least 30 days. Freezing does nothing to bacteria. It is a parasite step, not a substitute for the 160°F step.

One more rule from the NCHFP that hunters should take to heart. If the shot or the field dressing put gut contents on the meat, do not make jerky from it. Use that meat only in dishes where it gets thoroughly cooked.

How Thick Should You Slice Deer Jerky?

No thicker than ¼ inch. Both the NCHFP and NDSU set that limit, and the NCHFP explains why it matters: the strip thickness changes whether its safety methods work at all. Partially freeze the meat first and it slices cleanly, since half-frozen venison is a lot more cooperative than the room-temperature kind.

Grain direction is your call. The NCHFP says slicing with the grain gives a chewy jerky, and slicing across the grain gives a more tender, brittle one. I would go chewy, since jerky that crumbles in a shirt pocket defeats the purpose.

The Marinade, Kept in the Fridge

The base for this deer jerky recipe is the tested marinade the NCHFP publishes for 1½ to 2 pounds of lean beef, pork or venison:

• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon hickory smoke-flavored salt

Combine it, lay the strips in a shallow pan, cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or overnight. The NCHFP warns that strips marinated for several hours can turn out saltier than some people like. FSIS adds two rules: marinate in the refrigerator, and do not save the marinade to reuse. Our guide on how long to marinate meat covers the timing question for other cuts.

Curing Salt: Optional, but Do the Math

Cure is optional in a deer jerky recipe; the 160°F step does the safety job. But there is a reason people add it. FSIS cites a 1998 University of Georgia study on ground beef jerky. Jerky made with a salt-and-sodium-nitrite curing mix “had greater destruction of bacteria” than jerky without it, and cured jerky that was also heated before drying did best of all.

If you use it, use the right one. Oregon State University Extension describes the commercial cure, sold as Prague Powder and similar names, as containing 6.25% sodium nitrite. The Sausage Maker says its Insta Cure #1 is for meats “that require cooking, brining, smoking or canning.” Its Insta Cure #2 is for dry-cured products like salami that do not get cooked. Jerky gets cooked to 160°F, so #1 is the one. Do not swap in a “complete” cure like Tender Quick at the same amount either. Oregon State notes those replace most of the salt in a recipe and carry their own instructions.

Cure Math Per Pound

Here is the per-pound math. The Sausage Maker’s label table says 1 ounce of Insta Cure #1 treats 25 pounds of ground meat at 156 ppm. It identifies 156 ppm as the USDA maximum for ground meat. I use that ground-meat ceiling for jerky strips too, since it is the lowest limit on the label:

• 1 ounce is 28.35 grams. 28.35 g ÷ 25 lb = 1.13 grams of cure per pound of venison.
• Check it: 1.13 g × 6.25% = 0.071 g of sodium nitrite. 0.071 g ÷ 453.6 g in a pound = 0.000156, which is 156 parts per million.
• The maker’s own shortcut is 1 teaspoon per 5 pounds. On a 2-pound batch, that is a pinch you cannot measure with a spoon, so buy a scale that reads to 0.01 gram.

Arithmetic from The Sausage Maker’s Insta Cure #1 label table of 1 oz per 25 lb at 156 ppm and Oregon State’s 6.25% nitrite figure. Never go above it. Our equilibrium brine calculator runs the same check for other cures.

Two Ways to Get the Strips to 160°F

The NCHFP gives two methods that fit any deer jerky recipe, and either one gets you to 160°F without “case hardening,” a dry shell that traps moisture inside:

Heat first. At the end of the marinating time, bring the strips and the marinade to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, then drain and dry. If your strips run thicker than ¼ inch, boil longer. Check several strips with a metal-stem thermometer to confirm 160°F. Strips heated this way dry faster, and the NCHFP warns the color and texture will differ from traditional jerky. NDSU’s version is similar: bring the marinade to a full rolling boil and dunk the strips a few at a time.

Heat after. Dry the strips first, then lay them on a baking sheet, close but not touching, and heat them 10 minutes in an oven preheated to 275°F. That time is for strips cut ¼ inch or thinner; thicker strips need longer. This is the method for people who want the smoker’s color and chew and do not mind one more step at the end.

FSIS, for its part, says to steam or roast meat to 160°F before dehydrating. Use a real thermometer either way; our guide on how to use a meat thermometer covers calibration.

Smoke and Dry It

This deer jerky recipe uses the smoker for the drying. NDSU says to dry jerky at 140°F to 150°F in a dehydrator, oven or smoker, and FSIS wants a constant 130°F to 140°F held through the whole process. So the smoker is fair game, as long as it can hold that low. Put a thermometer at grate level, because the dial on the lid is an optimist, and so is your dehydrator’s.

Lay the strips close together but not touching. For smoke wood, the FSIS smoking guide names hickory, apple and maple as the woods that give the most satisfying flavor. Keep the smoke light; jerky is thin, and it takes on smoke fast.

How long? The NCHFP says 10 to 24 hours at 140°F for strips that were not heated in the marinade first. Strips that were boiled dry faster, so start checking after 3 hours. No deer jerky recipe can promise you a clock time, since wind, weather and full racks all move it. That is why there is a test.

From USDA FSIS “Jerky and Food Safety,” the NCHFP “Jerky” page and NDSU Extension FN580.

The Bend Test

When a test piece has cooled, bend it. It should crack but not break. That is the NCHFP and NDSU doneness test, word for word, and it beats any clock. If it snaps clean in half, you went too far. It is still edible, but now it is venison chips. If it folds like a wet noodle, back on the rack.

When the batch passes, pat off any beads of fat with a clean towel, let it cool, and pack it.

How Long Does Homemade Deer Jerky Last?

The NCHFP says properly dried jerky keeps 2 weeks at room temperature in a sealed container, and that refrigerating or freezing it keeps the flavor and quality longer. FSIS puts the safe storage time for home-dried jerky at 1 to 2 months. Glass jars, heavy food storage bags and vacuum packs all work.

So how much does one batch of this deer jerky recipe make? NDSU says 5 pounds of fresh meat should weigh about 2 pounds after drying or smoking. Plan your batch around that, and hide the bag.

Wasting Disease and Your Jerky

Jerky does not change the chronic wasting disease math. The CDC says CWD infections in people have never been reported, and that it is not known whether people could be infected. Its advice to hunters is direct: strongly consider having the deer tested before you eat the meat, and if it tests positive, do not eat meat from that animal. The CDC also says to wear latex or rubber gloves while field-dressing and to avoid handling the brain and spine.

So get the deer tested, and slice jerky only from one that came back clean.

Printable Deer Jerky Recipe Checklist

1. Wild game? Freeze it 30 days at 0°F, 6 inches thick or less, before slicing.
2. Trim all fat. Slice no thicker than ¼ inch, half-frozen.
3. Marinate in the refrigerator. Throw the used marinade out.
4. Using cure? Cure #1 only, 1.13 grams per pound, weighed.
5. Get the strips to 160°F: boil in the marinade 5 minutes before drying, OR heat 10 minutes at 275°F after.
6. Dry at 140°F to 150°F, checked with a thermometer at the grate.
7. Bend test: cracks, does not break.
8. Cool, bag, label with the date. Room temperature for 2 weeks; refrigerate or freeze for longer.

Common Deer Jerky Mistakes

Every big mistake on this list shows up in the outbreak records. Drying too cool is the first: the Oregon jerky was dried at 125°F to 135°F. Skipping the 160°F step is the second. Then come slices thicker than ¼ inch, marinating on the counter, and reusing a raw marinade. Fix those five and you have fixed most of what goes wrong with any deer jerky recipe.

Looking for more uses for the rest of the deer? Our roundup of wild game recipes has plenty.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should deer jerky stay in the dehydrator?

At 140°F, the NCHFP says 10 to 24 hours for strips that were not heated in marinade first. Pre-boiled strips dry faster, so start checking at 3 hours and go by the bend test.

How many pounds of deer meat make 1 pound of jerky?

About 2½. NDSU says 5 pounds of fresh meat should weigh roughly 2 pounds after drying.

Do you have to use curing salt in deer jerky?

No. The 160°F heating step is what USDA relies on, and a deer jerky recipe without cure is still safe with it. Cure adds color and some extra margin, and if you use it, weigh Cure #1 at no more than 1.13 grams per pound.

Can I make deer jerky from ground venison?

You can, but the NCHFP says germs are harder to kill in ground meat than in whole strips. It still has to reach 160°F inside, so follow the dehydrator maker’s directions for heating it at the end of drying.

Is it safe to make jerky without a dehydrator?

Yes. NDSU lists a smoker or an oven as long as it holds 140°F to 150°F, and the 160°F step still applies.

That is the whole deer jerky recipe: slice it thin, get it to 160°F, keep the smoker low and let the bend test call it. And before any of that, get the deer tested; Popular Outdoorsman has a hunter’s guide to chronic wasting disease testing that walks through where and how.

How this guide was made. USDA FSIS, “Jerky and Food Safety”; National Center for Home Food Preservation, “Jerky”; NDSU Extension, “Jerky Making” (FN580); USDA FSIS, “Smoking Meat and Poultry”; Oregon State University Extension, “Curing and Smoking Poultry Meat” (SP 50-693); The Sausage Maker, Insta Cure #1; CDC, “About Chronic Wasting Disease”.

Too much venison for the freezer? Can it.Pressure-canning times for venison chunks and ground meat, straight from the USDA guide.Open the canning chart →currenthomesteading.com

James Nicholas

NFA Firearms Manufacturer & Professional Gunsmith The XDMAN has a talent for taking complex firearms subject matter and breaking it down into an easy-to-understand format that all experience levels can relate to. James is an 07/02 NFA Firearms Manufacturer, a Professional Gunsmith with over 20 years of experience, and a Firearms Writer, Photographer and Firearms Expert. Connect with him on Instagram, X, and Facebook as @therealxdman.

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