Jerky can be the perfect trailside companion since it’s lightweight and keeps for ages without refrigeration if made right.

But with so many animals to pick from for your jerky journey, how the heck do you decide?

Let me break it down for you with some friendly advice. When thinking meat, you want lean and tender.

Extra fatty stuff will go bad fast in 90-degree weather and leave your pack smelling funky!

So aim for cuts like beef top round, venison loins, or skinless chicken breast. They are nice and lean so they properly dry out.

You’ll also want your slice game on point. Uniform, thin strips mean everything dries at the same quick rate.

Pop those meat cuts in the freezer for 30 minutes before shaving them into strips with your trusty knife (no thicker than 1/4 inch, folks!).

This makes cutting thin, even pieces like a breeze.

Then trim off any extra chunks of fat and weird sinewy tissue so you just have pure, gorgeous meat ready for seasoning.

Finally, flavor choice is key too.

Mild turkeys and chickens let your spice blends or savory marinades shine bright. Fattier pork makes super tasty jerky but can spoil quicker on hot sweaty treks.

Whichever animal you pick, ensure that the baby fully dries into the perfect balance of shelf-stable yet quick to rehydrate with just trailside water soak!

There you have it friends – my top tips for picking prize meat cuts destined for the trail.

Now get goin’ on crafting awesome jerkies so you can keep crushing miles fueled by tasty, high-quality protein.

You got this! Let me know if any other backcountry food questions come up!

You can’t be wandering the woods or climbing mountains without bringing food to consume. It will provide you with the energy to reach your destination.

Dried food is usually perfect for backpacking as these types of food can last longer.

Moreover, when food is dried, they are lightweight, which is really convenient for most backpackers.

One of the favorite backpacking snacks is beef jerky because of its protein-loaded strips that are enough to satisfy your hunger in the middle of a hike or trail.

However, if you want the best out of your jerky on your backpacking day, make sure that you store them properly.

Why it’s Important to Store Jerky Properly for Backpacking?

Jerky are processed by using the ancient method of drying and adding salt for preservation.

The drying method helps remove the meat’s moisture to keep the bacteria out and avoid spoiling.

A pack of jerky can last for up to 1-2 years most of the time, while homemade jerkies are consumable for 1-2 months.

However, when exposed to environmental factors like high temperature and light, it will affect the life span and taste of the jerky.

How can the outdoor/environment damage your jerky

Sunlight/Heat

In most backpacking trips, being exposed to sunlight is unavoidable, affecting the food you bring, even for the jerky.

If the dried jerky is exposed to direct sunlight, the texture and color of the jerky will be affected.

Moreover, sunlight is always together with heat which is a crucial element that helps the life span of the food to deteriorate.

Rapid Change of Temperature

Fluctuating temperature is another enemy of most food products when backpacking.

The changes of temperature that occur will affect the atmosphere inside the storage of the jerk, which can damage your jerky.

Moisture and Air

Other factors that can affect your jerky are moisture and air.

Once your jerky is exposed to water, it will damage the taste and life of your jerky. It is also true when your jerky is not properly sealed.

When air went through the container of the jerky, it will contribute to the growth of bacteria that will eventually cause it to spoil.

So, it is essential to keep in mind these outdoor factors when you’re preparing jerky for backpacking.

Best Ways to Prepare and Store Your Jerky for Backpacking

Once you’re aware of the factors that might affect your jerky on the way to your destination, it will be easier for you to figure out how to store jerky for backpacking.

Here are some of the methods that you can follow to help you prepare and store your favorite jerky snack:

Put the Jerky in a Paper Bag

If you love making your own delicious jerky, removing its remaining moisture is the first preparation you can do before your backpacking trip.

You can put the jerky in a paper bag before you put them in a sealed container.

The paper will absorb the moisture and keep your jerky away from bacteria.

Store it in Plastic Zip lock Bag

One of the outdoor elements that can affect your jerky is moisture and air, so storing your snack in a sealed plastic zip lock bag is one of the cheapest options.

It will keep your jerky from getting wet, and it will also help keep the flavor for 2-3 weeks.

However, the heat and fluctuating temperature might not be able to handle the plastic zip-lock.

Moreover, since sometimes jerky have sharp edges, there is a big chance for the plastic zip-lock bag to tear.

So, you can choose other alternative storage if you’re going somewhere with hot weather.

Use Flat Barrier Bag as Alternative for Plastic Zip lock

Most of the time, you can find nicely packed jerky in your local stores.

They are packed in this barrier bags that is perfect for blocking light, external moisture, and other outdoor factors.

Barrier bags are much more convenient than a plastic zip lock bag as they are strong enough to hold the jerky without tearing.

Most barrier bags are made with layers of laminated, which is excellent for storing your jerky. It is well protected and well kept.

Use Mason Jars

Although flat bags and zip lock bags are the cheapest and lightweight options to store your jerky, mason jars can also be an option.

If you want to keep the jerky for a long time, mason jars are best suited for that purpose.

Properly sealed mason jars can protect your jerky from getting unwanted moisture and air that could spoil the meat.

Place the Container Properly

Storing your jerky in a well-sealed container is not the thing that you should be aware of.

Proper handling of the containers will also help preserve the tastiness and life of your jerky.

It would be best if you handled the container in a way that the jerky is not pressed, squeezed, or even twisted.

It can happen when you store your jerky in a plastic zip-lock bag, so when storing it in a zip-lock bag, make sure that it is handled well.

The same thing with the jar mason, since the jar is fragile, you should place it under heavy stuff in your bag. You should also make sure that the lid is closed tightly.

Other Tips for Storing Jerky for Backpacking

• Buy or make your jerky days before your backpacking trip and store it in your freezer before putting them in a container. It will keep your jerky’s life much longer that will last for up to 2-3 weeks on the shelf or on your trail.
• You can also put the jerky in the vacuum-sealed bag or mason jar before your trip and put the container with jerky in it in the freezer.
• Use tinted jars or colored zip lock bags to protect the jerky from light and moisture.

Whether you’re packing a jerky for your backpacking trip or other kinds of food, proper packing is the key to make them last until you reach your destination.

If it’s you’re first time packing a jerky, make sure to remember the containers and tips above.

It would help if you also took into consideration the outdoor factors that could damage your favorite jerky or any other food.

Factors such as temperature, moisture, air, and water can be damaging to jerky and any types of food you would want to bring in your next hike.

The best surface for drying jerky is using what is called a cake or biscuit cooling tray.

This allows air to circulate under your meat slices and allows them to stay straight while they dry out.

If you have the kind that can stack onto each other, this is even better. You can find these racks online and are perfect for making lots of Elk jerky in your oven.

Layout your strips onto the mesh and preheat your oven to 175F degrees.

If you have an oven that is meant for confectionary cooking, the fan will help flow air inside the oven while your meat slowly cooks and dries.

It will take only 3 to 4 hours for your Elk meat to become dry and leathery.

To reduce too much moisture you can slightly open your oven door for the last hour of baking them out.

The Best Cut to make Elk Jerky

The best cut for any section of Elk is often going to be Brisket.

This cut is commonly found just above the front legs and makes up the lower chest area cut of meat.

Many Elk fans who regularly like to make Elk jerky will also opt to use Rump roast or top round.

These cuts of meat have the grain running in one single direction.

This is simply chosen because it’s easier to cut and doesn’t have anything to do with flavor.

Now this will always be a big question on how to slice the pieces to make your jerky. If you have properly sharpened knives, you shouldn’t have a problem. This will be pretty evident if you sharpen your blade to at least 14 degrees on each side.

This makes a total of 28 degrees which is comparable to Henckels or Santoku (Japanese) blades.

This should allow any type of Elk meat to slice like butter when it’s cut against the grain.

If you’re worried about taste, all Elk meat is pretty lean so there is little difference where it comes from.

Brisket is simply a good choice since it will likely be cheaper than rump or top-round cuts can be. Aside from that, you’ll also be tenderizing your meat beforehand so it will be easier to chew when it’s dried.

Cutting your Elk Meat Slices

On a cutting board, you start by selecting which side of the grain you want to start with.

Now, if you prefer longer strips, you should choose which is the widest point of your cut?

I recommend that you start with a cut of meat that is semi-frozen so that your meat will be firmer while you make thin-cut strips.

These should be no more than 1/8 to ¼ inch thick. Make sure you have your honing rod nearby so your cuts are always fast and clean.

If you prefer a knife sharpener, use a blade sharpener that can sharpen both sides at once.

This way you just need to reduce the amount of force needed to slice all the way through a large section of meat.

Any decent chef knife will do, although a good brisket knife is better for longer cuts of meat.

Place these strips into a large Ziplock bag and place this into the fridge until you’re ready to add the marinade.

Tenderizing your Elk Meat

Tenderizing your Elk meat is very simple and only requires a few key ingredients. This is important for cuts of Elk meat that are considered a bit tougher than others.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup sesame seed oil
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (any preferred brand)
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (your favorite brand)
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (your favorite brand)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons coriander powder (dried cilantro)
• 1 teaspoon cayenne powder (add more if you like spicy heat)
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (for the hot kick)

Mix all of these ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix it well using a spoon or whisk.

When it’s mixed together, pout this into your Ziplock bag with your meat strips.

Remove as much air from the bag as possible and make sure all the meat is totally coated.

Return your bag to the fridge and let it sit for 12 to 24 hours before starting to dry them out.

Is it safe to eat Elk jerky?

If you’re buying elk meat from a butcher that sells it, you don’t have to worry about any problems eating jerky that’s made from it.

If you’re a fan of Bushcraft and outdoor hunting, you’ll already know how to skin and prepare any kind of wild game meat.

Since many elk come from forest areas, there is always the risk of natural disease and CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease), which has affected many Elk across Canada and the US.

Yet with all of the hazards that this might sound, if meat is properly prepared and kept clean, it will be completely safe to eat.

You never want to eat raw meat, so anything that’s dried also needs to be cooked to the point that it’s totally dry.

This kills off any chance of disease and obviously bacteria that needs to be killed while it’s cooked out of the meat. It’s less likely that anyone will become sick or infected from eating dried Elk jerky.

How many calories are in Elk jerky?

It doesn’t matter which cut you use for your jerky, since select parts of Elk have all the same calories.

An average calorie count is 71.9 calories in just one ounce of Elk jerky. It’s actually healthier to eat elk than other types of meat compared to beef.

This is why it’s been dubbed the Heart-Smart Red Meat. It’s lower in fat, yet remarkably higher in protein, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, and Omega 3s.

Elk is a free-range source of meat that isn’t fed steroids or is put on a standard diet.

It eats off the land and finds the nutrition it needs from seasonal grasses, dandelions, mushrooms, clover, and anything that is vegetation.

In the winter the average Elk will forage for scrubs and tips of woody growth.

This allows Elk to remain leaner and less fatty than grain-fed beef that has steroids added to increase the cattle growth rate overall.

How to properly store Elk jerky?

The best method is vacuum sealing using a conventional kitchen vacuum sealer. This will allow your beef jerky to remain fresh for longer periods.

If you don’t have one of these you can always use a Ziplock bag and squeeze out as much air as possible.

You can also use food-grade silica packets (one or two) per bag so this absorbs any moisture. After this, you seal and close your bag and store it in a dry place until you want to eat your Elk jerky.

If meats aren’t cured they can develop harmful bacteria that if you consume by mistake, can end up bad for you, that’s why meats are usually cured with curing salt before they’re processed.

This has two main benefits, one, it already adds flavor to the meat, and number two, it expands the meat’s shelf life a lot more.

Jerky, in particular, is a type of meat that has been dried to put a stop to spoilage. During the drying process, curing salt is used to stop bacteria from growing.

As you can see, jerky meat tends to be accompanied by curing salt most of the time. I say this because not everyone likes to use curing salt with their meat, they prefer to use other methods as well.

However, if you like or are curious about how to make your own curing salt, then you have come to the right place. There are many ways you can make curing salt, and it’s not rocket science. So, let’s get started!

Recipe #1

In order to make your own curing salt, the first step you need to do is to add 1oz of sodium nitrite and mix it with 1lb of sea salt in a bowl, you can use table salt if you don’t have sea salt in your kitchen. If you do have sea salt then I recommend using this one.

Recipe #2

Another way of making curing salt is by mixing 4lbs of salt, 1lb of sugar, and 3oz of potassium nitrate in a bowl.

In this recipe, we’re using some sugar to give the meat a sweet touch. You can experiment with as many flavors and combinations as you wish to. Get creative.

These two curing salt recipes are good for curing meats that are going to be smoked for a long time, especially at low temperatures.

Also, they’re good to cure meats that don’t require refrigeration and fresh meats, like sausages.

One thing you should know is that sugar mixed with the rest of the ingredients in recipe number two is excellent to cure pork meat like ham or bacon.

Remember that curating salt is not only meant for preventing spoilage and bacteria growth, it is also meant for seasoning the meat as well.

For that reason, you can use any additional spices, herbs, anything that you want. That extra spiciness will add more interesting flavors to your meat once you taste it.

The best thing about curating salt is that it lasts forever.

Yes, that’s true. Your curating salt won’t go bad, a little yellow tone is perfectly normal, but besides that, your curating salt will last you a lifetime.

Take into consideration that curing meat requires some level of expertise, you need to know what you’re doing, if you don’t, then I highly suggest you go to an expert as consuming meat that is not curated well can end up in severe damages to your health, even death.

So, I hope you found this information useful! Now you know how to make your own curating salt, perfect to cure jerky meat. These recipes are going to last you forever and they’re so easy to make everyone can do it.