A lot of people have been asking: “Do you have to use curing salt for deer jerky?”, and the answer is no, you don’t need curing salt aside for some exceptions.
The reason may be a surprise for some, while others will be pleased to know why curing salt is essential to use on deer jerky.
What exactly is curing salt?
Curing salt is also called by its official name sodium nitrate and has other names used in jerky-making circles.
Sometimes it can be called Cure #1 or Prague Powder depending on who you talk to.
It’s still the same ingredient that contains nitrate.
It’s processed through extraction from fruits, vegetables, and grains, and therefore it’s commonly used to preserve meat, fish, and poultry.
Some people do not like to add nitrite since the major export country China produces nitrite using GMOs in all their grains, fruits, and vegetables.
This is why you can look for organic GMO-free nitrite if you want to use a good curing salt.
What does it do to deer meat?
While curing salt will add a bit of flavor to deer meat, it also acts as a preservative and prevents the growth of Clostridium botulinum.
This is the scientific word that will essentially prevent you from getting botulism.
While any deer meat can be dried in a dehydrator, smoker, or oven, this will typically kill any forms of bacteria.
The deer meat is prepped with a marinade that adds Teriyaki or Soy sauce as your salt source.
But using these marinades also changes aspects of the meat that you’ll see why using curing salt is more appealing.
What can you expect from using curing salt for deer jerky?
Not everyone wants to have deer jerky that is darkened and has a totally different taste if you add Soy or Teriyaki sauces.
This is why sodium nitrate can add a whole new layer of flavor that is more satisfying.
Here’s what you can expect using curing salt when preparing your deer jerky:
Pros:
• Keeps colors vibrant
The addition of sodium nitrate will help preserve the color of deer meat leaving it with a nice red hue after it’s dried.
• Cures more like ham than jerky
This is a unique flavor that allows the original flavor to be more prominent yet will have a hammy-like flavor due to the sodium nitrate.
You can add other added flavors in your dry mix vacuum-sealed in a bag one day before you dry it out.
• Won’t get moldy
This method helps preserve the meat so it will not become moldy even if you leave it on the counter for days.
You still want to seal your jerky anyway to keep everything nice and germ-free.
• Very tender and meaty
Compared to typical marinade jerky, the curing salt method allows deer meat to remain dry but not rock hard.
Most marinade jerky is brittle and often overly chewy like hide strips for your dog.
Cons:
• Some might not like hammy/meat flavor
Most people will agree that deer meat does taste a bit gamey, so curing it with curing salt will add a flavor profile that is somewhat hammy.
This can be countered with added spices and flavors added to your curing salt mixture.
• Not a typical marinade jerky
There is no marinade involved with this preparation so it will retain more of the flavor that your deer meat comes with already.
This makes this jerky a unique alternative.
• Drying times must be longer and lower temperatures
When it comes to drying and smoking times you need to be careful.
Temperatures averaging 170F degrees in the oven are best while your smoker should be no more than 150F degrees.
The basic curing salt mixture:
- • Deer meat (per 1000 grams)
- • Curing salt (2.5 grams)
- • Salt (25 grams)
- • Sugar (25 grams)
- • Garlic powder (1 teaspoon)
- • Onion powder (1 teaspoon)
- • Ground pepper or chili flakes (1 teaspoon)
- • Added powdered flavors or spices (optional)
Instructions:
Put meat on skewers or lay onto a mesh screen and smoke for 1.5- 2 hours at 150F, then transfer to dehydrator or oven for 2 hours or more at 170F degrees. Allow to dry out.