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Photo by Holly A. Heyser
Who doesn’t love jerky? I mean, really. It is a staple in the duck blind, and duck or goose jerky is a perfect use for “off” ducks like spoonies, fishy divers or snow geese. Once the fat is removed, there’s no fishy flavor.
But there is jerky and there is jerky. Some people run their meat through the grinder and use a “jerky gun.” This is fine, but it is not traditional jerky, which is always whole cuts of meat. Thickness is up to you. Really thick slices need long drying times and result in a very hard product. If you’ve ever heard of biltong in Africa, that’s what this is. I ate lots of biltong when I was in Zimbabwe and South Africa in the 1990s, and I’ve developed a taste for thick jerky. But you can cut yours thin if you’d like.
This recipe makes a jerky that is dry enough to store at room temperature — although the fridge is best for really long storage — but pliable enough to keep it meaty.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser
What follows are my flavorings: As long as you keep the ratio of meat to water to Worcestershire sauce to salt the same, you can vary the other flavors. You need enough salt to draw out moisture and help with preservation, and the Worcestershire sauce adds both extra salt and vinegar, which is also a good preservative.
I designed this recipe for a dehydrator, but if you don’t have one, set your oven to “warm” and put the meat on a wire rack set above a rimmed cookie sheet; the sheet catches any drippings. I also leave the oven door ajar for air circulation.
The porcini powder in this recipe is made by grinding dried porcini in a coffee grinder. You can buy dried porcini in most supermarkets.
As for the meat, this will work with any skinless duck or goose breast, or with venison, elk, antelope, goat, lamb or beef.
duck or goose jerky
Makes about 1 1/2 pounds.
Prep Time: 24 hours
Cook Time: 6-8 hours
- 3 pounds skinless, de-fatted duck or goose breast
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Instacure No. 1 (optional)
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon porcini powder
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
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- Slice the duck breasts into roughly 1/4 inch strips. Mix remaining ingredients well in a large bowl. Put the meat into the marinade and massage it all around to coat evenly. Pour everything into a seal-able plastic bag or container and set in the fridge. Let this marinate for at least 24 and up to 48 hours — the longer it is in the mix, the saltier the meat will get, but the longer it will last at room temperature. During the marinating process, massage the meat around in the bag to keep all the pieces in contact with the marinade.
- Remove the duck from the bag and pat dry with paper towels. Either follow your dehydrator’s instructions for making jerky (I dehydrate mine at 140 degrees), or lay the strips on a wire rack set over a cookie sheet to catch the drippings. Set the rack in an oven set on Warm until the meat is dried out, but still pliable, about 6-8 hours. Store either in the fridge indefinitely, or at room temperature for up to 1 month.
Mmmmm. I LOVE jerky. It’s hard to come by in Sweden and when you find it, it’s crazy expensive. I’ll forward this link to my hunter brother in the hopes that I can coax him to make some and mail it to me!
love your book and this looks great!
You don’t use too much of it, but any idea why there is sugar in jerky? Often the commercial varieties taste more like candy than meat.
I just found your blog through foodgawker. I love your concept and I look forward to more recipes. Hopefully I will have a chance to make this duck jerky!
Thanks!
I have goose in the marinade right now. Really looking forward to seeing how this shakes out!
Have you ever tried any other mushrooms dried and powdered other than porcini? I have some dried chanterelle ??? Your thoughts? Thanks…
Patrick: I am not a fan of dried chanterelles. I think drying them kills their flavor. But yes, other dried mushrooms would work fine. Black trumpets would be a great mushroom to use, for example.
Hank- Does the use of Instacure negate the need to heat fully before dehydrating? Last year I tried following the USDA guidelines (heat to 160, then dehydrate), and was not happy with the product. Cooked, and then dehydrated, I guess. Anyway, I’m excited to try a new batch, and use my mushroom powder, sulphur shelf. We’ll see…
Betsy: Yes, it does. I dehydrate at 140 degrees in my dehydrator, which makes a WORLD of difference to the taste and texture.
Tried this with some teal. My son thought the texture was too soft. Some of the pieces were really thin and he liked those betterbut still not great. I had it in the oven for 6.5 hours. It seemed pretty dried out to me but was soft. Any thoughts as to what I did wrong?
[...] our way towards a reality in which duck jerky is not just a snack for dogs, and I welcome it. (Recipes exist, but I can’t find anywhere that mass-produces it for human [...]
I know it sounds gross, but can you dehydrate/make jerky out of previously frozen duck? I have sooooo much duck because hunters always give me bags of it in hunting season, and unless I make stew I don’t really eat it. But I freeze it all in case some incredible recipe comes up
. I’m very new to dehydrating. Do you put the meat in raw (after marinade?) Help me Obi Wan.
I’d also like to add that I am a trained cook, and have a lot of experience in canning and preserving and such. I promise I’m not daft.