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Home » Wild Game » Ducks and Geese » Wild Duck Jerky or Goose Jerky

Wild Duck Jerky or Goose Jerky

By Hank Shaw on February 29, 2012, Updated June 22, 2020 - 97 Comments

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4.91 from 22 votes
Finished duck jerky recipe in a bowl
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Finished duck jerky recipe in a bowl
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Who doesn’t love jerky? I mean, really. It is a staple in the duck blind, and goose or duck 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.

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. Or you can skip it.

As for the meat, while it is a duck jerky recipe, it will also work with any skinless goose breast, or with venison, elk, antelope, goat, lamb or beef.

duck jerky recipe
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4.91 from 22 votes

Goose or Duck Jerky

This jerky recipe is one I like a lot, but use it as a guide, not dogma. If you want to play with flavors, go for it. Just don't mess around with the ratios of salt, and be sure to let it marinate for at least 24 hours, and up to 3 days. I always use curing salt No. 1 for my jerky, as I like the rosy, hammy effect it produces -- and it's a food safety thing when you dry at lower temperatures. 
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time7 hrs
Total Time7 hrs 15 mins
Course: Cured Meat, Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10
Calories: 183kcal
Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

  • 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 (optional)
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar

Instructions

  • Slice the duck breasts into roughly 1/4 inch thick 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. Marinate for at least 24 and up to 72 hours -- the longer it is in the mix, the saltier the meat will get, but the more flavorful it will be. 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°F), or lay the strips on a wire rack set over a cookie sheet. Set the rack in an oven set on Warm until the meat is dried out, but still pliable, about 6 to 8 hours. Store either in the fridge indefinitely, or at room temperature for up to 1 month.

Notes

If you are interested in another flavor of jerky, try my chipotle jerky with duck instead of venison.

Nutrition

Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 129mg | Sodium: 1588mg | Potassium: 401mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 121IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 2mg
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Filed Under: American Recipes, Appetizers and Snacks, Charcuterie, Ducks and Geese, Recipe, Wild Game

Avatar for Hank Shaw

Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet's largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Avatar for Morgan McKeeMorgan McKee says

    January 7, 2023 at 1:56 pm

    Hi Hank! Just made your goose jerky and I’m so ready to try it but I didn’t use the InstaCure and I’m worried about foodborne illnesses like botulism! Am I overreacting? Used my oven for one batch (200 deg for 1 hour, then 160 for 5 hours) and a dehydrator for a second batch (160 deg for ~8 hours). I am reading all sorts of opinions about how to properly dry it- can you tell me if this is something I should be worried about with your recipe?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      January 9, 2023 at 8:53 am

      Morgan: Nope, you should be fine with what you did. The instacure really gets necessary when you are creating an anaerobic environment that is below 240F, like in a smoker. Botch needs that anaerobic environment to thrive, and you did not give it that. So it should not be an issue.

      Reply
  2. Avatar for LoganLogan says

    January 4, 2023 at 7:45 am

    Hey Hank,
    Could you add liquid smoke to this for putting it in the dehydrator to have some smoke flavor? If so how much would you add?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      January 4, 2023 at 8:07 am

      Logan: Yes, but I do it another way: I use smoked salt instead. Not sure how much liquid smoke you’d use.

      Reply
  3. Avatar for NickNick says

    December 20, 2022 at 7:20 am

    I did a batch made up of a variety of North Dakota puddlers and divers. While I am generally enjoying my way through it, I’m finding it’s a bit like a game of Russian Roulette. Most bites are good, others still have, well, your traditional ducky flavor. I marinated for 48 hrs, next time I’ll go longer and will be meticulous about removing all bits of fat and silver skin. Might also save the divers for bacon and jalepenos on the grill. This recipe would be great for geese.

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      December 20, 2022 at 8:30 am

      Nick: I think the fishy bites are from the divers. Yeah, getting every scrap of their fat off helps a ton. Even spoonies make good jerky of you do that.

      Reply
  4. Avatar for Krista BlandKrista Bland says

    December 9, 2022 at 3:47 pm

    I made this minus the porcini powder(didn’t have) with Maple Leaf Farm duck breasts- this was awesome. i really liked the 3 day marinade.

    Now I’d like to try with a grocery store turkey breast, but the instructions say if I want to marinate it, to reduce the amount of salt in my recipe by half, because they injected it with a salt brine.

    Do you think this is safe to do? I don’t have access to people who will hunt birds for me, which is a shame.

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      December 13, 2022 at 8:30 am

      Krista: You should be fine. But it’s trial and error in terms of how much salt to use. Too little salt will still make a decent jerky, but it won’t keep as long and it might be over or under salted. I can’t tell you exactly how much to use, so it will be an experiment.

      Reply
      • Avatar for Krista BlandKrista Bland says

        December 14, 2022 at 6:07 pm

        Thanks! I guess I will find out!

  5. Avatar for Tom G.Tom G. says

    November 20, 2022 at 10:17 am

    I have made this with and with out the mushroom powder. Don’t forget it! It makes a big difference.

    Reply
  6. Avatar for Brock JessupBrock Jessup says

    October 21, 2021 at 5:58 pm

    Hi Hank,

    Much love for all you do to help us wild game eaters make the most out of everything we harvest!

    Can you also use a smoker to dry the meat with this recipe? Does it change the salt or does everything stay the same?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      October 22, 2021 at 7:55 am

      Brock: Yes, you can use a smoker to dry the jerky. Keep it very low, though, as low as you can.

      Reply
  7. Avatar for ValentinValentin says

    January 1, 2021 at 11:25 pm

    I never tried to make beef jerky and I want to make it tommorrow and use your recipe, can you tell me for sure the safe temperature and how to make it with my dehydrator that only allows the temperature to go up to 70C?
    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      January 2, 2021 at 8:05 am

      Valentin: You’re fine. Remember we use Fahrenheit in the United States. Set your dehydrator to 60 Celsius.

      Reply
  8. Avatar for Dave WinstonDave Winston says

    May 8, 2020 at 4:18 pm

    Used a bunch of snow goose breasts for this and it is absolutely delicious. I like this in a little dryer than the venison recipe. Had it in the sauce for three days prior to the dehydrator and it’s fairly salty – but really good. Followed the recipe exactly but substituted hot hatch Chile powder for the mushroom powder. Has a nice bit of heat…

    Reply
  9. Avatar for Skip KendallSkip Kendall says

    March 29, 2020 at 2:02 pm

    Hi Hank,

    Any chance you have any recipes available for ground jerky? I’m looking to make some up with a bunch of snow goose we harvested this past fall. Thanks for all you do!

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      March 29, 2020 at 3:45 pm

      Skip: Absolutely. Use this recipe: https://honest-food.net/ground-venison-jerky-recipe/

      Reply
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Hi, my name is Hank Shaw; I’m a James Beard Award-winning author and chef. I started this site back in 2007 to help you get the most out of all things wild: fish, game, edible wild plants and mushrooms. I also write cookbooks, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

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