I'd like to start a thread here on people's favorite Jerky across the State and surrounding areas + where to find it. I personally enjoy trying different styles and "brands" at Buccee's, but I also make my own and have a hard time eliminating my bias and deciding if others are better.

Also, does anyone know why you can't find venison jerky sold commercially? I feel like I have seen some here and there but never consistently.

Also #2 - if you make your own, and are willing to share techniques, what works best for you?

As I get older, I don't like having to tear hard stringy jerky. I now grind and shoot it. Sometimes I flatten it and smoke it then rip it into nondescript shapes.

Venison is expensive to farm, and what little is gets sold to restaurants.

My recipe is pretty simple. Weigh the meat (preferably in grams to make the math easier), and then multiply that number by 0.02. Add that amount of salt. Tumble the meat well, and put it in a bag in the fridge overnight. The next day, lay the meat out on racks, shake on some black pepper, and put the racks under a small fan. It's ready in about 24-48 hours, depending on how thick the meat was cut. Another way you can tell is to weigh the dried meat. If it has lost 30% of the wet weight, it's ready.

John Cocktolstoy said:

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As I get older, I don't like having to tear hard stringy jerky. I now grind and shoot it. Sometimes I flatten it and smoke it then rip it into nondescript shapes.

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Yep. I got one of those "jerky guns" a couple years ago. I like it.

There's a jerky thread somewhere. I use a dehydrator, and copious amounts of peppers and spices.

Beef jerky was staple for me on road trips growing up thanks to my dad c/o '73. Hell, it still is.

Favorite brands are Ohl Style Beef Jerky and Oma's Choice. Both of these are a cut above Buc-Eee's in my opinion.

BlueHouseBoyz said:

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I'd like to start a thread here on people's favorite Jerky across the State and surrounding areas + where to find it. I personally enjoy trying different styles and "brands" at Buccee's, but I also make my own and have a hard time eliminating my bias and deciding if others are better.

Also, does anyone know why you can't find venison jerky sold commercially? I feel like I have seen some here and there but never consistently.

Also #2 - if you make your own, and are willing to share techniques, what works best for you?

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Hudsons Meat Market in Austin sells venison, buffalo, and several other types of exotic jerky. Honesty, I think it comes from people bringing in their deer to get processed, then never come pick it up.

TacosaurusRex said:

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BlueHouseBoyz said:

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I'd like to start a thread here on people's favorite Jerky across the State and surrounding areas + where to find it. I personally enjoy trying different styles and "brands" at Buccee's, but I also make my own and have a hard time eliminating my bias and deciding if others are better.

Also, does anyone know why you can't find venison jerky sold commercially? I feel like I have seen some here and there but never consistently.

Also #2 - if you make your own, and are willing to share techniques, what works best for you?

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Hudsons Meat Market in Austin sells venison, buffalo, and several other types of exotic jerky. Honesty, I think it comes from people bringing in their deer to get processed, then never come pick it up.

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Right!

Praseks thin beef jerky.

John Cocktolstoy said:

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TacosaurusRex said:

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BlueHouseBoyz said:

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I'd like to start a thread here on people's favorite Jerky across the State and surrounding areas + where to find it. I personally enjoy trying different styles and "brands" at Buccee's, but I also make my own and have a hard time eliminating my bias and deciding if others are better.

Also, does anyone know why you can't find venison jerky sold commercially? I feel like I have seen some here and there but never consistently.

Also #2 - if you make your own, and are willing to share techniques, what works best for you?

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Hudsons Meat Market in Austin sells venison, buffalo, and several other types of exotic jerky. Honesty, I think it comes from people bringing in their deer to get processed, then never come pick it up.

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Right!

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Can they sell it if the meat wasn't inspected?

I prefer making biltong.

That cutting board intrigues me. Where did you get it?

I'm gonna have to give that a go. Looks great.

HTownAg98 said:

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John Cocktolstoy said:

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TacosaurusRex said:

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BlueHouseBoyz said:

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I'd like to start a thread here on people's favorite Jerky across the State and surrounding areas + where to find it. I personally enjoy trying different styles and "brands" at Buccee's, but I also make my own and have a hard time eliminating my bias and deciding if others are better.

Also, does anyone know why you can't find venison jerky sold commercially? I feel like I have seen some here and there but never consistently.

Also #2 - if you make your own, and are willing to share techniques, what works best for you?

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Hudsons Meat Market in Austin sells venison, buffalo, and several other types of exotic jerky. Honesty, I think it comes from people bringing in their deer to get processed, then never come pick it up.

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Right!

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Can they sell it if the meat wasn't inspected?

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I may have this wrong, but I am pretty positive that the meat itself isn't inspected. The facility is what is inspected and licensed.

This is why when we do population control hunts we have to take the deer to a licensed processor in order for the meat to then be donated.

So what's the take on room temperature dehydration vs smoked vs heat based dehydration?

I cut & season, refrigerate, then smoke in a customer built smoker with mesquite - low fire, high smoke

Jerky gun if I'm making it. Seasoning varies depending on whatever I buy from academy or bass pro.

Dziuks if I'm buying.

Hands down, it's jerky from The Peanut Shoppe.

Just across the Oklahoma border on 75 before you get to Choctaw.

I was thinking the venison jerky Hudsons sells was from farms. I do not know if they are legally allowed to sell game, even if it has been left unclaimed. The regulations I see from HHSC say that they have to tag it as not for resale when it comes in for processing. All mine comes that way from them. Now, could you swap out the bags and no one would be the wiser? If that is against the regs, it wouldn't be worth the fines or losing your license over, in my mind.

https://www.dshs.texas.gov/foodestablishments/pdf/GuidanceDocs/CustomProcessing.pdf

Also, if the facility sells anything besides meat processing services, ie...sausage or meats to customers who didn't bring that same meat in on the hoof etc, the facility has to be inspected. The level of annual sales looks like it determines what types of inspections they must pass. Lots more info on the internet by Texas Health and Human Services Commission if you look for it. If you aren't asking about how it works in Texas, run a google search for your state.

Also found this....although I am not sure the source is accurate but they are basically summarizing the codes covering it:

https://brokenarrowranch.com/blogs/wild-and-pure/wild-game-meat-inspection-some-surprising-requirements

excerpt:

Who inspects wild game meat?
Surprisingly, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is not required to inspect wild game meats. The inspection of most traditional meats in the U.S. is regulated by the "Federal Meat Inspection Act" (FMIA) and the "Federal Poultry Inspection Act." The Federal Meat Inspection Act defines "meat" specifically as being from "cattle, sheep, swine, or goats." (10 CFR 12.601 2011) The USDA is mandated to inspect these meats. All other meats are defined as being non-amenable and the USDA FSIS is not obligated to inspect them. USDA FSIS will perform a voluntary inspection on some of these alternative proteins, including venison, and provide it with a mark of inspection.
Confusion arises from the fact that most wild game meats are not named in the FMIA. These "non amenable" meats are not even considered "meat" by the USDA under their interpretation of the FMIA. This leaves the requirement for inspection of wild game meats in a vague regulatory "never-never land" as far as federal laws are concerned. In theory, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has technical responsibility for the safety of all foods not named in these acts, but they have no meat inspection capability.
Some states, such as Texas, continue to operate their own inspection programs. By law the inspection standards must be "at least equal" to those of the USDA inspection standards. (21 CFR 12.661 2011) It is not legal to sell state inspected amenable meats as defined in FMIA outside of state boundaries. However, since venison is a non-amenable meat and the inspection standards meet those of the USDA state inspected venison can be sold into any other US state.
It's the local municipal health codes that require venison to be inspected. The specific wording of each health code differs but the basic law is that food sold to the public must come from an "approved source" or a source that is deemed at least equal to USDA inspection. The Texas meat inspection program meets this requirement.

Bourgeois Meat Market - Thibodaux, LA. Simply the best I've ever had and I've had a lot.

Krolczyk Meat Market - Hempstead. Very good. My favorite in Texas.

My favorite store-bought is either Prasek's or the Bohemian Garlic jerky from Buc-ee's.

As far as making my own, I've only done one recipe and me and the kids love it. I go to my local butcher and get a thin sliced Eye of Round. Then I make the Dr Pepper Jalapeo recipe that you can find on the internet, and put it on the smoker for 3-4 hours. That one is my favorite.

Soak it in 5hr energy! That is a snack that bites back!

After 35 years, my favorite beef jerky still comes from Rosenthal.

My HEB is now sell Prosek in their deli. It is close to Rosenthal taste and texture.

This stuff is amazing and super tender. The spicy garlic is to die for.

https://saaplaokitchen.com/

BenderRodriguez said:

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I prefer making biltong.

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i love biltong. I pretty much survived on it for the two weeks i spend in south africa.

RCR06 said:

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Praseks thin beef jerky.

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Just bought some of the hot jerky sticks at Praseks a few hours ago... gave some to my dog .. bad mistake, he's ripping um like crazy! Jerky is great

You are correct with this. For broken arrow to sale venison, they have an inspector on site as they harvest the animal humanely then proceed with sanitary dressing. For other exotics like buffalo, camel..... they are all harvested in an inspected facility. To summarize the regulation you posted, any animals brought to a slaughter house intended for consumers other then themselves must be inspected.

Still love the stuff from Rosenthal

The jerky sticks at Garvin Store on the way to Rocksprings is my favorite. Also, Chappell Hill Sausage Co. outside of Brenham has some solid beef jerky.

BlueHouseBoyz said:

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I'd like to start a thread here on people's favorite Jerky across the State and surrounding areas + where to find it. I personally enjoy trying different styles and "brands" at Buccee's, but I also make my own and have a hard time eliminating my bias and deciding if others are better.

Also, does anyone know why you can't find venison jerky sold commercially? I feel like I have seen some here and there but never consistently.

Also #2 - if you make your own, and are willing to share techniques, what works best for you?

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I just had to stop by and plug "Hard Times" beef jerky because I just copped a 2.5oz bag and it's my absolute favorite jerky on earth.

It's rare, but you can find it in a few places in SE Texas. On my trip from Austin to Corpus there are 3 gas stations that I stop by exclusively for Hard Times.

You will know if you had it because part of the pitch is that it comes with a tooth pick in every bag.

https://hardtimesbeefjerky.com/

If you are a dry-guy, like me, and like dry jerky and not moist like Jack's Links, check it out.

This is my favorite spicy jerky: https://jerkyhutonline.com/collections/beef-jerky/products/jerky-hut-habanero

They used to have a booth at the Hunters Extravaganza every year. My parents would give me $20 to spend on whatever I want and every time without fail I would get a package of this jerky.

WhoHe said:

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Hands down, it's jerky from The Peanut Shoppe.

Just across the Oklahoma border on 75 before you get to Choctaw.

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This is my favorite as well. I always stop in for a bag of their extra hot jerky