Exmark's Backyard Life

Living Happens Outdoors

Search

David Bancroft’s Smoked Venison Jerky Recipe

by David Bancroft

Jerky is hundreds of years old. From indigenous people to cowboys to soldiers to now, jerky has been beloved over the years. It’s a salty and hardy snack that lasts for quite some time. The best kind of jerky? Smoked venison jerky. It’s a little leaner, but just as tasty and David Bancroft knows just how to prep it.

When David Bancroft’s not steering the ship at his famed Acre and Bow & Arrow Barbecue restaurants, the Iron Chef Showdown winner loves enjoying backyard life with his wife, kids and dogs. But, the James Beard semifinalist always manages to find time for a date with largemouth bass or whitetail bucks (just a few of the many species he loves catching or harvesting). And, every deer season, Bancroft makes it a point to craft as many batches of smoked venison jerky as he can. Here’s his tried-and-true recipe!

Smoked Venison Jerky Tips and Tricks

  1. Refrigerating the meat helps you to better slice the meat, especially given that you have to cut against the grain.
  2. Using a drip pan in your smoker can help minimize the messes you have to clean afterwards.
  3. If you’re unsure if your smoked venison jerky has been smoking for long enough, you can determine based on the bend. It should bend, but should not snap cleanly through.
  4. It can be helpful to place a shallow pan of water in the back of your smoker in order to keep the jerky from becoming overly dry.
  5. The type of wood you use makes a difference! Be sure to consider what sorts of pellets or logs you’re using and how they may pair with or effect your seasonings.
David Bancroft's Smoked Venison Jerky Recipe
Pin
Print

David Bancroft’s Smoked Venison Jerky Recipe

Servings

4-6

servings
Total time

1

hour 

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. 1/4 inch sliced venison

  • JERKY CURE

  • 1 cup Coca-Cola

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce

  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 tbsp. black pepper

  • 1 tsp. kosher salt

  • 1/2 tbsp. garlic powder

  • 1/2 tsp. chili powder

  • 1 tsp. ground red pepper

Directions

  • Mix all the ingredients for the cure together. 
  • Place jerky cure and sliced venison in a covered bowl or Ziploc bag and refrigerate overnight.   
  • Next day, remove racks from inside smoker. Then, remove venison from cure and organize them on the racks. 
  • Heat smoker to 130°F, and avoid temperatures higher than 150° throughout the drying process.
  • Place smoker racks back inside the smoker and smoke on very low temperature for 4-6 hours, or until the dryness and texture meets your preference. (Bancroft notes that some vertical smokers may dry faster than offset smokers. And, as with most outdoorsman, your personal preference is always right!)

More Wild Game Recipes:

Prime Cuts: Sous Vide Wild-Turkey on the Grill

by David Bancroft

In a recent Prime Cuts Wild Game Edition episode, host and award-winning chef David Bancroft teamed up with Bone Collector star Michael Waddell to demonstrate two ways to prepare wild turkey. While Michael’s jalapeño-dill turkey nuggets (complete with “his and hers” dipping sauces) were a surefire crowd pleaser, David’s grilled, sous vide turkey breast was in a class of its own.

Why is Sous Vide Good for Turkey Breasts?

Sous vide cooking is the process of sealing food in an airtight container—usually a vacuum-sealed bag. It’s then cooked in temperature-controlled water. Professional chefs in nearly all of the best restaurants across the Americas and Europe use this technique. It maximizes the flavor and texture of their food preparations. Because of the prices of at-home sous vide, it hasn’t been easily available to the masses. Now, thanks to the advent of low-cost circulators, home cooks can explore the possibilities of this method, too.

The sous vide turkey breast cooking technique is especially useful for wild-game recipes because it cooks evenly all the way through. Meaning the meat is cooked to the same temperature from the edge to center. When using this method, you’ll notice that your wild game is significantly more juicy and flavorful. This is because the meat braises in its own juices, and is infused with the flavors seasoned in the bag.

In this recipe, David uses a sous vide cooker to poach a wild-turkey breast to 145 degrees before searing it on the grill. It’s a pretty interesting, and different, way to prepare your wild-turkey. The result is a perfectly cooked and juicy sous vide wild-turkey breast—prepared backyard style!

Pair your sous vide turkey with these sides:

Sous Vide Wild-Turkey
Pin
Print

Sous Vide Wild-Turkey

Cuisine: AmericanDifficulty: easy
Servings

0

servings
Total time

0

minutes

Award-winning chef and Prime Cuts Wild Game Edition host David Bancroft utilizes sous vide with a saltwater brine to pre-cook a wild-turkey breast before searing on the grill. 

Sous VIDE Wild-Turkey Brine INGREDIENTS

  • Water and salt (even amount)

  • 4 Bay leaves

  • Cayenne pepper (dash)

Sous Vide wild-turkey COOKING directions

  • Brine turkey breast for 12 hours
  • Remove turkey from brine and place in a vacuum-sealed bag
  • Set sous vide to 145 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for two hours
  • Remove turkey from sous vide and bring to room temperature
  • Drizzle olive oil over the exterior of the poached turkey breast
  • Heat grill to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, then “grill mark” both sides of turkey (approximately two minutes on each side)
  • Cut and serve with dipping sauce

Recipe Video

Once your wild-turkey breast is grilled to perfection, try serving it with “his and hers” dipping sauces. Those sauces are featured in Michael Waddell’s jalapeno-dill turkey nuggets recipe, a can’t-miss delicious experience!

Prime Cuts: Joe Thomas’ Grilled Antelope Medallions Recipe

by Joe Thomas

Grilled Antelope Medallions recipe and video

In a recent Prime Cuts Wild Game Edition episode, award-winning chef and host David Bancroft joined veteran outdoorsman Joe Thomas as the North American Super Slam winner demonstrated how to prepare his grilled antelope medallions recipe.

Joe starts by butterflying tenderloins from an antelope he harvested with a bow as one of the 29 North American animal species needed to claim Super Slam status. He prefers butterflied tenderloins because, once separated, he’s left with two medallions that are perfectly sized for grilling.

Joe then mixes up a simple marinade consisting of olive oil, soy sauce, and Montreal Steak Seasoning into a Ziploc bag. Then, he marinates his antelope in it for no more than 24 hours. (He suggests turning the bag every 4-6 hours to ensure even coverage.)

Once his antelope steaks are ready to grill, Joe likes to heat his grill to a temperature of 450-500 degrees so it cooks fast. Usually the medallions are ready to come off the grill in 4-5 minutes, so be sure to turn them every 1-2 minutes.

While matching Joe Thomas’ hunting prowess might be a stretch, you can replicate his antelope medallions using the recipe below. 

Prime Cuts: Monterey Antelope Medallions from Joe Thomas
Pin
Print

Prime Cuts: Monterey Antelope Medallions from Joe Thomas

Servings

4-6

servings
Total time

5

minutes


North American Super Slam winner Joe Thomas’ favorite hunt-camp meal: grilled antelope medallions.

MONTEREY MARINADE Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp. Monterey steak seasoning

  • 1/2 cup olive oil

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce (mix of regular and low sodium)

  • FINGERLING ROASTED POTATOES COOKING DIRECTIONS

  • Salt

  • Pepper

  • Cook in olive oil, either in a pizza oven or on a stovetop (sprinkling in salt and pepper to taste in the process)

  • BLUE OYSTER MUSHROOMS COOKING DIRECTIONS

  • Cook in olive oil on a stovetop (sprinkling in salt and pepper to taste, then pouring beef stock gravy over the top in the process)

  • GRILLED ASPARAGUS COOKING DIRECTIONS

  • Place dry asparagus on grill, then cook until they reach your desired temperature/color preference

Directions

  • Cut approximately 2 pounds (4-6 servings) of antelope into ¾”-thick medallions that are 1 ½” x 2 ½” in average size
  • Place medallions into a Ziplock bag containing the above-mentioned marinade and allow to sit for 24 hours (turn/flip the bags a couple of times in the process)
  • Place marinated medallions on a 450- to 500-degree heated grill, and cook for 4-5 minutes (flipping them every 1-2) until most popular Medium temperature (grill/sear outside with pink inside) is reached
  • Don’t overcook

Recipe Video

For more game recipes, be sure to check out Prime Cuts: Wild Game Edition

Joe Thomas’ Moose Chili Recipe

by Joe Thomas

There’s a chill in the air and the leaves are starting to turn, which means it’s the perfect time to throw together a meal to warm you up during those late-night backyard bonfires. And what better way to get into the fall festivities than with a toasty bowl of chili? So, follow along in this Backyard Life cook as legendary outdoorsman Joe Thomas dishes out his mouthwatering moose chili recipe.

The History Behind Joe’s Moose Chili

Joe says that this recipe is a Thomas family fall favorite for both hunting camp and get-togethers, namely because it’s super easy to whip up and tastes even better. He credits his mother-in-law, Grandma Marlene, for the origin behind this great dish. “The only change I’ve made is she used beef and I like wild game, so I use moose meat,” Thomas says.

The meat used in this batch of chili came from a moose Thomas harvested in Newfoundland, Canada last season. But if you don’t have any moose meat of your own, don’t sweat! You can substitute it with any other wild game you have on hand (such as antelope, deer, and more). However, while subbing the meat is possible, Thomas says there’s nothing quite like moose to make this delicious chili recipe pop. It’s super lean with very little fat—just how he likes it.

Joe Thomas' Moose Chili Recipe
Pin
Print

Joe Thomas’ Moose Chili Recipe

Servings

4

servings
Total time

2

hours 

30

minutes

Joe Thomas’ moose chili is a hearty wild-game meal to spice up hunting camp—or your next backyard get-together.

Moose chili Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. Ground moose meat (browned and drained)

  • 4 cups Water

  • 1 can Tomato sauce

  • 1 can Spicy chili beans

  • 2 dashes Worchestershire sauce

  • 2 tsps. Salt

  • 2 Bay leaves

  • 2 tsp. Cumin

  • 2-4 tsp. Chili powder

  • 1/4 tsp. Allspice

  • 1-2 tsp. Cinnamon

moose chili cooking Directions

  • Place raw moose meat in a pot and cook over medium-high heat until browned. Drain excess grease.
  • Combine all the ingredients in the pot with the browned moose meat and stir until thoroughly mixed.
  • Cover pot and let simmer on low heat for approximately 2 hours. Take the lid off for the last 20 to 30 minutes and stir occasionally to help thicken.
  • Place 2 large scoops of chili in a bowl, then garnish with fresh shredded cheese, a small scoop of sour cream, shredded or diced onions, and saltine crackers.

Now you’re ready to go for the colder seasons or your next backyard football party with this easy moose chili recipe. There are tons of recipes you could use with this, but our favorite to recommend is our Easy Snacks: Homemade Potato Chips. Crumble them up on top or use them to dip.

More Wild Game Recipes:

Prime Cuts: Michael Waddell’s Jalapeño-Dill Wild-Turkey Nuggets Recipe

by Michael Waddell

In a recent Prime Cuts Wild Game Edition episode, award-winning chef and host David Bancroft teamed up with Michael Waddell to prepare the Bone Collector star’s deep-fried, jalapeño-dill turkey nuggets recipe. 

Michael starts by cutting bite-size nuggets from the turkey his wife harvested on their Georgia farm last fall. When cutting the nuggets, Michael suggests doing so across the grain of the meat, and to your desired thickness. 

Naturally, wild bird meat is leaner and more muscular than the store-bought variety (which is often pumped full of saltwater). Brining your meat before cooking will help keep it moist and tender as it cooks. Michael marinades his nuggets overnight in a jalapeño and dill pickle juice brine mixture. He then coats his nuggets in a batter made from flour and spices, then deep fries them in peanut oil at 350 degrees. The nuggets are done once they’re golden brown and floating in the oil.

As a bonus to this delicious recipe for wild turkey, chef David Bancroft mixes up his and her dipping sauces. One sweet and one creamy, the honey mustard and fire-roasted poblano ranch sauces provide a perfect complement to the tangy spice of the jalapeño-dill turkey nuggets.

Who better to teach you how to cook wild turkey than the Bone Collector himself, right? So, what are you waiting for? Try preparing it yourself with the help of Waddell’s recipe for wild turkey, below.

Jalapeño-Dill Turkey Nuggets and Dipping Sauce Recipes
Pin
Print

Jalapeño-Dill Turkey Nuggets and Dipping Sauce Recipes

Cuisine: AmericanDifficulty: easy
Servings

0

servings
Total time

0

minutes

Michael Waddell’s wild turkey nuggets are marinated in a spicy jalapeno-dill brine overnight before deep frying in peanut oil and serving with his and her dipping sauces.

WILD-TURKEY NUGGETS

  • TURKEY NUGGET MARINADE INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup Dill pickle juice

  • 1 cup Jalapeño pickle juice

  • let marinade sit overnight

  • TURKEY NUGGET BATTER INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups All-purpose flour

  • 1 tsp. Kosher salt

  • 1 tsp. Ground black pepper

  • 1/2 tsp. Garlic powder

  • Cayenne pepper (dash) and mix together

  • SPICY HONEY MUSTARD “HERS” SAUCE INGREDIENTS

  • Duke’s mayonnaise (to taste)

  • Dijon mustard (to taste)

  • Honey (to taste)

  • Salt (pinch)

  • Cayenne pepper (dash) and mix together

  • POBLANO RANCH “HIS” SAUCE INGREDIENTS

  • Poblano peppers (charred on hot grill and outer skins removed)

  • 1 cup buttermilk (pureed with Poblano peppers until smooth)

  • 1 cup Duke’s mayonnaise (pureed with Poblano peppers until smooth)

  • Buttermilk Ranch dressing seasoning packet (to taste)

TURKEY NUGGET COOKING Directions

  • Heat peanut oil to 350 degrees
  • Cut turkey breast length-wise, across the grain, then opposite the grain into smaller nuggets, and, finally, trim any extra fat
  • Place nuggets in marinade (see ingredients above)
  • Place marinated nuggets (as dry as you can) in a bowl containing the flour mixture (batter recipe above). The fewer nuggets placed in the mixture at a time, the better
  • Put nuggets in marinade (see ingredients above)
  • Take marinated nuggets (as dry as you can) can place them into the flour mixture (batter recipe above) mix up in the bowl. Few nugget pieces at a time the better.
  • Shake excess flour off nuggets, then place them into your hot peanut oil and cook until they’re golden brown and begin to float to the top of your fry pan
  • Serve with the “his” and “hers” dipping sauces you like (recipes above)

For more field-to-table recipes like this, check out Prime Cuts: Wild Game Edition. 

Ballistic BBQ’s Maui-Style Short Ribs Recipe

by Greg Mrvich

Hawaii is one of the world’s most beautiful places comprised of eight, stunning islands. The islands are home to incredible wildlife, lush forests, incredible mountain peaks, and active volcanoes. It’s well-known that Hawaii is a huge vacation destination for the entire world, but especially for those that live in the US. From the whale-spotting and it’s incredible hiking and luxury resorts, the food on the island is unbelievable.

Beyond its world-famous beaches and humpback whale migration, Hawaii’s second-largest island, Maui, is also home to incredible farm-to-table cuisine. Which explains why Ballistic BBQ host Greg Mrvich is so excited about his latest island-inspired dish. In this Backyard Life video, Greg shares his recipe for Maui-style short ribs on the grill, as well as an unbelievable marinade and a unique Hawaiian macaroni salad to round out this delectable meal.

Short Ribs on the Grill, Maui-Style

Maui-style short ribs—a.k.a. Hawaiian plate lunches— are flanken-cut beef short ribs prepared in an island-style marinade. Greg says they can be found all over Maui—and he loves them! There’s not much that’s better than creating a taste of the islands right at home; it’s like a vacation without breaking the bank.

Fun tip: this is a great option for a Tiki party or a backyard BBQ. And try making this candied butternut squash recipe for an even more dynamic flavor profile.

If you’re looking for something that’s delicious but isn’t too time-consuming for your events, this is the Maui-style recipe for you. These short ribs on the grill are delicious without being over-the-top and they’re something almost everyone is going to love.

Ballistic BBQ’s Short Ribs on the Grill, Maui-Style Recipe
Pin
Print

Ballistic BBQ’s Short Ribs on the Grill, Maui-Style Recipe

Cuisine: Hawaiian

Ingredients

  • Marinade Ingredients

  • 2 kiwis (peeled and chopped)

  • 3 green onions (chopped)

  • ¼cup soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil

  • 6 cloves garlic (crushed)

  • 2 tablespoons rice wine

  • Black pepper (to taste)

  • Hawaiian Mac Salad Ingredients

  • 1 pound elbow macaroni pasta (cooked until soft and allowed to cool)

  • ½ sweet white onion (grated)

  • ½ cup carrots (grated)

  • 2 tablespoons dill pickle relish

  • 2½ cups mayo

  • 4 boiled eggs (chopped)

  • Salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions

  • Blend marinade ingredients together in a food processor.
  • Place three pounds of flanken-cut (cut across the bone) beef short ribs in a 2 ½-gallon Ziploc bag along with the marinade.
  • Place it in the fridge for at least two hours (although Greg prefers to let his marinade overnight).
  • While the ribs are marinating, mix the ingredients for the Hawaiian Mac in a bowl in the order they’re listed in.
  • Remove the ribs from the marinade and place them on a grill that’s been set up for direct heat (with a cool zone).
  • Grill them (flipping and moving frequently) for 2-3 minutes per side, then let them rest for about 15 minutes before plating with the mac salad and serving.

Greg’s Maui-style short ribs recipe is a great way to bring a taste of the islands to your friends and family at your next great, backyard event. Give it, and maybe even some of the terrific recipes below, a try!

More Like This:

Trending