Hunt Down This Sweet And Spicy Jerky

Ingredients

• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
• 3 cloves garlic
• finely minced
• 2 shallots
• finely minced
• 1 jalapeno
• finely minced
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 pounds lean meat from horned or antlered game (deer
• elk
• caribou
• moose
• etc.)
• sliced into 3/8-inch strips (freezing the meat for a couple of hours makes the slicing easier and helps to get slices of even thickness)

Instructions

1. Combine all of the ingredients except for the meat in a medium bowl.
2. Whisk to combine well.
3. Add the strips of game meat to the marinade, being sure to cover it all completely.
4. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 12 hours and up to 48 hours; the longer its in the marinade, the better.
5. Remove the meat from the marinade and drain.
6. Pat it dry.
7. Lay out the meat on dehydrator trays, with space between the slices.
8. Set the dehydrator to 145 degrees -155 degrees and dry the jerky for 1 1/2-2 1/2 hours or until completely dry.
9. (Dehydrators may vary.)
10. You want the meat to still have some flexibility.
11. The pieces shouldnt crack in two when you bend them; rather, they should break to reveal a network of thin white lines.