Anyone ever make venison liver jerky???

[Tripplebeards]

I went through last season's meat and forgot I had a huge liver from my buck. It was wrapped air tight in plastic pallet wrapping. I thawed it out last week and cut it up into strips. It definitely stilled smelled like fresh really strong liver. I soaked it in a vinegar and pickeling salt solution for a good four days to try and remove as much blood as possible. I figured the vinegar would kill any bacteria. I then soaked it for a day in milk. Just about all the "liver" smell was gone this morning with just about all of the blood. I sprinkled both sides of the strips with jerky cure seasoning and placed on a Saran Wrap covered rack to sit and cure for a a couple days in my fridge. I'll put the strips in my smoker on Monday and see how it goes.

[M-Tecs]

While I like liver and onions liver jerky is something that doesn't trip my trigger. Keep us posted. If you have success I may give it a try.

[Pinger87]

Not a huge fan of liver in general, but I've never seen it in jerky form.

[Markopolo]

i sure love liver from a fresh killed deer... if I cant eat it right away, I soak, then vac pack it up... i just love um....

[MaryB]

Y'all can have ALL of my liver! I was forced to eat it s a kid because it was cheap(free when my mom worked at the butcher, when it was to old to sell she got to take it home) so we had it at least twice a week. Now the smell alone is enough to make me gag.

[JWFilips]

Why waste good liver making jerky.
Slice It, fry it in a cast Iron pan in some butter at 1 minute per side and eat it medium rare....Nothing in there will kill you

[Lloyd Smale]

i detest liver too and dont know if you could even make it into jerky. I saw on line somewhere where the best thing to feed your dog is liver and hearts raw. So this year crop damage i saved about 20 of each. I tried grinding the liver and it turned into blood mush. I think if you pulled the moisture all out what youd be left with is dried blood. by the way i put a bowl of that mush out for the dog and he wouldnt touch it. It sat there all day and this dog will eat about anything. I leave the guts in the woods for there birds and coyotes.

[Tripplebeards]

I soaked most the blood out so I’m curious if it will turn out half way decent. If not I’ll use it for raccoon bait.

[BJK]

I never made it and can't cobble together in my mind any thought that it would be good. But I'm keeping an open mind and will follow the result of the experiment.

I once found and bought liver jerky used for dog treats. Whoops! Not jerky, they were freeze dried. The dogs loved them.

[gwpercle]

I absolutely love Liver ... Liver and onions , fried chicken livers , liver pate' ...
But Venison Liver Jerky... I don't know ... I think it will be very good or disgusting !
I'm trying to imagine the texture ... only one way to know... Make up a batch !
Please Keep us posted on this one !!!
Gary

[gbrown]

I've been watching this, I love liver, fried, smothered in gravy and sliced onions. Had it regularly as a child. Made it for my family, but they never liked it. Never into torturing others, so I make for myself or go to Luby's when I hanker for some. I believe, thinking of the texture of liver, and knowing it doesn't have muscle fiber in it, it's going to be crunchy or turn into a powder.

[Winger Ed.]

A life long friend and hunting buddy wanted to try deer liver once. So we kept a couple from one trip.

Later on, his wife had cooked them, he called me, his wife was in the background,
and yelled from the other room for me to come over for dinner.
I told him, "Thanks, but I never really liked organ meats. Thank her, but let me pass on this one".

He held the phone away, and yelled back to his wife, "Ed. says he don't eat guts".

[Lloyd Smale]

A life long friend and hunting buddy wanted to try deer liver once. So we kept a couple from one trip.

Later on, his wife had cooked them, he called me, his wife was in the background,
and yelled from the other room for me to come over for dinner.
I told him, "Thanks, but I never really liked organ meats. Thank her, but let me pass on this one".

He held the phone away, and yelled back to his wife, "Ed. says he don't eat guts".

thats what i tell everyone. I dont eat guts or coyote food. Id about as soon eat the back straps off the coyote.

[MaryB]

Tasted coyote... ugh... nope...

[Tripplebeards]

It’s been curing since Friday. Had it in the fridge on a rack covered with saran Wrap. I drained the bottom of the pan a couple of times during the curing process. I took the cured liver strips out and placed them on my smoking racks while my Lil Totem smoker was warming up. I added some apple branches to smoke with. I’m side it will take all day or more to smoke since it’s 25 degrees for a high today with a pretty good wind on top of it all. It sure smells good. I think the 4 to 5 day soak in Pickling salt and vinegar and then a day soaking milk got enough blood out that it should taste good. I used the hunters blend hi mountain jerky cure and seasoning mix. I always smoke till the jerkey is hard as rock abs brittle. I then put it in a plastic zip lock bag immediately and sprinkle a little water in with it and toss it into the microwave for a approx a minute till it fogs the bag. I then toss it in the fridge for a day or so till it’s bendable.

[Tripplebeards]

Just got up and checked my progress. I put them in my smoker around 8am yesterday. With the temps in the teens and wind blowing it took 23 hours to get half my batch done so far. I tried a sliver of the smallest piece and it tastes great! It has the exact same texture as regular jerky. I recommend trying it. I would also recommend slicing it up into strips first and soaking it in vinegar and salt brine with brine exchanges to remove the blood drainage over a 4 to five day period while sitting in the fridge and then a day in milk to remove the vinegar first. I soak till it looks like there is no red color left in the liver pieces. Imo I trains close to all the blood out to help improve the taste. I tried the same soak last year and fried the liver up. I tasted WAY better. A lot less strong of a liver taste and smell.



I would rate it as a successful experiment and will being doing this again.

[Markopolo]

hmmm..... not sure about this one trip.. i think I will stick to the straight strong fresh liver taste...

[Tripplebeards]

My fresh liver from a couple of days ago will be getting pulled out of the freezer. I’m gonna fry it up with onions and bacon...with liver jerky for desert!

[Tripplebeards]

I just tried my first piece it takes about 10 or 12 chews to get your chew on and you start tasting liver. MMMMM!!!...Man this stuff is good!

[gwpercle]

I just tried my first piece it takes about 10 or 12 chews to get your chew on and you start tasting liver. MMMMM!!!...Man this stuff is good!

That is just amazing .... I never would have thought to even try Deer Liver Jerky !

Great post , loved the photo's ... Just ...
Gary