Jerky as Camping/Hiking Nutrition

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beckerhead

Joined
Feb 11, 2005
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Hey guys, I just finished up processing about 6 lbs. of venison jerky and was wondering about it as trail food. I know it is high protein & salty, and as such will spike my water need, which is no big issue for me.

What I was actually wondering was if anyone has a ballpark figure regarding actual nutritional content?

All that aside, MAN is it delicious!! :D

Beckerhead
 
Very high in protein!

Jerky is my favorite trailfood. I like to stop by the store before a hike and pick up a half pound of just about anything. Get to the top of the mountain, relax a bit, and slam down a bunch of meat.
 
I can't really help you too much there aside from its high in sodium and protein. I think its pretty low in fat too. I know you have venison, but you could check out the nutrition facts on a pack of beef jerky. It may give you a ball park idea of nutrition.
 
The nutritional value of venison is well known. How much meat did you start with? How much did you end up with? What was the % of weight loss due to drying? Look up the nutritional value of venison and multiply those figures by the weight ratio of raw:jerky. Add to that some figure to account for the salting. Looking at beef jerky for sodium content would not lead you astray too far. Hope this helps.
 
My brain hurts too much trying to figure all of that crap out. Here's what I know for sure - I don't care what the nutritional value of ANY type of venison is, it ALL tastes good and I'm going to eat it. Matter of fact, I'll be making some venison jerky this weekend.

BTW - congrats on the deer.
 
A 3 oz serving of venison has:
* 130 calories
* 26 grams protein
* 2 grams of fat
* 67 milligrams cholesterol
* 0.9 grams saturated fat
* 3.5 milligrams iron
* 26 milligrams magnesium
* 338 milligrams potassium
* 3 milligrams zinc
* 11 micrograms selenium
* 0.24 milligrams thiamin
* 0.4 milligrams riboflavin
* 9 milligrams niacin
* 0.6 milligrams vitamin B6
* 1.6 micrograms vitamin B12
* 1.2 micrograms vitamin K

So 3 oz of jerky would have notably more due to the liquid weight being absent. The jerky link showed more than a 70% increase in protein per oz., and more than 2 times as many calories per oz. over uncooked venison.

Thanks for the info.
 
I use lime juice in the marinade and about a quarter of the salt normally used . I end up using approx 1-2limes per lb of meat. The acid in the lime juice helps with the dehydration like the salt would and adds a very nice flavor and a healthier jerky---KV
 
Bwilson said:
My brain hurts too much trying to figure all of that crap out. Here's what I know for sure - I don't care what the nutritional value of ANY type of venison is, it ALL tastes good and I'm going to eat it. Matter of fact, I'll be making some venison jerky this weekend.

BTW - congrats on the deer.
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I'm in total agreement.:thumbup:
 
I really like jerky for trail food, and it was a large part of my daily intake while at music festivals this summer. What I like to do is throw the jerky into a ziplock bag with some smoked almonds, the almonds give you some fat that jerky (especially venison jerky) lacks and gives you another texture too. Throw in some dried cranberries or cherries or somthing similar and I feel that you've got the ultimate trail mix.
 
cmdionne said:
I really like jerky for trail food, and it was a large part of my daily intake while at music festivals this summer. What I like to do is throw the jerky into a ziplock bag with some smoked almonds, the almonds give you some fat that jerky (especially venison jerky) lacks and gives you another texture too. Throw in some dried cranberries or cherries or somthing similar and I feel that you've got the ultimate trail mix.
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Now you're getting close to pemmican! :thumbup:
 
It's tastes great and makes me thirsty. That would be the only down side for me.
 
"Let's see ... hardtack and pemmican ... that's three grams of
fat, seven grams of protein, and two starches."

"You 'n' Slim round up them strays, and I'll tell Cookie to get started on the gazpacho and the fondue." :p


Stitchawl
 
All I know is the mountain men/fur trappers pretty much lived off of jerky (and pemmican) and coffee!!!!!
It must be loaded with protein I figure...

You should try Dole Pineapple Juice and Kikkoman's Teriyaki Sauce for your next batch
Mostly the teriyaki sauce with a large splash of pineapple juice in the marinade....
 
kvaughn said:
I use lime juice in the marinade and about a quarter of the salt normally used . I end up using approx 1-2limes per lb of meat. The acid in the lime juice helps with the dehydration like the salt would and adds a very nice flavor and a healthier jerky---KV
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This sounds like a great idea! I'd love to make a Mexican jerky with cumin, coriander chile pepper and lime. Gotta get some cheap beef or better yet, a slab of venison from the neighbor.

When making jerkey in the past I used low-sodium tamari or soy sauce. I also used a good deal of sugar (brown and white) instead of an all-sodium-laced jerkey. It really helped.
 
I love jerky for trail food. That, some nuts (I prefer cashews) and bread (sometimes hardtack, sometimes fresh bread).

Oh hell yeah.
 
Grampa said:
Now you're getting close to pemmican! :thumbup:
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Low carber here, and I make my own pemmican for work and hiking. Suet & pounded jerky. maybe some dried blueberries or raw honey. Great energy food. You really need that fat! I can go 8 hours without hunger on only a 10 minute session of nibbling.

Best trail food ever, the Native Americans knew what they were doing.

If you are going to be subsisting only on jerky for a while, it had better have lots of fat in it to balance the protein. Too much protein and not enough fat, you can get pretty sick.

When I make plain old jerky I ususally use
-soy sauce
-lots of paprika
-chili powder
-garlic powder
-hickory smoke flavor (be careful, it's potent)

Simple, everyone loves it, and best of all no sugar!
 
Capt. Carl said:
-hickory smoke flavor (be careful, it's potent)

Simple, everyone loves it, and best of all no sugar!
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LOL..I fully agree!!
I spilled like a half cap full of the liquid smoke on my shirt
I smelled like I was standing next to the campfire all day :eek:

I saw a show on The Food Network that showed how they made the liquid smoke
It's basically condensation
 
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