I have dried beef, for jerky, and never soaked it in brine, or used the nasty curing chemicals, sodium nitrate, or nitrite, or sodium erythibate. I just soaked the meat in a marinade that my buddy showed me. But I later, just sprinkled the spices on the wet slices of meat, I had put on the drying racks, and it came out great. In fact I left it on longer than usual, and it came out very crispy, like a cracker, and would crumble in your mouth, and then absorb the juices in your mouth. Very tasty, and my friends keep asking me when I am going to make some more. I make a big batch, and put it in zip lock bags, take it on long trips, and hunting.
Just cut it in thin strips, and remove as much of the fat as you can, as it leads spoilage. Venison, is very lean, already, so no need to worry about the fat content of the meat. The fat is between the skin and the muscle, not in the meat as with beef.
Wayne
