“Sugar and spice, makes everything nice.” I imagine you’ve heard this saying before; I’ll get to this later. Last weekend marked the last package of deer meat in the freezer. I would have run out months ago but saved this one for something special. I’ve experimented — as a novice — with making venison jerky over several years but haven’t been satisfied with the outcome, until this year.

First, I had issues with my “smoker.” A traditional smoker includes some sort of firebox to burn wood in. Next, is a pipe or something to convey heat and smoke to a separate box where food is hung to cook and smoke in. The firebox I used includes a 2-by-3-foot maple arch for boiling sap in late winter. I removed the vertical pipe or stack and replaced it with a horizontal pipe to channel smoke backwards and outside the sugar house and then upwards into a wooden smoker. The firebox inside the sugar house is sealed and covered with a pan filled with water. My issues in the past were too much smoke and not enough draft. In other words, my smoker wasn’t elevated enough for the wood to burn clean and hot. If the smoke isn’t “blue,” but instead white or worse black, then your meat will collect creosote. It turns out that creosote-flavored meat isn’t the best jerky and probably not good for you either; It isn’t edible.

This year, I kept it simple. After slicing the meat into long strands, I first drenched them in maple syrup, and then a concoction of leftover spices from the kitchen counter. The meat was then left overnight in a baking pan in the fridge. The next day, I finely split up some black cherry; hickory or apple would work well too. The wood should be properly seasoned. I did not add water to the smoker since I felt the moisture was adequate. I did add some handfuls of wood charcoal to provide extra heat. Once the fire was good and hot, the meat was added to the smoker and left inside for about an hour or so. I like jerky that almost snaps when you bend it. Finally, it came out well.

Jerky is fun to make. It’s kind of like ancient man’s version of a protein bar-to-go or the military’s dehydrated meal-ready-to-eat (MRE). Recently, I was reading Francis Bailey’s Journal of a Tour in Unsettled Parts of North America in 1796 and 1797. In it, Baily discusses how lightly Native Americans traveled the landscape in comparison to he and his fellow travelers. For example, Native rations included little more than venison jerky hung from their necks on long-distance trips and hunting ventures. This practice continues today in some form.

Although I don’t hang meat from my neck, I do bring some jerky with me when hunting in the mountains as some hunters do. It doesn’t take up much space and packs a lot of nutrients into a bite full. I also like some sugar in my diet when hiking up hills for some quick energy, which is why maple syrup was mixed into the rub. Plus, in tastes good. Besides, I’m kind of sentimental regarding deer meat and maple syrup, and their combination of something sweet from a tree and something that feeds directly on trees. And when you combine wood-smoke from cherry or apple, you certainly have something that is authentically “from the forest.”

Making your own jerky can save money too. Anyone who buys jerky at the gas station knows that it isn’t cheap. Apparently, most of this jerky is dehydrated and not necessarily smoked. I do like some dehydrated meat but smoked offers a unique and hard to find taste. In any case, smoked venison jerky does exist and it’s even more expensive. I found it being sold anywhere from $50 to $80/lb. That’s no joke. Smoking jerky can be done in so many ways and is only limited by your creativity or curiosity. Find what works for you. To me, it’s just one more way to savor the hunt, and another reason to return to the forest.