Turkalo; A Recipe for Buffalo Style Turkey Jerky

You guys know I love bringing jerky to snack on during my hikes. Whether it’s teriyaki turkey jerky, standard beef jerky, or honey mustard chicken jerky, I love it all! But, my favorite jerky is turkalo which is a name that confuses almost all the new people I say it to!

“What the hell is a turkalo?”
This is a question I found myself asking a good friend as we stood sweating and panting and enjoying happy pups jumping all over us in the melting winter snow the other day.
It was one of the first days in February and it was nearly fifty degrees at nine thousand feet.
The little snow that there was, was melting fast.
The pups didn’t care, not one bit. For Carly, this was probably the best day of her life.

But before Carly would almost summit a mountain, hike fifteen miles, play in an ice cave and romp through three feet of fresh powder M and I had to figure out what a turkalo was.
This all began because I asked her if she wanted some Buffalo Turkey jerky and she looked at me in utter confusion.
She looked disgusted.
And a little upset.
”How do yo breed a Turkey and a buffalo? It’s just wrong!” It took me a moment to see where she was coming from.
”No! Buffalo-ed turkey jerky! With the vinegar and the spices! No animals were in-bred in the making of this jerky!” I explained as the pups Carly and Charlie continued to jump on us in happy doggie madness.

Once we had that settled we tried the buffalo-ed turkey jerky, Boars Head brand. It was okay. It tasted like turkey jerky. Not bad, but not the best jerky I have ever had. I expected more from a prominent band like Boars Head.

After we tried the jerky I told Mary,
” We need to make our own, we can do way better than this.”
Than Carly and I climbed two thirds of the way to the top of a mountain.

And I pondered.
And I came up with this masterpiece.

Buffalo-ed Turkey Jerky

6 turkey tenderloins, pounded out thin
1/2 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce
2 tab butter
Juice of half a lime.

Mix the marinade in a plastic bag. Put the turkey pieces in the bag for 6-12 hours (in the fridge)

Place the turkey in a colander to drain excess marinade. Spray your dehydrator trays with coconut nonstick spray. Layer the turkey on the dehydrator. Turn on for 2-4 hours until the turkey has no moisture left.
You can also make this turkey jerky in the oven if you don’t have a dehydrator. Set the oven temp at 150, put a towel in the oven door so that the oven will go to a lower temperature (Ideally 130) If your oven can be set at 130 skip this step. Put the turkey jerky in the oven for five hours at 130.