I want to make my own make my own jerky, where to start?!


Question: I love jerky good jerky, I have loved good jerky since me and my uncle my uncle went camping when I was six. His friend brought homemade jerky. But is is so rare I can get good jerky. Only jerky I can find regularlly around me is the mass produced, over tender, under flavored stuff you find at the the store. So I wanna make it my self.
Anyone have a good site they use as refrence, jerky forum, how to site, or just advice. Maybe a book, a good dehydrator, recipes they like? Anything will help. Thanks alot


Answers: I love jerky good jerky, I have loved good jerky since me and my uncle my uncle went camping when I was six. His friend brought homemade jerky. But is is so rare I can get good jerky. Only jerky I can find regularlly around me is the mass produced, over tender, under flavored stuff you find at the the store. So I wanna make it my self.
Anyone have a good site they use as refrence, jerky forum, how to site, or just advice. Maybe a book, a good dehydrator, recipes they like? Anything will help. Thanks alot

If you do not have or do not want to purchase a dehydrator...get a couple of filters the size of a box fan (non-fiberglass). Follow a simple marinade for the meat & when you are ready take the strips and lay them out in the slots of the filter. Take the other filter and lay it on top. Bungee cord this to the box fan and plug it in outside (remember the meat with be protected between the filters) let it run for 48 hours. Make sure the air blows through the filters attached to it with a bungee cord.

I saw this on Alton Brown's cooking show. He said the best jerky he ever had was done this way and it taste better when dried cold rather than with heat. He said he never uses a dehydrator to make his. As cool as the days are getting now it would be a perfect time to make some, huh?

The marinade's for jerky depends on your taste. Look on Alton Brown's site on foodnetwork .com for some awesome marinades. Simple yet tasty!

Really, don't knock this till you tried it. Jerky is better made with cold air.

"Venison Jerky"

Ingredients-
2 pounds lean ground venison or beef
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons monosodium glutamate (MSG)
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
2 teaspoons curing salt
1 1/2 teaspoons barbeque seasoning
2 teaspoons water
2 teaspoons hickory-flavored liquid smoke
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preparation-
In a large bowl, combine ground venison, salt, MSG, hot sauce, curing salt, barbeque seasoning, water, liquid smoke, garlic powder, and pepper; mix thoroughly. Cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Line food dehydrator trays with plastic wrap. Pat meat mixture into a very thin layer on the trays. Place in dehydrator set according to manufacturers directions. Once the meat has firmed up, after about the first 2 hours, remove it from the plastic, cut into strips, and replace onto the racks. Continue until the meat is done drying, about 5 to 10 hours total depending on machine.
When finished, blot off any grease with a paper towel. Store in the refrigerator in a jar with a tight fitting lid.

If you can swing it, a good dehydrator. Vesco makes some nice ones. I have the top of the line, mainly because it has a digital timer, but you can get away with lesser models if you just buy a $15 light timer in a hardware store.

As for the rest, just experiment. Flank steak seems to be best, but I've used little sandwich steaks too. Experiment with flavors, don't be beholden to standard flavors. One of my most favorite experiments resulted in a citrus-orange flavor jerky. When you make your own, you can do anything you want.

ALL YOU NEED IS A FOOD DEHYDRATER,ANDGET A ROAST AT THE STORE AND HAVE THE BUTCHER SLICE IT PUT IT IN A ZIP LOCK WITH WHATEVER FLAVORINGS YOU WANT OVERNIGHT IN THE FRIDGE AND PUT IT IN THE HYDRATOR THE NEXT DAY, ITS SO GOOD

BEEF JERKY

4 pounds lean beef, sliced into 1/4" strips
1/2 tsp hickory or mesquite smoke flavoring
1/4 cup soy or teriyaki sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cracked black pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons molasses or brown sugar (optional)
1/2 cup barbecue sauce or ketchup

Choose lean beef only, as fat goes rancid when making jerky. Remove all fat from meat.
Beef top round, flank steak and rump work well. To make jerky that isn't hard to chew, slice across the grain no more than 1/4" thick and don't overdry it. If you freeze meat for a short time, not until it is frozen solid, but just until ice crystals form and meat can still be pierced easily with the point of a knife, then it will be easier to slice thinly. You can also use an electric slicer (Rival or Chef's Choice make home type slicers if you'll be making a lot of jerky).

Combine ingredients and marinate meat in a ziploc bag in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours, stirring occasionally. Be sure marinade gets between the slices and covers the meat.

Drain liquid and place in smoker, oven, or food dehydrator at 160-180°F. Turn when dripping stops. They are ready when jerky is dry enough to easily break off a portion, but still has enough resilience to crack when bent, but not break (4-8 hours). It should not be tough and leathery.

It's important to store jerky away from humidity. Let cool completely before packaging. Seal up in Food Saver bags, canning jars or use Press-N-Seal or aluminum foil to keep away air and humidity. If you won't be using right away, store in the refrigerator to preserve freshness longer, but jerky can be kept without refrigeration.

Note: Sodium Nitrate (curing salt) can be used to enhance preservative qualities, but is not required. If used, add 3/4 teaspoon to the above recipe or follow directions on package.





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