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Does anyone make jerky
- Thread starter calgon
- Start date
I use all types of meat, but center loin is the best (but most expensive), the least connective tissue in the meat the better, easier eating.
When I have the butcher slice it, it's close to 3/16 to 1/4" thick, i prefer 1/4".
The key to dehydration is low to no heat. Cold air dehydrates faster than hot air. So if you buy a dehydrator, get one that has a very low heat setting. Low and Slow, be patient. You don't want to cook the meat, this makes it chewy.
The best way is acutally get pleated paper furnace filters, put your marinated meat (blotted dry) on them, stack them on a box fan and bungy them down and turn the fan on. It will take a while, but the colder the air the faster it'll dry out.
Overdrying isn't bad if done right, which means no heat. Those that say don't overdry it are using to much heat and cooking the meet. Like eating a Very well done steak...they suck.
When I have the butcher slice it, it's close to 3/16 to 1/4" thick, i prefer 1/4".
The key to dehydration is low to no heat. Cold air dehydrates faster than hot air. So if you buy a dehydrator, get one that has a very low heat setting. Low and Slow, be patient. You don't want to cook the meat, this makes it chewy.
The best way is acutally get pleated paper furnace filters, put your marinated meat (blotted dry) on them, stack them on a box fan and bungy them down and turn the fan on. It will take a while, but the colder the air the faster it'll dry out.
Overdrying isn't bad if done right, which means no heat. Those that say don't overdry it are using to much heat and cooking the meet. Like eating a Very well done steak...they suck.
BTW, I've never boiled anything (meat or marinade) and have made hundreds of pounds of jerky.
Don't store your jerky in plastic bags, get a container w/ a good seal or glass jar w/ lid. Plastic will let moisture in and it wont last as long.
Properly dried meat will last a long time in an airtight container (12 mo), maybe a month in a bag.
Don't store your jerky in plastic bags, get a container w/ a good seal or glass jar w/ lid. Plastic will let moisture in and it wont last as long.
Properly dried meat will last a long time in an airtight container (12 mo), maybe a month in a bag.
Tobacco Giant
Conn. Broadleaf Slayer
"Dad, we're men. That means a few things - we like to sh*t with the door open, we talk about p****, we go on riverboat gambling trips, and we make our own beef jerky. That's what we do, and now that is all wrecked. "
"We literally have never done any of those things. "
"We literally have never done any of those things. "
cartisdm
Young & Eager
Reading through this thread again got my mouth watering. After work I'm heading straight to the grocery store to pick up some london broil or flank steak (whichever is cheaper).
I'm going to make one marinade then experiment with a couple different cuts and dehydrating methods
I'm going to make one marinade then experiment with a couple different cuts and dehydrating methods
Use some of the less desirable pieces, front shoulder & neck, to make your jerky. The rest is too good to make jerky out of. I'd rather eat elk than beef any day.
I've used this as a base for experimenting with for years. I think it would work equally well for beef.
http://www.ducks.org/hunting/recipes/spicy-goose-jerky
http://www.ducks.org/hunting/recipes/spicy-goose-jerky
I never measure my ingredients, so everything is approximate below.
Korean Style Barbeque
1-2 cups lite Soy (reduced Sodium)
1/2 cup Worchestershire
1/4 cup Garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tbs Sesame oil
1/2 - 1 cup Srirachi hot chili sauce
1/2 cup Sweet Chili sauce
1/8 cup pureed pickled ginger
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
I blend that all together in a food processor or blender until smooth. Balance things out if it needs anything. should be spicey on the tongue and throat as when its dried it won't be so hot.
Bourbon jerky
3/4 cup lite soy
1/2 cup of ketchup
1-2 cups bourbon
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/3 cup garlic powder (or granulated)
1/2 cup franks red hot
Salt/pepper to taste
Blend it all together.
Korean Style Barbeque
1-2 cups lite Soy (reduced Sodium)
1/2 cup Worchestershire
1/4 cup Garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tbs Sesame oil
1/2 - 1 cup Srirachi hot chili sauce
1/2 cup Sweet Chili sauce
1/8 cup pureed pickled ginger
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
I blend that all together in a food processor or blender until smooth. Balance things out if it needs anything. should be spicey on the tongue and throat as when its dried it won't be so hot.
Bourbon jerky
3/4 cup lite soy
1/2 cup of ketchup
1-2 cups bourbon
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/3 cup garlic powder (or granulated)
1/2 cup franks red hot
Salt/pepper to taste
Blend it all together.
calgon
stevesmoke
lots of great info! In the next couple of weeks i should have something made, so stay tuned ill let yall know how it turns out. Thanks again
one of those round tray dehydrators works well. i started with a walmart cheapie that heated from the bottom and now have a larger capacity heat from the top model that I got at bed bath and beyond. The newer one might cook a little faster and more evenly but as already mentioned just rotate the racks once or twice and you are good to go. I like to rotate trays from bottom to top as well to even out the cooking time. smaller pieces will always dehydrate faster so you may have to take some off earlier in the cooking process.
I prefer london broil but have had good results with other cuts as well. results are usually better if I cut it myself vs buying something already sliced thin. I prefer to have some fat as it caramelizes during the cooking process, but fatty and chewy are two different things.
the hardest part is deciding when to take it off as it is a delicate balance between too chewy and too crunchy. I have been doing this for years and have had lots of good feedback on the results and no one has gotten sick yet either
For marinade, go hotter than you want since it wont retain all the heat, I find that dry heat (pepper flakes) retain more of their heat than say liquid hot sauce. marinade overnight in the fridge shaking to coat once or twice. Use spices that you like and experiment, I find that some liquid smoke adds a nice flavor if you aren't actually smoking the meat. (i use the mesquite for beef) Combine that with your favorite hot sauce some black and red pepper and some BBQ and Worcestershire and you are good to go. you can also throw in some sea salt if you want but usually the sauces contain enough salt. I also like to toss in some habanero sauce but some tell me it gets too hot, but just like chili I think jerky should have some kick to it.
hope this helps! It makes a great snack during football season!
:ccool:
I prefer london broil but have had good results with other cuts as well. results are usually better if I cut it myself vs buying something already sliced thin. I prefer to have some fat as it caramelizes during the cooking process, but fatty and chewy are two different things.
the hardest part is deciding when to take it off as it is a delicate balance between too chewy and too crunchy. I have been doing this for years and have had lots of good feedback on the results and no one has gotten sick yet either
For marinade, go hotter than you want since it wont retain all the heat, I find that dry heat (pepper flakes) retain more of their heat than say liquid hot sauce. marinade overnight in the fridge shaking to coat once or twice. Use spices that you like and experiment, I find that some liquid smoke adds a nice flavor if you aren't actually smoking the meat. (i use the mesquite for beef) Combine that with your favorite hot sauce some black and red pepper and some BBQ and Worcestershire and you are good to go. you can also throw in some sea salt if you want but usually the sauces contain enough salt. I also like to toss in some habanero sauce but some tell me it gets too hot, but just like chili I think jerky should have some kick to it.
hope this helps! It makes a great snack during football season!
:ccool:
to answer the original question homemade is better than store bought mass produced jerky. Now there are some specialty meat markets I have found that make a very good jerky but it is also very pricey usually around 7.99 for 3 oz cooked weight...
so yes make your own :thumbsup:
I saw discussion about bacteria. You'd have to have some extreme halophiles to live in the salt concentrations typically used in jerky curing. In fact that is one of the whole reasons jerky was made.
I have a goal to take dried meat product a step further making fermented and dry cured italian sausages. That take acid producing bacteria cultures, mold, good humidity control (natural for cigar enthusiasts), and temp control. I just don't have the space for that and home beer making.
I have a goal to take dried meat product a step further making fermented and dry cured italian sausages. That take acid producing bacteria cultures, mold, good humidity control (natural for cigar enthusiasts), and temp control. I just don't have the space for that and home beer making.
I understand what you are saying, but we aren't using a commercial cure which includes very large amounts of salt or tenderquick.
cartisdm
Young & Eager
I started a batch last night and took pictures. After work I'll hang it in the oven and take some more pics of the final product
EDIT: As promised, here's my first attempt at jerky since I was a kid
Ingredient list
That list is very approximate. I didn't have a recipe I was working off of, instead I just looked over a few and put together what I had available on hand. I probably should've cut back on the number of ingredients in order to narrow down a flavor profile for future batches. This one still turned out great though!
Step 1: Lay out all the supplies and get some counter space
Step 2: Chop whole peppers and pepper corns in spice grinder
Step 3: Mix up marinade in large bowl
Step 4: Using a very sharp knife, cut meat against grain in 1/8" slices. Then I tenderized it heavily with that spikey tenderizing tool
Step 5: I heated the marinade on the stove until boiling then dropped in the meat for a minute. I've never done or seen this in the past so I really had no idea what I was doing. I may skip this step down the road
Step 6: After marinading the meat in the fridge for 24hrs, remove and stack in layers of paper towels. The top layer needs two sheets of paper towels then press them all to remove excess liquid
Step 7: Using bamboo skewers, hang the pieces with enough gap to allow for one strip per slot of oven rack. Try to group pieces by their thickness so you can save yourself effort removing pieces that dehydrate faster. I also covered the bottom rack with foil in order to catch the drippings
Step 8: Be inventive (or cheap :bouncetau ). I hung a desk fan upside down so I could keep air circulating in the oven and not let them get too hot. Set oven to 100 degrees (or as low as you can).
Step 9: After 5-6 hours remove your jerky and bag (or eat) it up!!
That's it brothers. The final result is amazing. There's so many different methods to jerky that it's kind of hard to get a bad one. Let me know if you have any suggestions for when I try this next time. Next sale I see at the store I'll buy lots of cheap cuts of meat
EDIT: As promised, here's my first attempt at jerky since I was a kid
Ingredient list
- 1 cut of London broil
- 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
- 1/2 cup worsticher sauce
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2tbsp Tabasco
- 2tbsp garlic powder
- 2tbsp onion powder
- Dash of Accent
- 4 whole dried red chiles
- 2 whole dried mora chiles
- 1/4 cup American Honey
- 2tbsp whole pepper corns
- 1tbsp deli mustard
- 1tbsp dry mustard
That list is very approximate. I didn't have a recipe I was working off of, instead I just looked over a few and put together what I had available on hand. I probably should've cut back on the number of ingredients in order to narrow down a flavor profile for future batches. This one still turned out great though!
Step 1: Lay out all the supplies and get some counter space
Step 2: Chop whole peppers and pepper corns in spice grinder
Step 3: Mix up marinade in large bowl
Step 4: Using a very sharp knife, cut meat against grain in 1/8" slices. Then I tenderized it heavily with that spikey tenderizing tool
Step 5: I heated the marinade on the stove until boiling then dropped in the meat for a minute. I've never done or seen this in the past so I really had no idea what I was doing. I may skip this step down the road
Step 6: After marinading the meat in the fridge for 24hrs, remove and stack in layers of paper towels. The top layer needs two sheets of paper towels then press them all to remove excess liquid
Step 7: Using bamboo skewers, hang the pieces with enough gap to allow for one strip per slot of oven rack. Try to group pieces by their thickness so you can save yourself effort removing pieces that dehydrate faster. I also covered the bottom rack with foil in order to catch the drippings
Step 8: Be inventive (or cheap :bouncetau ). I hung a desk fan upside down so I could keep air circulating in the oven and not let them get too hot. Set oven to 100 degrees (or as low as you can).
Step 9: After 5-6 hours remove your jerky and bag (or eat) it up!!
That's it brothers. The final result is amazing. There's so many different methods to jerky that it's kind of hard to get a bad one. Let me know if you have any suggestions for when I try this next time. Next sale I see at the store I'll buy lots of cheap cuts of meat
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