Re: The Ultimate Jerky?
Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 10:19 am
I can't imagine why anyone would buy commercial beef jerky unless you just don't have the time. My wife's jerky receipe is easy and it is highly popular among anyone who has ever tried it. At Christmas time we make 3 or 4 lbs of it to give away as presents to family.
Here's what you need to make Priss Adams' beef jerky receipe:
1) A cheap plastic dehydrator with a heating element, fan and about 4 or 5 racks. Don't buy the light bulb dehyrators. You can get a good dehydrator for less than $25.
2) A glass baking dish about 8" X 14" thereabouts. This is not rocket science but use glass.
3) Half of an eye-of-round roast (about 2-1/2 lbs). Have the butcher slice it in 3/16 to 1/4 inch thick pieces. You can go 1/8 inch but sometimes the jerky can get too dry. This will make about 3/4 lb depending on how long you dry it.
Eye-of-round is lean beef so you don't have to spend as much time trimming the fat off. You can use other cuts just trim all the fat off because that is the most important issue affecting long term preservation. (Like anyone who makes good jerky will keep it for more than two weeks!!!)
4) 3/4 cup of soy sauce more or less. Don't use a measuring cup. Just pour some into the glass baking dish until it covers the bottom with enough to cover the meat. Le Choy is fine. I guess you could use the Japanese tamari but I save that for my sushi.
5) one tablespoon of brown sugar
6) 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of Liquid Smoke. Don't have to use if you prefer.
7) fresh finely ground black pepper
8) Mix Items 4, 5 and 6 until sugar is dissolved.
9) Pat the beef strips with paper towels to dry them.
10) This step is the most important. A lot of people think that you need to marinate the meat overnight. This is dead wrong thinking IMO. I want to taste the beef. I want the soy sauce because the salt in it will preserve the meat and the soy sauce and Liquid Smoke will give some flavor, but I don't want the marinade to overpower the taste of the beef.
Place the beef strips in the marinade for 15 to 25 minutes only. Move them around so all strips spend some time soaking. Soak thinner strips towards 15 minutes, thicker strips towards 25 minutes. Trust me, that is all the marinate you need. You want the meat to begin to take on the color of the soy sauce but not turn brown.
11) Drain the strips and place on the dehydrator racks. Grind pepper on strips to taste but don't use too much unless you have plenty of cold beer to go with it.
12) 1/8 inch thick pieces should be dried for approximately 5 hours. 3/16 and 1/4 inch pieces should be dried for 6 to 8 hours. If you have a mix of thick and thin, the thicker pieces should be closest to heating element. Check the flexibility of the meat about mid-way through the drying process. Rotate the racks if you see that some pieces are drying faster than others. If some pieces appear to have reached the moisture level you like in your jerky, take them off and let the others finish.
13) Store in a sealable plastic bag. I have vacuum packaged some of mine in an oxygen barrier bag and it will last months but don't do this unless you have the proper barrier bag.
That's all there is to it. Enjoy.
PS: Hey Obi. This is Sol. How are you doing? Have you heard from AnnieB (pdog) or Mel lately?
Here's what you need to make Priss Adams' beef jerky receipe:
1) A cheap plastic dehydrator with a heating element, fan and about 4 or 5 racks. Don't buy the light bulb dehyrators. You can get a good dehydrator for less than $25.
2) A glass baking dish about 8" X 14" thereabouts. This is not rocket science but use glass.
3) Half of an eye-of-round roast (about 2-1/2 lbs). Have the butcher slice it in 3/16 to 1/4 inch thick pieces. You can go 1/8 inch but sometimes the jerky can get too dry. This will make about 3/4 lb depending on how long you dry it.
Eye-of-round is lean beef so you don't have to spend as much time trimming the fat off. You can use other cuts just trim all the fat off because that is the most important issue affecting long term preservation. (Like anyone who makes good jerky will keep it for more than two weeks!!!)
4) 3/4 cup of soy sauce more or less. Don't use a measuring cup. Just pour some into the glass baking dish until it covers the bottom with enough to cover the meat. Le Choy is fine. I guess you could use the Japanese tamari but I save that for my sushi.
5) one tablespoon of brown sugar
6) 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of Liquid Smoke. Don't have to use if you prefer.
7) fresh finely ground black pepper
8) Mix Items 4, 5 and 6 until sugar is dissolved.
9) Pat the beef strips with paper towels to dry them.
10) This step is the most important. A lot of people think that you need to marinate the meat overnight. This is dead wrong thinking IMO. I want to taste the beef. I want the soy sauce because the salt in it will preserve the meat and the soy sauce and Liquid Smoke will give some flavor, but I don't want the marinade to overpower the taste of the beef.
Place the beef strips in the marinade for 15 to 25 minutes only. Move them around so all strips spend some time soaking. Soak thinner strips towards 15 minutes, thicker strips towards 25 minutes. Trust me, that is all the marinate you need. You want the meat to begin to take on the color of the soy sauce but not turn brown.
11) Drain the strips and place on the dehydrator racks. Grind pepper on strips to taste but don't use too much unless you have plenty of cold beer to go with it.
12) 1/8 inch thick pieces should be dried for approximately 5 hours. 3/16 and 1/4 inch pieces should be dried for 6 to 8 hours. If you have a mix of thick and thin, the thicker pieces should be closest to heating element. Check the flexibility of the meat about mid-way through the drying process. Rotate the racks if you see that some pieces are drying faster than others. If some pieces appear to have reached the moisture level you like in your jerky, take them off and let the others finish.
13) Store in a sealable plastic bag. I have vacuum packaged some of mine in an oxygen barrier bag and it will last months but don't do this unless you have the proper barrier bag.
That's all there is to it. Enjoy.
PS: Hey Obi. This is Sol. How are you doing? Have you heard from AnnieB (pdog) or Mel lately?