The Ultimate Jerky?

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obiwan canoli
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Re: The Ultimate Jerky?

Post by obiwan canoli »

I've made plenty of jerky at home in my dehydrator, but have a smoker, too, and may give that a whirl next time around...

I wonder, though... has anyone tried to make a dried meat like the Jack Links? Not the jerky, but the bite-sized pieces? Expensive as hell to buy, but could probably be made cheaply enough (for backpacker's tastes) at home... just not sure how to begin... or is this another case for home experimentation?
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ERIC
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Re: The Ultimate Jerky?

Post by ERIC »

obiwan canoli wrote:I wonder, though... has anyone tried to make a dried meat like the Jack Links? Not the jerky, but the bite-sized pieces? Expensive as hell to buy, but could probably be made cheaply enough (for backpacker's tastes) at home... just not sure how to begin... or is this another case for home experimentation?
Now there's an idea! I'm going to have to give that idea a go. Probably not until this winter, but I'll try it using both the smoker and the dehydrator to see if one works better then the other.
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bob adams
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Re: The Ultimate Jerky?

Post by bob adams »

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?
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TopazGirl
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Re: The Ultimate Jerky?

Post by TopazGirl »

We can't stand store bought jerky and we make our own, so simple and never had the problem of it getting rancid with the fat as t never lasts that long to go bad! My Husband has an old standby reciepe that is so simple and is delish. Get any cut such as London Broil,(best) large Rump Roast, we've tried Brisket(ok), use one bottle Worschestshire sauce, garlic to taste, the juice of 3 fresh lemons, generous amount of Montreal Steak seasoning, adjust to your taste, but the meat does soak up the marinade so be aware. We let it sit for about 4 to 6 hours and then put in your dehidrator. No need to add salt to this as the Worschestshire sauce has enough sodium in it. Also have the Butcher at the meat counter slice it up for you,it saves soooo much time and trouble! \:D/ We have never had them say no before, get it as thi as they can 1/4" is best! This is so perfect for taking out on the trails.
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maverick
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Re: The Ultimate Jerky?

Post by maverick »

Hi TopazGirl

Welcome to HST, and thank you, and Bob for submitting these great sounding
jerky recipes!
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Bad Man From Bodie
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Re: The Ultimate Jerky?

Post by Bad Man From Bodie »

Next Best Jerky Ever…..for me is not even traditionally considered “jerky” and beats my smoked stuff any day. The traditional way to preserve and dry/Jerk meat also in my opinion taste the best. I don’t use fancy marinades or cures, its all natural and done similar to how the natives do it. My recipe however comes from South Africa. I make what’s called Biltong.

I basically cut my meat into thick strips about 1’’ thick and about 12’’ long. Then I take kosher salt and coriander and rub it into the meat. I then take a container and place a bottom layer of meat followed by a layer of coriander/salt. Then I make another meat layer followed by coriander and salt, then another meat layer and so on. I let the meat naturally cure in the salt for about 3-4 days. The coriander adds flavor and keeps the flies away. I then find a dry cool place to hang the meat strips for about a week or two. The Biltong is done when you can cut into the meat and it is slightly red or soft in the middle. This stuff keeps forever and is unbelievably good. Beats traditional Jerky any day.
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bob adams
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Re: The Ultimate Jerky?

Post by bob adams »

Bad man ... i recently had some Kudo biltong that was brought back to me from SA by my daughter. It was really good. I'm thinking of trying to make some next Christmas with beef. I'll use your receipe.
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DriveFly44
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Re: The Ultimate Jerky?

Post by DriveFly44 »

BMFB, great recipe man. I'm going to give that a try. Thanks for the tip.


Ladd
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RooPhillip
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Re: The Ultimate Jerky?

Post by RooPhillip »

I'm new around here and this appears to be an old thread, but I thought I'd add my 2 cents and my favorite jerky recipe.

London Broil seems to work best as others have mentioned, and a cheapo dehydrator works great. The key to consistency is slicing the meat uniformly. One good trick to make this easier is to put the meat in the freezer for a while, taking it out when it is partially frozen and stiff. This makes uniform slices a piece of cake. I shoot for about 3/16 thick and marinate it overnight.

Marinade:
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cheapo white wine
1 tsp of liquid smoke
3 TBSP dried onion

Load up the racks and take it off when it's done! My dehydrator usually takes 5-6 hours. This recipe results in a smoky/salty/oniony flavor that kicks butt on any store-bought stuff. :)
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