RetiredUSNChief
Member
This question sparked by a recent posting about meat processing elsewhere.
What are your favorite jerky recipes and techniques?
I got started on this a few years ago and, though I've not made any game jerky, I have made quite a bit of beef jerky. I make my own teriyaki marinade, though frankly I use the "bitta-this-and-that" measurements. A jar of teriyaki sauce, a jar of soy sauce, then add some lemon-pepper (to taste, starting with a teaspoon), liquid smoke (about half a bottle, about 2 ounces, or to taste), and salt (about a teaspoon or two, 'cause Lord knows soy sauce doesn't have enough salt in it...)
I'll shop for some very lean, inexpensive cut beef like top round steak or whatever is handy at a reasonable price.
I'll put the meat in the freezer until it's half-frozen to make slicing easier. Trim off all the fat that can be trimmed off, then slice across the grain of the meat, thickness to suit. It used to drive my wife nuts when I'd use a bread knife to do this (or slice tomatoes) until I showed her the advantages of a sharp, think serrated knife blade over some of our thicker blades.
Put all the meat in my marinade pan, cover with the marinade, put it in the fridge for 24 hours. Turn the marinade pan a few times or otherwise stir things up every few hours.
I use the oven, as I can make a ton of jerky at once and very little cleanup afterwards.
Put the top rack all the way to the top, the bottom rack as low as it'll go. Line the bottom rack completely with foil to act as a disposable drip tray.
Using round toothpicks, poke a toothpick through the corner of each strip of beef and hang it on the top rack, spaced just enough to allow air to circulate.
Carefully slide both oven racks into the oven, then prop the door open about an inch or so using a wooden spoon handle. Set the oven to 160 - 170 degrees F (or as low as it'll otherwise go). Check frequently enough to monitor progress.
When done, slide the top rack out, hold a tray under the jerky, and run a finger along the rows of toothpicks to drop everything into the tray. As the jerky is cooling, remove all the toothpicks and drop the jerky into a sealable container, like tupperware. Once cooled a bit, seal the container for about a day. This will allow whatever moisture remaining to come to equilibrium throughout all the pieces for consistency. Not necessary if you're going to start snarffing it immediately, but nice for stuff you're going to have around for a few days or weeks. (I can never get mine to last more than a few short days...then I'm out!)
Clean up is as simple as wadding up the foil on the bottom rack and throwing it away.
My in-laws got me a dehydrator a few years back, but I have yet to use it. Looks nice, but takes up counter space, the round trays don't hold nearly as much or as efficiently as the oven rack system, and I'd have to clean it afterwards.
How 'bout it? What's your favorite seasoning/marinade and how to you actually go about dehydrating the meat?
What are your favorite jerky recipes and techniques?
I got started on this a few years ago and, though I've not made any game jerky, I have made quite a bit of beef jerky. I make my own teriyaki marinade, though frankly I use the "bitta-this-and-that" measurements. A jar of teriyaki sauce, a jar of soy sauce, then add some lemon-pepper (to taste, starting with a teaspoon), liquid smoke (about half a bottle, about 2 ounces, or to taste), and salt (about a teaspoon or two, 'cause Lord knows soy sauce doesn't have enough salt in it...)
I'll shop for some very lean, inexpensive cut beef like top round steak or whatever is handy at a reasonable price.
I'll put the meat in the freezer until it's half-frozen to make slicing easier. Trim off all the fat that can be trimmed off, then slice across the grain of the meat, thickness to suit. It used to drive my wife nuts when I'd use a bread knife to do this (or slice tomatoes) until I showed her the advantages of a sharp, think serrated knife blade over some of our thicker blades.
Put all the meat in my marinade pan, cover with the marinade, put it in the fridge for 24 hours. Turn the marinade pan a few times or otherwise stir things up every few hours.
I use the oven, as I can make a ton of jerky at once and very little cleanup afterwards.
Put the top rack all the way to the top, the bottom rack as low as it'll go. Line the bottom rack completely with foil to act as a disposable drip tray.
Using round toothpicks, poke a toothpick through the corner of each strip of beef and hang it on the top rack, spaced just enough to allow air to circulate.
Carefully slide both oven racks into the oven, then prop the door open about an inch or so using a wooden spoon handle. Set the oven to 160 - 170 degrees F (or as low as it'll otherwise go). Check frequently enough to monitor progress.
When done, slide the top rack out, hold a tray under the jerky, and run a finger along the rows of toothpicks to drop everything into the tray. As the jerky is cooling, remove all the toothpicks and drop the jerky into a sealable container, like tupperware. Once cooled a bit, seal the container for about a day. This will allow whatever moisture remaining to come to equilibrium throughout all the pieces for consistency. Not necessary if you're going to start snarffing it immediately, but nice for stuff you're going to have around for a few days or weeks. (I can never get mine to last more than a few short days...then I'm out!)
Clean up is as simple as wadding up the foil on the bottom rack and throwing it away.
My in-laws got me a dehydrator a few years back, but I have yet to use it. Looks nice, but takes up counter space, the round trays don't hold nearly as much or as efficiently as the oven rack system, and I'd have to clean it afterwards.
How 'bout it? What's your favorite seasoning/marinade and how to you actually go about dehydrating the meat?
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