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Anybody else make their own jerky?

Apple Cider Vinegar.

Thank you, T for teaspoon?
Sure. Marinade strips overnight in:

1 small 4 ounce bottle of Colgin hickory liquid smoke (which measures out to 5 fluid ounces...if you have the large bottle and need to measure).
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder

That's usually enough to do about a pound-and-a-half or two pounds of meat.

Turn the oven on as low as it will go. I've used a dehydrator and it works well, but the marinade drips and leaves a mess I'd rather not clean up. Line the bottom rack of the oven with foil. You can crack the oven door open with something so it will be a little cooler. Place the strips on a rack in the middle position of the oven and bake about 6 hours, then turn and bake about 6 hours more. Turn off oven and let jerky cool overnight.

I store my strips in airtight mason jars. I have some now that's been there about 2 years and it's still fine.

Basic, I like it. Thank you.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
Thank you, T for teaspoon?


Basic, I like it. Thank you.
Okay. I'm no Martha Stewart, but I think 'T' is Tablespoon, 't' is teaspoon.

I actually think of volume in the metric system since I became a nurse though, so don't take it as Gospel!
 
You’re sure welcome. I’m sorry, I was rushed and didn’t include steps, just the ingredients. Some key points are slice meat fairly thin (1/4”) and across the grain.

Making the cuts even is key to even drying and keeping spoilage at bay....I’ve never lost a batch. it’s not so much how you go about it but the reason behind the steps. Reducing chance of spoilage

Marinade can be for overnight, but sometimes I go up to two days. Kept in frig in an airtight container where it has room to be flipped/rotated. A marinading dish or tumbler can be used. Or you can flip each piece by hand to ensure even coating. For easy cutting, you can freeze the meat partially, or catch it when it is short of fully thawed. Ingredients used will help determine length of marinade. High acids or heavy on salt won't need as long, and being vacuum sealed can reduce the soak time needed.

An oven that won’t set at dehydrating temps might still be used depending on bulb type. If a higher wattage incandescent bulb can be swapped in (60 W) that will be enough heat to dry the meat, using the door cracked a little to vent out the humidity. regulate it by folding and placing a dish towel in the door opening.

You can pat dry the excess moisture after a marinade to reduce the clean up from dripping later. Wire baker”s cooling racks can be hung from oven racks via some quickly made wire hangers to increase area. If a dehydrator is used, start at a higher temperature for an initial hour or two. Around 140° is the top setting on one of mine. I start there, then I lower it to 115-120° when I see the desiccation setting in. My goal is to not let the meat cook from heat, but only the ingredients. Any excess pooled fat can be blotted off for a nicer appearance and less risk of it spoiling.

I’ll still gather up my starter recipe a co-worker shared with me back in ‘90. Might be a couple days yet.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
I use a vacuum sealer for marinades! Oooo! I'm getting hungry!

And yes, they cutting of the meat is really key!
 
I use a vacuum sealer for marinades! Oooo! I'm getting hungry!

And yes, they cutting of the meat is really key!
This. I cut my duck really thin. Probably most crucial step, rest can be tweaked and dehydrator is pretty easy.

I'd post my recipe but honestly it's mainly "a little bit of this, a little bit of that"

I'll write it down and post here this season when I make the next batch.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
This. I cut my duck really thin. Probably most crucial step, rest can be tweaked and dehydrator is pretty easy.

I'd post my recipe but honestly it's mainly "a little bit of this, a little bit of that"

I'll write it down and post here this season when I make the next batch.
Sounds like my wife's cooking, but especially her chilli. If there's a recipe, it's in her head. But it ALWAYS turns out great!

My neighbor is from the South, and is an A1 cook. Should be famous, seriously. My wife wanted to know how she makes her biscuits, and as my neighbor did a step, my wife would stop her, measure it, then write it down! Now my wife just throws it together herself. She also taught my wife how to make dumplings the same way.

I'm a pretty blessed man.
 
HiMountain jerky kit avail at Dunhams, Amazon. Hickory and Original are good. Get top or bottom round when its on sale. Ask butcher to cut in 1/4” strips. With the grain if you like more ‘chew’ or against for less ‘chew’. Dont have a dehydrator. Just use the oven with the door cracked. Turns out great.
 
I make it all the time in my Traeger smoker. I've found tri tip strips are terrific cuts. I marinate overnight (usually in Teriyaki) then freeze for about 90 minutes before cutting (against the grain always). Semi-frozen meat is easier to cut into thin slices. I lay directly on the grates, and smoke with hickory for 4 hours at 180 degrees.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
I did a batch of beef a few days ago, with a standard carvery joint. I've got some meat on order for delivery, which I'll be trying out as jerky. Should be with me in about 6 weeks.

1kg venison haunch
1kg mixed game mince (venison, pheasant and rabbit)
1kg wood pigeon breasts
900g porkloin
900g beef topside
900g turkey breast joint
900g leg lamb boneless

I might pinch a bit of some for other dishes, but at least some of each line item will be tried as jerky.
 
Haven’t made it in years but used to make a couple pounds of beef jerky a month. Just a simple Alton Brown recipe in a dehydrator but it was sooo good.

stopped mostly because I hated slicing the beef down. Simple I know.

Been thinking of picking it back up though.
 
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This is the South African version. Beef cured with salt, pepper, coriander and some Worcester sauce. I like it soft, medium rare, but some like it dry. I like some fat, others don't.
 
This is a new batch of pemmican. Started with a basic unseasoned jerky, dried fruit, blended with rendered lamb fat. To this, I added almond meal, and some ground ginger and honey.

The Bison was first rubbed with holy holly (yerba mate-as an antioxidant), then placed in a soup sock, and air dried for two weeks in a refrigerator. Then sliced and dehydrated a bit further. The sliced dried flank was broken into small (1/4”) shards and mashed into flakes in a mortar. Fruit was likewise pounded into submission by pestle.

It’s delicious. This has kept for me as long as a year. I finish it by then but expect it could last far longer.
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Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
Yes, and pemmican.
I’m just out of the pemmican from a batch almost a year ago.The jerky from the same time didn’t last half that. Consumed, not spoiled. I am due to re-stock each. I have Goat, Lamb,Yak, and Bison to go between the two. These were some of last winter’s. View attachment 1045713View attachment 1045714View attachment 1045715View attachment 1045716View attachment 1045717
If you read reports from C18-C19 fur traders in western Canada they refer to pemmican as "beat meat." Alexander Mackenzie describes how it was made, with pebbles, sticks, and even animal and human hairs in the mix. Beaten between rocks, dried in the sun, then wrapped in fur and finally buried in the permafrost, they'd light a fire over the spot so as to prevent animals from detecting where the cache was buried. There were caches buried all over western Canada. I've always assumed there are probably many buried caches of pemmican still out there.
 

Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
@Owen Bawn ,That’s some interesting stuff I’d not known. Thanks for sharing it.
Here's Mackenzie's journal of his voyages, downloadable as a kindle book or a pdf file. Fascinating reading beyond the few pemmican references...
 
Here's Mackenzie's journal of his voyages, downloadable as a kindle book or a pdf file. Fascinating reading beyond the few pemmican references...
Thanks very much. This will be real interesting and enjoyed.
 
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