[matts37chev]

i got a food dehydrator for christmas
and im thinking about making some jerky
i was wondering how hard it was, and also looking for tips

[redsdad]

Wife does it often. When we get back home, we will PM you some recipes.

[matts37chev]

nice, that would be great!!

i dont know anything about it at this point.
my dad got me the dehydrator for christmas.
i dont know how or why he decided i wanted one
it's probably the last thing i would have asked for, but since i got it.
i thought i'd try and make some jerky!

[OneMoreTime]

slice it with the grain about 1/16 inch thick and brine it or soak in your favorite marinade and then dry for 8-12 hours or until it seems dry and bendy..takes a couple of tries to get it right and then freeze it in freezer bags. Pull it out for snacks and such when needed..The shrink packer devices work really well for this..

Sam

[dinger]

Use the leanest meat you can find, Many Mexican markets will have Asada or Milanesa cuts. Fat on jerky will make it spoil quickly. Use a good marinade to flavor, I like to introduce liquid smoke about the last hour of the marinade. I did find it's almost always cheaper to buy it than to make it, but it is fun to come up with your own flavors. And hide it, it will disappear fast!

[Daman]

First what ya makin' it out of? whole muscle or ground? If whole muscle then use the leanest as said before like bottom, eye or top round. The thicker you cut it the tougher it's gonna be plus it takes longer.
Start out with a pre made seasoning like hicountry. That way you wont get discouraged because it will be pretty good.
You probably have the stackable dehydrator right. With them put them somewhere you don't hear the fan like your basement...it gets old real quick LOL.

Once you cut your strips measure out the cure and seasoning for the weight. Mix it up good and let it sit for atleast over night if not 24 hours. Lay the strips around each layer and leave some room in between. That will help go quicker. Usually 5-6 hours with a 1/4 strip.

Here's the latest done, Goose boob jerky last week for Christmas. This was done in a dehydrator

[matts37chev]

nice!
i like to cook, so this should be interesting.
i usually make, whiskey cookies, or whiskey muffins/cake, on sundays while the football game is on.
what that means is, i pour a little glass of whiskey, and the next thing you know i'm cooking something.

[eloc431962]

Originally Posted by matts37chev

nice!
i like to cook, so this should be interesting.
i usually make, whiskey cookies, or whiskey muffins/cake, on sundays while the football game is on.
what that means is, i pour a little glass of whiskey, and the next thing you know i'm cooking something.

I have been planing on getting one of those , when you cook some let us know how it went whiskey and all. A buddy of mine use to cook it in the oven and man that stuff was good. I really miss him.


Cole

[wretched ratchet]

Without getting into a bunch of details and favorite recipes let me add that I make it a lot with a dehydrator also. If you have some venison then that is as good as it gets but if you don't then a lean London Broil works very well. However, I like to slice it across the grain so it doesn't pull my dentures out trying to eat it. Wally World has a jerky kit (See JPG)that works with ground meat (the leaner the better). It's like a grease gun with a tip that lays it out in cute little flat jerky strips. Works very well with the dehydrator and they also have the additives to add for different flavors such as teriyaki and such. My favorite marinade with the slice meat is Allegro Hot and Spicy but just use your favorite and it will be tasty.

Oops, I said I wasn't going to get too wordy, oh well.

[matts37chev]

thanks, any input is great

[redsdad]

I am unsure of whether you need just recipes or more in depth material, so will try to briefly cover both areas. Make sure all surface areas of the meat are exposed to marinade. This is best achieved by making the marinade and sinking each piece of meat into it as it is cut. In other words, don't cut the meat and then pour the marinade onto it. Even with stirring, kneading, etc, some of the meat will inevitably stick together and not be seasoned properly. The marinade's value is also in its ability to prevent spoilage, so you want even coverage. The easiest way to marinate is in large plastic baggies, but if you do not want the chemical leach which could occur from the acidic ingredients, you could use a glass bowl. This is what I do. Be sure to cover, rearrange/stir meat once or twice during the soak. I leave the meat in the frig overnight to soak. To back up - one word about cutting the meat. Be sure to take off all fat that you can. There is a specific cut that I use. Not sure what it is exactly called, something like a round sirloin, but you can come to recogize it easily and purchase it when it goes on sale. The butcher can cut the meat, but be prepared for it to be thicker than you might want and the fat trimming may not be quite what you wanted either. The meat can either be cut longways/with the grain for stringy, chewy jerky or across the grain for short fibers that pull away easily and are easy to chew. Okay, now on to the recipe. I use a basic base and then embellish. The following is enough for 4-6 pounds of jerky. 1/2 cup liquid smoke (Colgin is gluten free), 3 cups soy sauce (most soy sauce has wheat. San-J has a wheat-free, low sodium tamari that is excellent), 1 C. brown sugar. BTW, you can freely use low sodium soy sauce. There is still plenty of salt for preservation. You can make the marinade now taste any way you want or just leave it as is. We like a mixture of the following: ground pepper, red pepper, lime juice, dried chives, cumin, garlic, onion powder, and ginger. This is slightly an oriental flavor. You can pick and choose which ingredients you desire. After the soak, you can save the marinade, freeze it, and use it with stir fry. Cooking the sauce makes it food-safe. I am not much of a measurer so cannot tell you how much of the above ingredients to use. It will probably take more than you think, maybe a teaspoon or so of each of them, except not so much red pepper. The only way you can know is to taste it. It should taste strong by itself. I don't know what type of dehydrator you have. We rotate the trays on ours after 6-8 hours to ensure more even drying. If your dehydrator is anything like ours, then you will need to take individual pieces off as they are ready. Don't expect everything to come out at the same time. I do let the pieces sit at room temp to dissipate the heat and then I store them in lidded spaghetti sauce jars in the frig. I am kind of weird about storing at room temp and so do not have any advice in this area. If you have any other particular questions, please feel free to ask. I would be happy to share info and hope this is not too much overkill already. Thank you, Stephanie

[matts37chev]

thanks, i'll post or pm any questions, when i get that far

[matts37chev]

well, i just bought over $22.oo worth of flank steak (just over 3 lbs.)
we will see what happens,im using a recipe i got off of
http://www.beef-jerky-recipe.com/deh...-jerky-recipe/

[wretched ratchet]

That should work fine, Matt, please let us know what you think about it and any tweeking that you plan on doing the next time.

Good Luck !

[eloc431962]

"MAN" i am getting hungry.


Cole