Posted: 10/3/2004 10:41:18 PM EDT
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What is some good jerky to get? I havent had any beef jerky in about a year now. |
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homemade jerky is the best cause you can make it how you like it instead of what you think others will like. (which is waht oberto and everyone that sells it does). My advice is to get a couple of nice big london broils and let them start to freeze so they can be cut thin easily. Then soak the strips in the marinade of your choice, i usually do teriyaki, soysauce, ginger, some spices like cayenne pepper or what ever you want to make it spicy, and liquid smoke, etc . THen let it sit over night and then stick it on the dehydrator for 6-8 hours. |
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I'm talkin about the flaky,leathery type a jerky,if you want "tender" go to a butcher.There's one near me that sells some very good stuff,but it costs over 15 bucks a pound...primo stuff though,bout half an inch thick,no grisle,just tender meat. Butchers also sell some kick ass pepperoni sticks. Not those dried up,oily,twigs ya get at the store,but tender,flavorfull,beefy,ropes...again,expensive,but worth it IMO. I love that stuff! |
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Technically all you NEED is meat and an oven. Dehydrators are nice to have since they have trays, keep temperature constant, and circulate air. They're also pretty cheap. As far as the cut, you should get something that is very lean. Fat will go rancid when dried. Also, make sure to cut WITH the grain so that you get the nice pull-apart jerky texture (like string cheese). Recipes are up to your own taste, but make sure you use plenty of salt (or seasonings with salt in them). Worcestershire, teriyaki, Liquid Smoke, red chile flakes, black pepper, garlic, brown sugar - those are all good bases for marinades. Slice the meat very thin and with the grain, marinate for several hours (if not overnight), and dry! You will know when it is done when you bend it and it cracks rather than yields. |
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I use the spices that are in my picture. The jerky pictured was made in the oven, at lowest temperature setting with door cracked open an inch or two. Now, I use a dehydrator I bought at Wal-mart for $40, and a deli meat slicer, which is 10x easier than cutting meat by hand. I use London Broil cut whenever I can find it, because it is very lean, and not overly expensive. Marinate the sliced meat overnight in the fridge, then put it on the dehydrator for 6-8 hours, checking it every once in a while. It is a little time consuming, but worth it in the end. |
I quess I might try the same thing over the weekend. Post how well it comes out before Friday so I'll know what not to do |
| This is a bit off topic, but since you folks are talking about marinating. I know many of us have one of those vacuum sealing machines. Well, if you marinate a lot of meat, you can get one of those special dishes that hold a vacuum, and you can marinate meat in terms of minute rather than hours when done under a vacuum. That should speed things along. |
Hopefully I'll have time to get it sliced and in the marinade tuesday night, and have time to cook it wednesday. If you're really lucky I'll keep track of how long it took and other little details like that. 
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Does a dehydrator really work for jerky? I thought they never got hot enough to kill the bacterial (I forget the temp you need to kill the bacteria in meat). Here is a recent thread on jerky: www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=276395 I have some on order from HiCountry.com in Montana. Hope it's good. GunLvr |
The combination of the salt solution in the marinade along with drying the meat will do the job of eradicating bacteria. |