Mmmm, Jerky

[Tab]

A number of months ago I got a food dehydrator. I made it a point to get a nice one (Nesco Gardenmaster) with a digital timer, etc.

My first experiments with beef jerky involved slicing up strips of steak and drying them. It was fairly unimpressive. Mainly it was a pain, particularly if you marinate it, and I didn't have the right cuts of meat, I guess, so I sidelined it (even though that is my preferred jerky). I back-burnered that for a while, and tried the pressed hamburger style.

It's taken a little while, but I seem to have it down to a science now.

First off, although you can do it by hand, ordering a jerky press gun makes life SOOOO much easier.

I started with the spices they supplied, and fiddled with them a bit. It also comes with a "fixer", which tastes like salt, but maybe has something else in it too - some preservative, but the ingredients weren't listed.

Anyway, you start with perhaps a pound of hamburger or ground steak. You want to go for 90% lean. The less fat, the better (higher amounts of fat will make it both harder to dry and can cause rancidity).

I mixed in black pepper and then chicken bouillon (don't ask about the chicken, I was just poking around the spice cabinet). For some reason I also added some Saigon Cinnamon.

Tasting it, it was waaaayyy too salty. To take the edge off, I was ready to add some white sugar, but my eyes fell upon the brown sugar, and I thought that would be better. In fact, it was the perfect choice.

Mixed it and let it sit for an hour (may not be necessary, but I had other stuff to do)

Packed the jerky gun and laid out strips. One pound took about two layers on the dehydrator.

Ran it for 4 hrs @ 165 degrees, then let it cool.

Came out yummy.

Wrapped it in a paper towel, just because, and stored the rest in the fridge.

I want to get into unusual flavors, but it was important to get the timing and technique down. Now I have to get some custom flavorings. I did try wasabi, but first try failed. Am going to take a crack at some unusual combinations (ideas welcome).

Anyway, if you're interested, that's how that project is going.

- Tab

[Sentath]

1. Thank you for the update

I'm always very happy to hear about people doing and learning.

Have you considered ginger-soy? Ginger is a fair preservative on its own.