Making beef jerky - worth it?

[ramonesfreak]

I travel a lot for work so I’m always stopping at some farm market where I grab some locally made beef jerky. Sometimes it’s great. Sometimes it’s horrible. It’s always expensive.


I remember making it in Boy Scouts. Doesn’t seem hard but like anything you cook, all the ingredients and time add up.

Is the end result worth the effort and expense? I imagine there is some satisfaction in perfecting it so that it’s exactly how you want it

[Yorkie]

I think it’s worth making your own - if not for the cost saving then for the satisfaction. My young son and I made up a wooden cabinet with air holes and a rack as a kind of shop class exercise. I installed a computer fan and a 10W light bulb and I can now make up Jerky and Biltong ( South African style meat). Just like bread making, the anticipation is fun and you get to mess around with different species and marinades.

The alternative is to hang small pieces of meat off the racks in your oven at super low temperature with the door slightly open to promote air flow. Takes a few hours but way quicker than the 3-4 days it takes to make Biltong.

[GH85Carrera]

Oh man bummer, it was a typo. I would love to try to beer jerky.

I only eat jerky on my road trips as "road food" to avoid stopping for a regular meal.

[ramonesfreak]

Uh oh. I’ll try to fix that

[craigster59]

I make my own jerky and everybody raves about it. I usually do a bunch at Christmas and give it away, this year I did 24 lbs. The guys at work eat the stuff like popcorn and are always on my ass to make some more.

I have sent some to some Pelicans, I think Seahawk, Targa911S, Vash and maybe a few others have tried it. Haven't heard that it gave them the shytes or any adverse effects so that's good news!

I'm actually eating some now....

[craigster59]

Here's my recipe. I double it to make 8 lbs because that fills up my dehydrator.

4 lbs round steak (I buy at the Mexican market, it's thin sliced for beef Milanesa)
1 cup Soy sauce
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
4 tbsp onion powder
1 1/3 tsp garlic powder
1 1/3 tsp black pepper
1/2 packet Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
1/2 small can chipotle chiles in adobo

Mix in a blender, pour over sliced meat and marinate for 24 hours.

You can dry in a low oven (150-175 degrees) for 8 hours or a dehydrator.
This is the one I have...

https://www.amazon.com/Excalibur-3926TB-Dehydrator-Temperature-Dehydration/dp/B008OV4FD0/ref=sr_1_19?keywords=food+dehydrator&qid=1582130511&sr=8-19

[craigster59]

PM me your address and I'll send you some so you can figure out if it's worth your time.

BTW, 8 lbs wet jerky costs me around $50 to make all in and when dried makes around 3 lbs. Around here farm stands sell it for about $20 for a 1/4 lb.

[stomachmonkey]

Yes it's worth it and simple to do.

I use my ovens warming tray.

Some tips, to get nice thin slices cut while partially frozen, you don't want the meat rock hard, just enough where you can still slice through but it holds it's shape.

I blot excess marinade before the dehydration step, you want it going in on the dry side, not sopping wet.

Trim the fat, it's what goes rancid.

You can make a dehydrator with some high watt lightbulbs, a cardboard box with racks in it and a box fan for ventilation.

That way you are not in for a lot to give it a try and can upgrade your kit if you intend to keep making it yourself.

[billybek]

When the market has a sale on the beef cut for Rouladen, I buy a bunch and make some jerky with that.
Easy lean and about the right thickness and size without me having to do more cutting and trimming.
I have used some kits and used the Big Green Egg indirect with a small amount of lump charcoal indirect heat.

Turns out pretty good. Vacuum pack and put in the freezer.

The kits usually have some pink salt in the mix for the curing process.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by billybek

....Rouladen....

[aigel]

Totally worth it because you will be able to control the ingredients. Store bought stuff will have a lot of sugar, may have MSG and other crap you don't need. You can cut out the sugar completely aside from what's in Worcestershire.

I make it from wild game and it is always a hit. Food dehydrator.

G

[stomachmonkey]

Ifn' ya wur in Texass you could just pop in at your local Bucee's and git ya some tasty morsels.

$29.99 per lb.

I tend to grab a couple of pounds whenever I stop in .

[flipper35]

We have made it in the dehydrator, the oven method and on the smoker set real low. Venison is great since it is lean meat. Even if you buy the meat it is usually less expensive than the store bought stuff, which isn't all that great. Other than landjaeger. Those are great, but we don't make those yet.

[stealthn]

Tried it twice last summer in the smoker, first batch too dry, second batch not enough flavour. I will try some more this spring, the smoker is a fun science experiment I must say

[cabmandone]

I used to make my own venison jerky but found a processing place with a recipe I liked so much I stopped making my own. I used a dehydrator like the one linked below. Just put the meat in a bag with marinade then dehydrate. There are some really good store bought jerky seasoning mixes out there.

https://www.homedepot.com/canvas/pep/Elite-Gourmet-Gourmet-5-Tray-Food-Dehydrator-EFD-1010/308710273?mtc=Shopping-BA-F_HDH-G-D29B-29_28_SMALL_ELECTRICS-MULTI-NA-Feed-PLA-NA-NA-Mixers_Slicers&cm_mmc=Shopping-BA-F_HDH-G-D29B-29_28_SMALL_ELECTRICS-MULTI-NA-Feed-PLA-NA-NA-Mixers_Slicers-71700000048833954-58700005310601551-92700047118403805&gclid=CjwKCAiA1rPyBRAREiwA1UIy8DeTqiL9CWJlPYhnkSkw OfqwT-ZeLhj9oH8Dg0f6kN-NDCjyFUOwaBoCfR4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

[masraum]

I've had lots of home-made jerky. Most of it has been very good, but I have had a few that weren't that good.

Honestly, jerky is like sex and pizza, the worst I ever had was still pretty good.

[ramonesfreak]

Awesome info thanks guys

[ramonesfreak]

Thanks for that offer but I wouldn’t trouble you to send it. What I’ll do is make some based on your recipe once I get a dehydrator which will be in a week or so. I was gonna use the oven but I need a dehydrator anyway for my chili pepper addiction.....tired of stringing them up in the window


Your jerky looks damn good. I’m sure it’s amazing

I think $50 for 3lbs sounds like a great deal

Originally Posted by craigster59

PM me your address and I'll send you some so you can figure out if it's worth your time.

BTW, 8 lbs wet jerky costs me around $50 to make all in and when dried makes around 3 lbs. Around here farm stands sell it for about $20 for a 1/4 lb.

[wdfifteen]

It's worth it if you enjoy a challenge and doing something creative. It's probably cheaper to buy it though.

[ramonesfreak]

Thanks for the partially frozen tip. I likely would have froze them solid and then gotten frustrated.

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Yes it's worth it and simple to do.

I use my ovens warming tray.

Some tips, to get nice thin slices cut while partially frozen, you don't want the meat rock hard, just enough where you can still slice through but it holds it's shape.

I blot excess marinade before the dehydration step, you want it going in on the dry side, not sopping wet.

Trim the fat, it's what goes rancid.

You can make a dehydrator with some high watt lightbulbs, a cardboard box with racks in it and a box fan for ventilation.

That way you are not in for a lot to give it a try and can upgrade your kit if you intend to keep making it yourself.