Anyone make their own jerky?
 

The smoke house thread got me thinking, we love beef jerky and are lucky to have great beef here in Alberta, but the price of Jerky is stupid high.

I think I'd be interested in making my own so I thought I would ask if people here are doing it. I've been reading online but I'd rather have real world knowledge.

What kind of beef are you using, what's your favourite flavouring and how do you keep it moist for the long haul? Any info would help

Thanks,

Bob James

I make it. Generally use shoulder cuts. In hunting season I use Bambi. Slice it about 1/8" thick. Zip lock bag with flavorings in the fridge overnight. Turning it every couple hrs so the meat is evenly coated. Load the dryer up.

To figure out what you like in flavors make small batches first.

What's your favourite mix so far?

Which dehydrator do you have? Looking at the Excalibur...

You don't want a fatty meat. The fat will go rancid.

Agree on small batches.

Cutting with or against the grain is personable preference. Just provides a different chew experience. I prefer with the grain.

I also toss my meat in the freezer for a bit. I find it easier to get thin slices when the meat is partially frozen.

A dedicated dehydrator is nice but anything that you can set low and get airflow from will work.

I have a huge warming drawer in my kitchen which works great for large batches.

Oh and I like a traditional teriyaki and a also a ground pepper marinade.

Soy Vey works well if you don't have time to spice your own marinade. Just water it down a tad.

Thinking of doing a Sirachi batch. Love that stuff

You don't want to store it so it's moist. You want it dry.

Moisture leads to mold.

You can use silicate packs in your storage bag to keep it dry.

Lasts a long time that way.

Funny timing. Right now I'm eating some jerky from Gem meats in Placentia, a local gourmet butcher shop.
They're famous for expensive but excellent cuts of meat, and also their jerkey.

Good stuff.

I could have sworn we had a thread on makin' jerky, but I could only find a couple of threads on jerky. I know that you can make it in the oven if you have one that will cook at a really low temp. I've never tried it myself, but I do love jerky.

1/4" thick cuts that I do on my own 12" deli style meat slicer.

buffalo roasts if I can find them, turkey is cheap on sale too during holidays.

Soy Vey marinade works, so does dry rub / cures.

if a wet marinade, I pull from sauce, then place on an old window screen to air dry / skin over (sorta like what I do for smoked salmon) firms up texture skinning over for an hour before smoking.

For heavy crushed pepper fresh from a mill, chuck up your Makita cordless drill to the pepper mill shaft and lay it on thick while meat is on the window screen.

I use a digital temp smoker for mine, low and slow. Rotate shelfs during cooking............too wet or too dry = ruined meat. Vac pack and freeze.

great little digital control smoker, mine is stainless but this model, temp is adjustable between 100F and 275 I believe.

Shop for the Masterbuilt 30" Electric Smokehouse for less at Walmart.com. Save money. Live better.

Good stuff guys, I've got one on order with a timer and it will go to 165 degrees to prevent bacteria.

I have a few recipes one with beer so I'll try a few different batches when I get the dehydrator and report back. Never heard of soy vey

Soy Vay Products & Sauces, Dressings and Marinades | Soy Vay

wasabi flavor is awesome.

Think of this as an upscale thicker teriyaki sauce than the more common, Yoshidas brand.

Costco or other bulk stores sell Yoshidas in 1/2 - 1 gallon containers.

It's a round one. :) Salton comes to mind.

I use stir fry seasonings (VH brand), any marinade you think might work and a soya sauce/brown sugar mix. You have to play around and see what you like. I did a small batch Bruschetta mix one time. Bruschetta and meat in the bag, then used a rolling pin so smooth the Bruschetta out. It was tasty but had a short shelf life.

If you can't find any North of the border let me know.

I'll send ya some.

Seriously good stuff.

I've made alot of jerky. I've tried many different marinades. This is the one I have settled on. It is a slight variation of the one in the Nesco dehydrator manual.

Jerky Marinade
For 4 pounds of meat

4 Tablespoons ground ginger root
1 Teaspoon black pepper
4 Tablespoons curry powder
1-1/2 Teaspoons garlic powder
2 Teaspoons curing salt
16 Tablespoons soy sauce
16 Tablespoons worcestershire sauce
4 Tablespoons tomato sauce
1 Bottle liquid smoke(5oz.)

Soak meat in marinade for about 24 hours. Stir occasionally.
Dehydrate at 155 degrees for 3.5-4 hours

This looks great - I like that it is done from scratch.

What appliace you use to dehydrate?

BTW, I was joking about using a car as a smoker in the other thread, but for dehydration it DEFINITELY is an option.

G

Nesco FD-60 with 8 trays.