paula wrote:
>
> so how about sharing your recipe for jerky with those of us who have
> heard about it but know nothing else about it. we can buy jerky spices
> in the U.k. but they usually get used for sprinkling on the barbie
> food.tastes nice but would like to use them properly.start to finish
> recipe please and what cut of beef to use. many thanks.

Ah, ok.... :-)

Right now I'm trying to preserve all of the venison and emu that is in
the freezers. Dad's and my freezers... Both are VERY lean meats! And
tend to freezer burn. :-p

If it were beef, I'd use shoulder or rump. Anything that is NOT well
marbled! Jerked fat tends to rancidity. :-)

I use Kikoman low sodium teryaki and some low sodium (lite) Kikoman soy
sauce, and add onion and garlic powder, salt free lemon pepper and some
pure Maple syrup to taste.

If you freeze the meat in slabs and partialy thaw it to where it's just
a bit "crunchy" frozen, you can slice it really thin, just under 1/8
inch thick or so. Up to 1/4 inch works ok but that is pushing it.

Drown the meat in that mix by either covering it with saran wrap so the
meat is covered in the marinade, or putting it into large heavy duty
ziplocks also works well, as long as you remove all the air.

Marinate for 5 to 7 days at 34 to 38 degrees, (Ok, I have an old and
valuable Hobart unit that is 40 cubic ft. I got for free since it is
old, and have sunk about $600.00 into repairs over 4 years and do NOT
regret it since it currently holds a stable temp!) then lay the slices
in a dehydrator, and rotate the trays every day for even drying until
the meat is dried to your liking. Usually takes, for my cheap units, 3
to 5 days to dry. I store it refrigerated with dessicants since I like
to keep it somewhat low salt. Higher salt contents will preserve longer.

Some people add lots of cracked pepper. Toooooo much for me. :-)

Making jerky is not difficult. It's a matter of marinating, then drying
and there are zillions of flavorings. We humans have dried meat for
thousands of years as a method of preservation. :-)

K.
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