Does Anyone Make Their Own Beef Jerky?

Just wondering how difficult it is. Do you add seasoning? How long does it last without refrigeration? Is a homemade product viable for storage?

Sue

Yes, and other dehydrated foodstuffs, but for speciic trips mostly, not long-term storage.

Not hard to do. I made it in the oven for a few years, but got a dehydrator and have used that ever since - nothing fancy needed for jerky. Yes, I use seasonings - depends on what mood I'm in - plenty of recipies out there. I have not kept jerky for long periods without sticking it in the refer, but it holds up fine - longer if dried harder, but most folks prefer it to be not that hard. Anyway, the vultures, er, kids, eat up any surplus pretty quickly.

I don't make enough of it to know about "long term" storage - I'm confident it would keep over winter. It's pretty expensive to risk lots of it for long term storage, IMHO - think freeze-dried nitrogen packed (commercial stuff) for that (low risk). OTOH, if you have 100lbs or so of lean meat that you are comfy with risking (perhaps a couple of deer), I suppose you could give it a try. Worst case, you'd have to cook it before using it.

I've become very fond of my dehydrated (cooked) ground beef (hamburger) - I get it super lean, cook it, drain well, and turn it into gravel in the dehydrator. Because I'm using such lean meat (97%), I skip the hot water rinse that some folks call for. I've kept some of it for a couple of months at room temp (OK - it was forgetfulness on my part) and it was FINE when I ate it - YMMV. Roughly equal volume of water to granules to re-hydrate, but experiment. I have to line the trays with nylon window screening to keep it from falling thru. Some of that plus some inexpensive pasta dish is VERY tasty out on the trail. Have made some great shepard's pot pie with that, potato granules, etc. on my backpacking stove, but that's a pretty elaborate meal to fix for backpacking.

HTH,

Tom

I do. it's not difficult at all. Have one of those ronco dehydrators. Marinade sliced thin london broil in Adolph's meat tenderizer, worstershire and soy sauce for a few hours, then place in the dehydrator, add cracked black pepper from the peppermill and salt and it takes about 12 -18 hours depending on thickness of meat. it never lasts long, because I can't leave it alone.

Tom,
How long do you dehydrate the hamburger?
How long do you have to rehydrate it as well?

Dale,

Longer than I need to: overnight. It's a function of when I have time to prep the hamburger and put it in the dehydrator. It probably takes 3 - 4 hours in my simple dehydrator. There are variables.

Re-hydration time depends on how I'm using it. I suggest NOT using cold water (slight risks). Boiling water dumped into the hamburger gets the job done in about 15 minutes IF I keep it insulated. I would "plan" the meal for a 30 minute soak the first few times, though, until you get the hang of it.

Variables for drying:

1. Fineness of grind - coarser takes longer
2. How much moisture was cooked/drained/blotted out.
3. Your dehydrator or oven
4. How you load the trays (dense or sparse).
5. Ambient humidity.


Variables for re-hydrating:

1. Fineness of grind - coarser takes longer
2. Temperature of water used and how long you keep it warm
3. Recipies - depending on what you are making, you might be able to add the meat and water to the pot and use cooking time to re-hydrate. That's tricky until you get the hang of it, but a few crunchy 'flavor granules" of meat won't kill you.

There are TONS of websites that cover this - just Google "dehydrate hamburger" for a start. A couple of sites have some unsafe advice w.r.t. long-term storage (dry canning in the oven), but generally they give good, safe advice.

HTH,

Tom

Susan,

I forgot to mention: For a long time I did the traditional meat-slicing, which works great as long as I plan ahead and re-sharpen my wife's kitchen knives before I start... then I decided to try running the meat thru the meat grinder instead - huge labor savings, even including cleaning the grinder. Extremely coarse grind, of course. First several times I rolled out the ground meat on waxed paper and flipped the giant "patties" onto the trays. I fiddled around with scoring the patty with a table knife first as well. That all worked fine. Then I saw this gizzmo in her baking stuff that looks like a caulk gun (sorta) - I think it's for cookie dough. Anyway, I use that now - works great. I see the stores now have something similar called a "jerky shooter" and if you get to making lots of jerky, give one a whirl.

Tom

I have made jerky in the oven. A food dehydrator would be better if you plan on doing a lots of batches.

There are many recipes. Just Google "Jerky Recipe". Give it a try.

Typical recipes run something like this :
First you thin slice lean meat (I use deer meat). Then you soak meat for a few hours in some mixture that usually contains something like
soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce and spices like salt, pepper, onion powder.

Turn oven on at lowest possible setting. Pat meat dry with paper towels. Put on racks. Stick a wooden spoon or stick in the door to leave a small crack. Go do something useful and check back every couple of hours. Will take 6-8 hours to dry.

I store in a zip lock bag in freezer, but it will be fine at room temperature if you get it dry enough. The salt you added to the meat also helps with storage.

I've been making jerky most of my life, and though my form is traditional, I certainly appreciate the modern concepts, such as a dehydrator, using ground meat through a shaping press, etc.

There are a few essentials to consider in the process:

1. Start with fresh product. If the meat smells sour to begin with, it won't get any better in the dehydrating process. It could get a lot worse.

2. Use lean product. Unrendered dehydrated fat is unappealing unless it is bacon. Game fat also can give the jerky a gamier taste. Trim whatever meat you use real lean. Also note that most jerky is cut with the grain, contrary to the typical way we serve meat. This is what gives it the stringiness. I like mine thick cut as well, but never more than 1/4" thickness (any thicker adversely affects the dehydration effort).

3. Curing and seasoning. Traditional salt/sugar cures work pretty good. My primary recipe uses rock salt, brown sugar, white sugar, soy sauce, black pepper, hot sauce, worchestershire sauce, jamaica jerk seasoning, and water. The meat soaks overnight, then dries until a good pedicle is formed (the skin crusting effect).

4. Residual moisture determines shelf life. For the most part, the amount of moisture remaining in the meat will determine how long it can last in ambient conditions. The right cure helps, but it is really how dry you get it. If it doesn't dry out enough, it will rancidate in a matter of days if left out. Usually, I like my jerky very dry, almost brittle, and thus prepared it will last at least 6 months. The oldest jerky I've made and consumed using my traditional recipe is about 8 months. It was still good at that point, and likely would've lasted longer so long as it stayed dry. I use a smoker to dehydrate and further cure the meat (you just can't duplicate the flavor of smoked meat). With meat this dry, it works a lot better in my pemmican process ( I just had to get that in, you know <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />).

I usually store mine wrapped in a paper towel inside ziplocs or in recycled plastic peanut jars I get from Costco.

Sometimes I don't dry it out as much so other people can enjoy it more (I admit I have teeth like a dog). Those who've tried it find it quite enjoyable, but I suspect there's better out there. I've used this recipe/method on beef, venison, elk, bison, bear, horse and antelope, and it seems to kill the gaminess fairly well. This is actually my preferred method of eating bear meat. I use a variation of this for my smoked salmon/steelhead/trout recipe to good effect also.

I also like to make pepper sticks, and I will smoke dry those till they are brittle and they also last a long, long time.

I've tried other ingredients as well, including Morton "Quick Cure", with some success. Quick cure makes the meat pink, but that goes away during the drying process.

I asked the same question on this forum one or two years ago.
And I followed the instructions given by some members (Chris + ?? I don't remember who ...).
I only made two batches up to now, so I didn't not invest in a dehydrator.
I use my electric oven.
Thin strips of meat ; a few hours - a night - in a very simple "marinade" (soy sauce + curing salt - "sel nitrit?" >> a bit too salted, but iI like it. Thu I will try something less salty next time)
Toothpicks help to suspend the strips of meat from the grill in the oven (don't forget some aluminium sheets to protect the bottom of the oven ...!!!)
Oven on the lowest temp. 50 to 75?C - that's 120 to 150?F; during 5h or 6 hours. Oven's door left a bit open - using a cork to leave a gap .
As Benjamin noted, it depends on meat thickness, etc... and on your tastes.
My jerky was/is quite hard.

I vacuum packed the resulting strips and put some in the freezer, some in the fridge and let some in a closet, at room temp.
That last batch was still OK more than a year after making it.
Very dry + salty .... looooong conservation time.
And I still have the ones I put in the freezer... Will try them next year maybe ... if I don't use them before.


The oven method is quite simple :

Buy a steack, cut strips and experiment. Eat the results during the following week.

Then, next saturday buy another steack and try a different marinade, a longer time, etc..
After a few steaks, you will find your prefered combination (thickness, flavor, dryness....)
No meat wasted that way.
You can then try to prepare a whole deer ........ <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I haven't made a batch in a while, but I used to (when I had more time) quite a bit, as a matter of fact, I used to sell it at a club bar as fast as I could make it.
It's not at all difficult, if you take a few short cuts. I got on good terms with a grocery store butcher, and twice a week, I'd pick up a whole bottom round, cut and trimmed, all ready to go (at no extra charge BECAUSE I was getting two a week). I'd take the strip-cut meat home and divide it up into batches in gallon ziplock bags, pour in my marinade mix (soy, worcestershire, garlic, and pepper) and after the first batch sat over night in the fricge, filled the dehydrator. Every 12 hours I had about a half pound of finished product that I could enjoy myself, or drop at the club for roughly a triple mark-up (yes, it's a good recipe, I had back-orders for it). The secret is to have the trimming/cutting done for you when you pick the meat up (the butcher can do in ten minutes, what would take you or me a couple of hours), and don't worry about all the "special marinades" marketed at you. Experiment with soy, worcestershire, steak sauce, teriaki glaze, and spices 'til you get a tasty simple recipe you like, then you're on a roll <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
Give it a try, Sue, you'll either enjoy yourself and have a good time (like I did), or decide that it's quicker/easier to buy it, but I guarranty it won't be cheaper <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Troy

I don't want to discourage you, but I've tried 3 or 4 times and had no success. I suspect it is like cooking generally - some people have a knack for it and think it is easy, and others don't.

As you said, some people don't have a knak for cooking
For instance, for many years now, I no longer can bake a brioche and I still don't know why .... The very I made a few years back were so good. Nowadays, silch !! <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

But making jerky is simple ! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

When I first tried, I just followed Chris and/or Wildcard explanations.
And got good results the first time. Sure, things can be improved, but it was not only edible, but good. <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Start with small batches, experiment a little with marinade formula and timing.
You really should get some results, quite easily.
If your jerky is not dry enough, let the next batch in the oven for an extra hour (but do not try to increase temp).
The dryer, the longer it will keep...

Alton brown can probably help with putting the science back into your recipes and understanding why it may or may not work. He has an episode on jerky too... and a hot oven may not be what you want to use! I won't spoil the surprise. You can check out his episodes and recipes on food network. I used his snappy cranberry sauce for Thanskgiving and it was pretty good. And he's as close to a gearhead/tech geek as any chef I've seen and his shows reflect what I expect is the mindset of most community members here - Multiple use, alternative use, inexpensive - yet high quality, pound wise instead of penny foolish, and the science of why things cook like they do. The jerky episode was interesting, and I may just try it one of these days.

> But making jerky is simple !

Yes, that's what everyone says. And I've tried 3 or 4 times and produced inedible junk.I might try again one day, but not soon.

Why inedible ? too hard/dry ? Horrible taste ?

I will try to find that old thread whose receipe I followed ....
If I succeed in making jerky, anyone can ... <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Alain, Does this look familiar? I recall posting this recipe in a earlier post and wasn't sure if it's the same one your looking for! This is, as stated, my very basic recipe.
NOTE: I avoid the ingrediants like soy and worcestershire because they contain salt, yes salt is a cure, but too much spoils the meat. I never use elk or deer etc. I figure it costs too much (hunting trip) to reduce it into jerky. I save the meat from hunting for roasts and steaks etc.
*************************************************************************
<img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />Jerky only stores for about 6 weeks?well ok, longer than that, but around my place it seems to last about 6 weeks. <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

The US native peoples known as the Cree are credited with inventing pemmican, which is equal parts jerky and dried fruit mixed with some form of suet e.g. bear or bison. The origin of true Jerky is credited to the South American natives called the Quechua (originally part of the ancient Inca empire) as early as 1550. They called it Ch'arki and the conquering Spaniards recorded how the process was done.

Here is my very basic jerky recipe and recommended storage. Note the recipe is what would have been common in the frontier days of the early US west. Since I have my own dehydrator I don't use the oven method. I have also dried the meat in the Sun.

3 pounds top round London Broil, or Round Steak trimmed of fat
3 tablespoons salt (I use Redmond Sea Salt, but you can use Fleur De Sel)
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder

Cut meat into strips a little less than 1/4-inch thick. Place strips in a shallow bowl. Combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture into strips. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and marinate for 48 hours in the refrigerator. Remove a rack from the oven. Preheat the oven to 145? -150? (about 60?-65? C) Remove the strips from the marinade and lay them directly on the oven rack so that air can circulate around them. Line the bottom of the oven with aluminum foil to catch the drippings. Place the rack in the oven, leaving it partially open to maintain a constant temperature. Leave the jerky in the oven until well dried, 6 to 8 hours. To test for the jerky for the proper dryness, remove a strip from the oven or dehydrator. Let it cool slightly, then bend the jerky; it should crack, but not break. A piece of jerky cracks but does not break when it is bent. This is when the jerky is done. Properly dried jerky is chewy and leathery. It will be as brittle as a green stick, but won?t snap like a dry stick.

Other ingredients to consider:

Worcestershire Sauce
Hot Sauce (Tabasco)
Liquid Smoke (to simulate drying in a smoke house)
Brown Sugar
Cayenne Powder
Cumin Powder
Soy Sauce

Although many prepackaged spice mixtures and recipes call for the use of a curing salt (sodium nitrate) I do not use this ingredient and still have good results. Jerky will last in an airtight container for several years at room temperature. You can vacuum package the Jerky, or freeze it, which will give you an indefinite storage option

Good luck,

Stargazer

ASAP = Always Suspicious, Always Prepared

I didn't try many different marinades, yet. I will keep this thread in my Favorites, for my next batch.

Instead of "receipe", I should have said "procedure", as, at the time, I was more interested in the correct use of my oven (temp & timing).
Using my oven, I can try to dehydrate different products (fruits, jerky, .... what else ??), before investing in a dehydrator.

And I guess it was Wildcard (or was it Bountyhunter ???) who mentioned the idea of hanging the strips of meat (with help of some toothpicks) from the rack, rather than lying them on the rack : you can hang more meat in one batch....


And, you are absolutly right : DON'T forget the aluminium foil.... especially if you share the oven with spouse or GF or Mom..... <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Even as a bachelor, the foil is a good idea...

You know, this brings up an interesting thought.

There've been times when I've made some thicker than regular beef jerky, and it ended up with mold on the outside. I shaved the mold off and consumed the remainder without an sort of digestive problems. I got to thinking, dry salami and such things have molde on the outside, or rind, of the meat. Southern style hams also regularly have mold on the outside. In either case, the mold is trimmed away and the meat consumed without incident. I've seen these meat products hanging for many months in delicatessens and meat markets, so I gotta think that properly cured meat is a durable survival food. I guess the same could be said of some cheese products as well.

Just a thought.

My uncle made some that was so tuff that it took 30 min to chew up "1" bite!!
I think he let it dry out to much.<img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Yup, that's the kind I like to put in my pemmican. It is good for adding to soups.

Venison jerky, but not beef.

Get a dehydrator. I have an Excaliber dehydrator. Forget all this oven rack/toothpick fuss!!

One batch of antelope dryed too long. I soaked the jerky in Coca Cola in the fridge to re-hydrate it and the re-dryed it. I thought that batch was one of the best I have ever made.

Yup, sometimes a sweet jerk is the best cure. <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I think a sweet and very spicy hot brine can do a lot for really gamey meats. Hey, if your taste buds are getting fried, you won't be able to taste the musk.

Smoking the meat can do wonders as well, and just like with hides, smoking meat can make it last a little longer as well, especially if it ain't dried completely.

Here are some links to get you started.

How to make.
http://www.fabulousfoods.com/recipes/misc/jerky.html
http://www.leeners.com/jerkyrecipes.html

This Recipe includes an interesting way to dry the meat
Alton Brown

Exotic Jerky
http://www.alljerky.com/wwwboard/wwwboard.html

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