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.
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<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.