| Before the invention of refrigeration and preservatives, | | | | harden on the outside but still be too moist on the |
| the only way to preserve meat for long periods of | | | | inside, and once again, it could spoil. There are two |
| time was to dry it into jerky. Drying meat into jerky is | | | | common methods for drying jerky; in a conventional |
| possibly the oldest way of preserving meat and jerky | | | | oven or in a food dehydrator. Whichever method you |
| dates back to the earliest civilizations. | | | | use, be sure to leave enough room between pieces to |
| Traditionally, jerky was made from long, thin strips of | | | | allow air to flow around the meat. Avoid letting the |
| meat that was salted and dried in the sun or over a | | | | meat touch if possible. |
| small smokey fire. Although jerky can still be made in | | | | 7. - Making Jerky in a Conventional Oven Preheat your |
| this way, techniques have become more sophisticated | | | | oven to 140 degrees. Remember you are not cooking |
| in our day. Jerky is still an extremely popular food and | | | | the meat; you are simply removing the moisture. Spray |
| millions of people still enjoy jerky as a delicious, | | | | all the racks you will use with a non stick cooking |
| convenient, and healthy source of protein. Jerky is | | | | spray. Without this non-stick spray, you will be left with |
| perfect for hikers, campers, or just an easy, | | | | jerky that cannot be removed from the racks and that |
| non-messy snack. | | | | will essentially be inedible. Spread the meat evenly on |
| Today, jerky is most commonly made from beef, but | | | | wire racks in the oven. You can also use metal racks |
| jerky can also be made from poultry, fish, and wild | | | | other than the oven racks with a drip pan underneath |
| game such as deer (venison), elk, buffalo, bison, moose, | | | | to make cleanup much faster. Leave the oven door |
| caribou, antelope, and other game. Many varieties of | | | | open slightly to permit moisture to escape. Since |
| seasonings can be used to make different flavors of | | | | temperatures, humidity levels, and slice thickness will |
| jerky. Salt is traditionally used as the main preservative | | | | vary, there can be no set time for the process to |
| for jerky, but acids such as vinegar and citrus juice in | | | | complete. Usually jerky takes from 6 to 12 hours. |
| marinades can also help to kill bacteria. Jerky can be | | | | Check the consistency of the jerky regularly after 6 |
| made without salt, but its shelf life will be drastically | | | | hours until it meets your satisfaction. You might have |
| reduced. | | | | to cut into the jerky to ensure that it is not raw inside. |
| Store-bought jerky comes in many flavors with any | | | | You want the jerky to be a deep brown or burgundy |
| number of chemicals, additives, and preservatives and | | | | color and still be flexible. As jerky cools, it will get more |
| can be surprisingly expensive. However, you can | | | | stiff and brittle so you don't want to over dry. |
| make your own jerky at home very easily. Most | | | | 8. - Making Jerky in a Food Dehydrator Food |
| people are surprised at just how easy it is to make | | | | Dehydrators are excellent for making jerky. |
| delicious jerky that is much cheaper and healthier than | | | | Dehydrators are inexpensive to buy and are safer and |
| mass-produced jerky available in stores. So by making | | | | cheaper to use than the kitchen oven. Additionally |
| your own jerky, you not only control the ingredients, | | | | dehydrators make less of a mess and are easier to |
| you also save money. | | | | clean up. Spray the dehydrator trays with a non-stick |
| Jerky Making: Step-by-Step Instructions | | | | cooking spray before placing on the strips of meat. |
| | | | This keeps the meat from sticking and helps in the |
| 1. Select a cut of meat. Choosing a lean cut will save | | | | clean up of the trays. Season the jerky strips just as |
| time later. For beef jerky, cuts like like sirloin, top round, | | | | above and drain them well before placing them on the |
| eye of round, etc. are good choices. You can also use | | | | dehydrator trays. A full dehydrator can usually process |
| venison or virtually any other type of meat to make | | | | a large batch of jerky in 6 to 12 hours. Just like with |
| jerky. | | | | drying in a conventional oven, temperatures, humidity |
| 2. Trim all of the noticeable fat from your cut of meat | | | | levels, and slice thickness will vary, so the drying time |
| because any fat will cause the jerky to spoil much | | | | will vary. You will want to check the jerky regularly |
| faster. | | | | after 6 hours to see if its done. You want the jerky to |
| 3. Slice your meat into very thin strips from 1/8" to 1/4" | | | | be a deep brown or burgundy color and still be flexible. |
| thick. Cutting the meat into thin slices dramatically | | | | As jerky cools, it will get more stiff and brittle so you |
| shortens drying time. You can cut jerky with just a | | | | don't want to over dry. The thicker cuts will take more |
| knife and cutting board, but there are some convenient | | | | time, so as the thin pieces are done, just remove them. |
| tools you can use for slicing meat, such as a Jerky | | | | Tip: A rule of thumb is that 4 pounds of raw meat |
| Slicing Tray, a Hand-Crank Manual Jerky Slicer, or an | | | | makes about one pound of jerky. |
| electric meat slicer. Tip: Slicing meat is easier if you | | | | 9. Store the finished jerky in plastic bags and store in |
| freeze the meat for about 30 to 60 minutes before | | | | the refrigerator or freezer until ready to eat. To be |
| slicing. You can cut with or against the grain, but some | | | | safe, it's best to enjoy the fresh homemade jerky |
| find that strips cut against the grain are easier to chew. | | | | within one week of its preparation. If you make it right, |
| 4. Marinate the meat in a marinade or solution of your | | | | it's delicious!Tip: If you wish to store your jerky for |
| choice. You can follow a recipe to make your own | | | | longer, use a vacuum sealer to store the jerky in |
| marinade or purchase any number of ready-made | | | | vacuum bags. Other storage methods allow exposure |
| marinades. Marinating is optional because the additional | | | | to oxygen and moisture, which encourages the growth |
| moisture can make dehydration take longer, and the | | | | of bacteria. In vacuum sealed bags, jerky can be kept |
| resulting jerky might be stickier. Soaking in soy sauce | | | | for months. Vacuum sealed jerky stored in a freezer |
| or teriyaki sauce is a favorite. Place in the refrigerator | | | | can last even longer. |
| for 4 - 24 hours to allow the meat absorb the flavor. | | | | Alternative: Jerky Snack Strips & Sticks |
| 5. Season the meat with the dry seasonings of your | | | | Instead of making jerky from sliced meat, a popular |
| choice. You can follow a jerky recipe or choose from | | | | form of jerky is the jerky snack stick or snack strip, |
| a wide variety of available dry jerky seasoning mixes. | | | | which is made from seasoned ground meat formed |
| A mixture of salt, pepper, oregano, marjoram, basil and | | | | into strips or round sticks. To make this jerky snack, |
| thyme is tasty. You will find that many seasonings | | | | you first need to purchase extra lean ground meat or |
| work well and it is a personal preference. I personally | | | | grind lean cuts of meat with a meat grinder. The next |
| enjoy jerky with a lot of pepper. You will need to | | | | step is to mix the seasonings into the ground meat by |
| experiment to find your favorites. Just sprinkle and rub | | | | hand or with a meat mixer. The seasoned ground |
| the dry seasonings onto both sides of the sliced meat. | | | | meat can then be extruded into the snack sticks or |
| 6. Dehydrate the meat. Meat is dehydrated by applying | | | | strips using a Jerky Gun or Jerky Cannon. Finally, these |
| heat and continuous air flow. The control of both the | | | | jerky snacks are dehydrated on trays in a |
| temperature and the airflow is very important. If the | | | | conventional oven or food dehydrator as described |
| humidity is too high and the temperature is too low, the | | | | above. |
| jerky will dry too slowly and it could spoil. If the | | | | Who knew it was so easy to make your own jerky? |
| temperature is too high, the jerky will cook too fast, | | | | Enjoy! |