As I was herfing in the man den last week, my buddy and I were talking about foods that would go great with beer, cigars and movies. Naturally, we hit on beef jerky. We could go out and buy a bag of the processed stuff, but I thought I might like to try and make my own. Anyone here ever done this, and willing to post a recipe? Thanks in advance, ladies and gents.
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havent tried it YET, but Alton Browns jerky recipe is supposed to be really good. It gets great reviews. you can find it at www.foodtv.com
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I usually make a jerky out of myself after about my fourth scotch.
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:-)Haven't tried his jerkey, but Alton Brown knows his stuff!
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HA beat me to it..To much coffee makes me jerky...:-)
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Bought a dehydrator last year just for this reason.


No special recipe...I just use the seasoning that came with it and add a lil touch of different spices here ant there.



Its kinda fun trying out different combos...kids really didnt like the turkey..LOL





Shawn
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Bought a ronco dehydrator years ago,works great for jerky,not much to it.Just tell your butcher what your doing they will slice it nice and thin for you.
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here you go

www.justjerkyrecipes.com

you should find several in here you like

k
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I've made jerky a few times, it's not that hard. Get yourself a London Broil, trim the fat, slice it as thin as you can, and marinade overnight. I usually use some variation of soy sauce/teriyaki/worcestershire/garlic/pepper. Put the strips on a wire rack in a baking pan (to catch drippings) and throw in the oven at 200 degrees for several hours. You can use lower temps, 200 is the lowest setting on my oven.
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:-) Works great if you dont have a dehydrator. The key is getting the meat sliced thinly enough. Otherwise you will be chewing for days! If you have a friend who works at a Deli you can try to get them to slice it on their slicer. But most dont like to do raw meat, so you may have to do it at the end of the day. If you partially freeze your meat it makes it easier to slice.
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curious, do you make your own beer, cigars, or movies?
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Meh, we did that last two at last weeks herf. Had espresso from Richard's home roasted beans as well. :-)
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I need to herf with you then... but you will want me to stay behind the camera :-)
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Rolling our own cigars was definitely an experience! Any time you are in the area we can arrange a herf and a camera. :-)
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very cool, could get all of it on film, rolling cigars, brewing beer, and making jerky. :-) how far north of socal are you?
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Pain in the ass that I won't go through again. Unless you have a gravity slicer and drying trays, it's a big friggin project. It can be done in an easier way, but to get the smoke and all that is a real process.

Another key is to get the meat a decent price, or you not far apart from the what the pro's charge, which is usually around $16.00 a pound for Jerky (if memory serves me correct).
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Yeah, my wife is great at sniffing out sales. A few times now she's got the London Broil on a 2-for-1 deal. I do one on the grill and make jerky with the other.
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Make my own jerky on a regular basis. Usually it is venison, but when that is all gone, I do beef. I have also experimented with turkey and salmon - but, umm, let's just say that didn't go over so well, and so, we haven't gone back and don that again...

Some people talk about slicing it thin enough, true. But personally, I like it a little thicker. We don't like shoe leather jerky. We cut it a little thicker, and dry it to the point that it is the consistency somewhere between dried beef and storebought.

I do it in the oven on old refrigerator racks.

And for seasoning, I did my own thing for about 20 years. Then, about 6 years ago I found Hi Mountain Jerky Cure (http://www.himtnjerky.com/) and available for realy cheap at Cabelas, Gander Mountain, and other such stores - even in a local grocer started carrying it. I can get seasoning for 15 pounds of meat for about $7. What is great about this stuff is that I don't need to put the meat in a smoker - all I need is the oven.

The trick I have found is to let the cure work on the meat long enough. Like I said, I cut the meat a little thicker 1/4 -3/8 inch thick. And when I dry it, I like it with a little flex to it.

I have also found that I can take any of the HiMountain seasonings and jazz it up a bit. My favorite jazz is simply some cayenne pepper sprinkled generously on each piece in the seasoning step, before letting it refrigerate and soak into the meat.
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Deer, elk, buffalo jerky, oh yeah!
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I prefer to use ground beef that way the spices are mixed in and it still comes out "leathery" this method will require a jerky shooter. With it you can also make sticks as well. I usually use 'HI Mountain" brand pretty common in the stores. If you use it I recommend only using half of the called for brine mixture. Makes it way too salty. I also like their pepperoni blend. My Brother use to make a lot of Goose jerky which came out good also. Like anything else its a lot of experimentation. Have Fun!
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