Makin' Jerky

[cheebacheeba]

Hey guys...
So Jerky, right?
Seems the crowd is pretty split on this one, some people worship it and some people are completely disgusted at the very thought of dried meat.

Me, I like it.
I'm also quite fond of bhiltong, but I don't know if I'd want to try my hand at making that at my current level of knowledge.

So anyways the girl bought be a dehydrator for my b'day a couple of weeks ago as I get into jerky and quite like dried apples too.

Since then I've been experimenting with jerky a little bit.
What I've learned...salt is important. Lamb doesn't have quite the right texture for jerky. Spicy levels go down after dehydration. Takes longer than you may expect. Marination is key. Awesome butchers take the fat off for you. Buying rump in bulk is like...you gotta do it. FUCK buying rump steaks.
You can make something SO better than most of what you've tried before.
At home jerky is like, SO much better value.

I have a couple of simple recipes that have worked really well...I won't bother mentioning the stuff that I've not LOVED.

The "normal" jerky I've been making is simply marinated in Worcestershire sauce, salt, cracked black pepper and some smoky paprika. It's very simple, but it just turns out so damn nicely.

The kind've insane and totally awesome one I've been doing is well, I guess you'd call it "chilli" jerky.
I make a mixture of bbq sauce with some pineapple juice. Then I add a touch of tomato sauce (ketchup more or less), salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, finely chopped/pulped pineapple, chilli powder, hot chilli sauce, some REALLY hot naga jolokia chilli paste, crushed corriander (cilantro) seeds and some chilli flakes for texture.
What you end up with, is quite a damn spicy bbq-flavoured product that's balanced out very nicely with the sweet stickiness of the small amount of pineapple still there...then the crunch and texture, and ever so slight citrus vibe that the corriander seeds provide.
Wow, this here is the awesomeness and if you guys can try this one it's definitely worth a shot to the spice lovers.

So I'm thinking about more ideas...like a thai and a moroccan type marinade for future use. Some incorporation of hickory/liquid smoke would be pretty cool too I think.
At the moment I have sitting in my fridge some chicken thighs in a honey/soy marinade I'll be making tonight. Chicken jerky...hm...

So, anyone here tried their hand at jerky?
What's the good/bad?
How do you make it, dehydrator, rack, or oven?
If you care to share your ideas or recipes I'd love to check some out.

- B.

[ManchestrMorgue]

Originally Posted by cheebacheeba

Hey guys...

So, anyone here tried their hand at jerky?

Now, that is a touch personal.

:D:D

[newb]

The kind've insane and totally awesome one I've been doing is well, I guess you'd call it "chilli" jerky.
I make a mixture of bbq sauce with some pineapple juice. Then I add a touch of tomato sauce (ketchup more or less), salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, finely chopped/pulped pineapple, chilli powder, hot chilli sauce, some REALLY hot naga jolokia chilli paste, crushed corriander (cilantro) seeds and some chilli flakes for texture.
What you end up with, is quite a damn spicy bbq-flavoured product that's balanced out very nicely with the sweet stickiness of the small amount of pineapple still there...then the crunch and texture, and ever so slight citrus vibe that the corriander seeds provide.
Wow, this here is the awesomeness and if you guys can try this one it's definitely worth a shot to the spice lovers.

never had jerky but that sounds delicious. Is it tough to chew or more on the tender side?

[cheebacheeba]

Now, that is a touch personal.

Shoulda considered how I phrased that... :D

never had jerky but that sounds delicious. Is it tough to chew or more on the tender side?

It really depends on how much you dehydrate it...you can even make jerky that's slightly pink in the middle (actually most bhiltong is like this) and then you can continue until it's something like eating wood.
I try to make mine chewy yet not to the point it's difficult to chew.
It's meant to be at this stage when you can bend it and the exterior cracks but the middle does not.
But yeah, this one is like...so good...

[Sistinas666]

My father in law makes the best deer, goose, and duck jerky ever. I know he uses a dehydrator but none of his recipe, I will attempt to get it and pass it along.

Very similiar to the marinade you guys speak of I make into a condiment. I grill ground pork(like beef) then add my sauce and pineapple to the bun. My household loves "Hawaiian Burger" night....

[ManchestrMorgue]

Originally Posted by cheebacheeba

Shoulda considered how I phrased that... :D

It's all good.

I mean, we are all friends here.

:D

[Doc Faustus]

This thread is great. I thought some of you would appreciate that I initially misread the title of it as "merkin jerky". Feel free to steal this phrase for the name of an obnoxious jam band that plays one time at a college Halloween party and then breaks up.

[The Ugly Duchess]

Never made any. Have only bought it from the grocery store.

But I like it!



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The Duchess

[ferretchucker]

Not a massive fan of Jerky, I find it to be too leathery. When you're making it yourself, though, I guess you have control over how dry you let it get?