First attempt at Jerky.

McHoss

McHoss

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
38   0   0
Location
New Brunswick.
My wife bought me a dehydrator from Cabelas for Christmas so I'm putting it to use for the first time today. She also got me a dry rub mix so that's what I used this time. I only used about a pound of deer meat, that I had cut into jerky slices by the butcher, to see how it goes. Five hours and forty eight minutes to go. Any suggestions on knowing when it's been in long enough. Heat is set at 160 which is max. Two full trays of meat.
Also, any recipes or tips would be greatly appreciated.
 
Degree of dryness is kind of subjective. I cut or pound my strips quite thin, then leave them in the dehydrator until the strips crack when I bend them. Haven't tried the dry rub stuff; I make up a bowl of marinade with some soy sauce, liquid smoke, various spices and some other stuff and let the meat strips soak overnight.
 
It's also a good idea to use a cure. I use Montreal steak spice and a nice splash of whiskey. I can tell when they start to darken and shrink. I squeeze them too to check for doneness. Don't overdo it or you will have 2 trays of dog treats...imho if the strips crack when you bend them, you over dried them...I like them slightly moist still.
 
freezer filler said:
It's also a good idea to use a cure. I use Montreal steak spice and a nice splash of whiskey. I can tell when they start to darken and shrink. I squeeze them too to check for doneness. Don't overdo it or you will have 2 trays of dog treats...imho if the strips crack when you bend them, you over dried them...I like them slightly moist still.
Click to expand...
So do you jerky and drivešŸ˜€, why the whisky? Is it for flavour or tenderizing, would the same thing be good with moose or have you ever done moose in that way.
Also do you marinate in the whisky and spice and for how long. Sounds interesting, I'd like to try that but I only have moose.
 
ShootSavage said:
So do you jerky and driveļ˜€, why the whisky? Is it for flavour or tenderizing, would the same thing be good with moose or have you ever done moose in that way.
Also do you marinate in the whisky and spice and for how long. Sounds interesting, I'd like to try that but I only have moose.
Click to expand...


Whiskey for flavor and I've heard it helps with tenderizing, also helps disperse the cure. Cure helps to create a safer product by killing bacteria. Minimum 24 hours for cure and seasoning...the meat will darken and become tacky. This would work for anything you want to jerky.
 
And when a cure is used it will keep for a much longer time period I understand. Thanks for the ideas. Looking forward to trying more things with it. I have Moose as well.
 
I also like to use trehalose... I get this and cure at TSC. The trehalose helps to hold moisture and retain freshness. I have done jerky in the oven at 170 degrees with the door open 6-8 inches and also in my smoker at 170ish. The smoker is my favorite, it has a water tray which dries the meat in a more controlled manner without crisping the edges... also adds another layer of preservation because smoke kills bacteria too.
 
I have been using the the High Mountain products for years for jerky, both whole meat and ground, and if you follow the directions it works well. I have used both a dehydrator and a smoker for it and prefer the smoker, as said earlier the water pan helps the consistency.
What I do is when it is near ready and still a bit damp, take a piece out and let it, cool, sit for 15 minutes, You will find it is probably drier than when hot. I always take it out and let it sit in a bowl for an hour or two to cool, then bag and leave in the fridge or somewhere cool for 24 hours to let the moisture redistribute through the bag. Don't bag it hot or it will sweat and I find too dry. I want mine with a bit of moisture and not tree bark dry. I made 20 lbs(starting) every year for deer hunting and between the farmers and the boys it is cleaned up by weeks end. I like the pepper and garlic blend on venison
 
Same here on the Hi Mountain blends. Bought the variation pack,,,,comes in five flavours to be used with two pounds of grind each. I used deer and I also liked the cracked pepper and garlic best. Even though I had recently bought a dehydrator, I had a friend tell me he just used the oven as instructed above and that it was an easy way of doing it so I thought I'd try using that method first. He was right; piece of cake! I almost wish I hadn't bought the dehydration unit. LOL

I'll be making up a bunch more for fishing and hunting snacks. I heard the Hi Mountain teriaki/garlic blend is tasty as well and a favourite of many.

A couple of different flavours done up here (CP&G, Cajun). When I did it in the oven I squeezed the meat out onto cooling racks:

 
Eating smoked jerky that has been made without cure is about as risky as eating a raw egg. Practically no existent. However, it's strongly recommended to use a cure with jerky made in the oven or dehydrator as neither uses smoke as a preservative.


The high mountain blends are okay and a great place to start, but I find them to be a bit too salty. I've turned out much better batches using online recipes and adding the cure myself. My favorites after making 200 lbs+ of jerky are definitely teriyaki and sweet chili dried to a lower moisture content than what you'd find in stores. I find it really helps with flavor and moisture if you remove the meat from the smoker and bag it for a few days after allowing it to cool a bit. This evens out the moisture throughout the batch making it more consistent and the flavor is better.

Last weekends batch was 20 lbs of eye of round and it's already half gone. Might be a good idea to stash a bag for yourself....
 
canadian hunter312 said:
Eating smoked jerky that has been made without cure is about as risky as eating a raw egg. Practically no existent. However, it's strongly recommended to use a cure with jerky made in the oven or dehydrator as neither uses smoke as a preservative.


The high mountain blends are okay and a great place to start, but I find them to be a bit too salty. I've turned out much better batches using online recipes and adding the cure myself. My favorites after making 200 lbs+ of jerky are definitely teriyaki and sweet chili dried to a lower moisture content than what you'd find in stores. I find it really helps with flavor and moisture if you remove the meat from the smoker and bag it for a few days after allowing it to cool a bit. This evens out the moisture throughout the batch making it more consistent and the flavor is better.

Last weekends batch was 20 lbs of eye of round and it's already half gone. Might be a good idea to stash a bag for yourself....
Click to expand...

I noticed that, too. I don't suppose you could post your recipe for the teriaki and sweet chili jerky? That sounds delicious! I can see why you went through it so darn fast!
 
rb_roadrace said:
Degree of dryness is kind of subjective. I cut or pound my strips quite thin, then leave them in the dehydrator until the strips crack when I bend them. Haven't tried the dry rub stuff; I make up a bowl of marinade with some soy sauce, liquid smoke, various spices and some other stuff and let the meat strips soak overnight.
Click to expand...
I just started doing the same, i found a few marinades on my wife's Pintrist count and so far they are pretty good. Cure is something you would use to make the jerky last longer on the shelf, but mine doesn't last long after its made due to that fact every one just eats it up within the first week.
 
I am a fan of the Hi Mountain kits too. My favourite is the sweet and spicy. I find the smoker the best method for cooking, the smoke will also cure the meat for you but I also use the cure provided in the kit. About 1.5 hours at 170-200f, hung from the racks.
 
Have made two batches so far, one moose and one beef. Poof gone. Used a brown sugar, rock salt, maple syrup marinade and the Big Chief. Have to hide it better.
 
sure as shootin said:
Same here on the Hi Mountain blends. Bought the variation pack,,,,comes in five flavours to be used with two pounds of grind each. I used deer and I also liked the cracked pepper and garlic best. Even though I had recently bought a dehydrator, I had a friend tell me he just used the oven as instructed above and that it was an easy way of doing it so I thought I'd try using that method first. He was right; piece of cake! I almost wish I hadn't bought the dehydration unit. LOL

I'll be making up a bunch more for fishing and hunting snacks. I heard the Hi Mountain teriaki/garlic blend is tasty as well and a favourite of many.

A couple of different flavours done up here (CP&G, Cajun). When I did it in the oven I squeezed the meat out onto cooling racks:

Click to expand...


Another way to do it which I find easier than racks is to use parchment paper sprayed with a bit of PAM. When you squeeze the strips let them touch slightly so they will stick to each other, after a half hour or so slide the paper out and they will hold each other together and sit directly on your oven rack and can easily be pulled apart when finished. You can fit lots more in the oven this way because you size the paper to your oven. Also, if they are bumpy or wavy, you can wet your hand and smooth out the whole works which for whatever reason seems to give them a better texture and consistency.
 
rb_roadrace said:
Degree of dryness is kind of subjective. I cut or pound my strips quite thin, then leave them in the dehydrator until the strips crack when I bend them. Haven't tried the dry rub stuff; I make up a bowl of marinade with some soy sauce, liquid smoke, various spices and some other stuff and let the meat strips soak overnight.
Click to expand...

same for me...though we recently ran out of liquid smoke and I'm on the hunt for it again
 
McHoss said:
My wife bought me a dehydrator from Cabelas for Christmas so I'm putting it to use for the first time today. She also got me a dry rub mix so that's what I used this time. I only used about a pound of deer meat, that I had cut into jerky slices by the butcher, to see how it goes. Five hours and forty eight minutes to go. Any suggestions on knowing when it's been in long enough. Heat is set at 160 which is max. Two full trays of meat.
Also, any recipes or tips would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

My Wife got me one for Christmas as well. I shop at a grocery store for flank at $4.99/LB on sale and as lean and sinew free as possible. I rinse in water and then place it in the freezer flat until it's firm but not rock solid so I can slice my desired thickness myself. Generally 1/4" thick and marinade in jerky seasoning for about 8 hours. I set my unit at it's highest temperature and it's done in 5.5 hours. Comes out hard but will not crack like a cracker when I bent it.

When it comes to washing the plastic racks I just use a bottle brush I bought from the dollar store.

32291863596_86d31ca094_b.jpg
32330840095_38b6cf54bb_b.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom