JUST GOT DONE JERKIN

[cheezydemon]

And MAN IS MY ARM TIRED! I also have a blister on my finger.

I have 5 lbs of beef sliced thin and marinating. 5 LBS!!!! It will take me 3 batches in the dehydrator. The smoked jalapeno powder is really the key to it! Store bought cayenne will do, but it won't have that special....something..........

5 Lbs of beef sliced thin
3 bottles of soy sauce
5 Tblsp Smoked jalapeno powder(OR 1/8 tsp liquid smoke 5 tblsp cayenne)
5 Tblsp coarse black pepper
3 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder

Marinate overnight, make sure all of the meat is coated. If your tupperware is good, shake it up 3 or four times before dehydrating.
4 hours or so in the dehydrator should do. No one is perfect, and different sized pieces make it more interesting, so check the dehydrator and take out pieces that are done(the smaller thinner ones). Depending on how sloppy your jerking was, it may take a lot longer for enourmous pieces to dry. Over dry jerky is not good, but if you leave it in a bag that is open, it will suck moisture out of the air and re-hydrate after a few days. The house will smell good tomorrow!:mouthonfire:

[Dyce51]

*** that alot of Jerkin!!!!! LOL....sounds really good.. I tried to make jerky once (useing the oven) and it turned out crispy.....so I never really tried to make it again. I'll have to try to make it again....I like the recipe you posted, got my mouth watering!!

[xgrafcorex]

yea, the last two times i tried making some turned up too crispy. i'm using a dehydrator, but maybe i'll try lower heat? not sure.

one sauce that makes a great marinade is matouk's hot pepper sauce: http://carolinasauce.stores.yahoo.net/180001-1062204842.html

good stuff...unique flavor, but not intensely hot. has a kick to it, but if you are used to extract sauces, then you'll be fine. ;)

[chilliman64]

that's a nice recipe. you must have a powerful dehydrator because mine takes around 7-8 hours to do a batch and it's 1000 watts.

[texas blues]

We need pics of the results of all that jerkin bro. We need some before and after marinade and then at least one "money shot" of the final product.

[chilliman64]

*** that alot of Jerkin!!!!! LOL....sounds really good.. I tried to make jerky once (useing the oven) and it turned out crispy.....so I never really tried to make it again. I'll have to try to make it again....I like the recipe you posted, got my mouth watering!!

mate you can make excellent jerky in the oven, just use the lowest heat setting you can. leave the oven door ajar and if your oven is fan-forced turn it on also. inspect it regularly. if you are drying on a tray/rack make sure you turn it every 1-2 hours. try not to eat all that yummy hot jerky before it's finished drying - I bet you can't stop once you have your first 'sample'! ;)

[cheezydemon]

Well I am afraid it is too late for before pix. I need to figure out how to post them I guess. Sorry! It is all dark brown with sort of a spider web on one side where it sat on the dehydrator tray.

Yes, I was overestimating the power of my dehydrator! I had to do it in 2.5 batches for 6 hours or so each batch.

It is best right out of the dehydrator the second it is done, which is different for each piece. I tried to pull them out as they got done, but some do get over dried. You can safely re-introduce moisture. I put a moist paper towell in the bags of jerky over night. the overdried ones will absorb a little moisture.
I know people who over dry it and just leave it out in a bowl to let it rehydrate over a week or so. I don't think contamination is a concern, especially if it is over dried.

[chilehunter]

I know people who over dry it and just leave it out in a bowl to let it rehydrate over a week or so. I don't think contamination is a concern, especially if it is over dried.


with your recipe I wouldnt leave the jerky sit out of the fridge, over dried is not what prevents bacteria to grow, its the salt/curing agents that prevents the jerky from going bad. I wouldnt fully trust just soy sauce to cure meat.

[cheezydemon]

with your recipe I wouldnt leave the jerky sit out of the fridge, over dried is not what prevents bacteria to grow, its the salt/curing agents that prevents the jerky from going bad. I wouldnt fully trust just soy sauce to cure meat.

I appreciate the concern. I have never had a problem before, however. Soy sauce is extremely salty.

[chilehunter]

I know soy sauce is salty but does it have enough salt in it to do the job ? I dont know. thats why I'll always use some jerky packets w/cure packet & then add other flavours to it.

[cheezydemon]

What is in a cure packet?

[chilehunter]

alot of salt & some other stuff that I dont even know what it is, I dont have a package of the stuff right now to read it to you. all I know its a mixture designed to prevent bacteria growth & I've seen some of the packages that also say store your homemade jerky in the fridge since its not full of some other ingredients like store bought jerky.

its better to be on the safe side vs getting sick. I think the old saying about leaving meat out at room temp is for 1-4 hours ? (but 4 hours seems to long) then bacteria can/might/will start growing in the meat.but this is also for non jerkyed meats.

soy sauce is not designed for making jerky, yea its a great flavour to add to it but IMO not something to rely on to get the job done correctlly. check out some of the store bought soy sauce flavoured jerky I bet they have other stuff in there other than just soy sauce to keep the jerky safe to eat.

if thats all you use (soy sauce) then at least store it in the fridge, just to be on the safe side. I hear food poisoning isnt that fun to have.

[cheezydemon]

It is in the fridge! Why not? Thanks!