drying Jerky recipe/techniques wanted

[bentalphanerd]

that would be 'Lamb Shanks' chilehunter & yes, theres nothing quite like that when it's done right & slow. Very good point they have less fat than the rest of the beast...I'm gonna try them.

Sliced of course, or maybe the stripped separate muscles in lumps.

Jerky spice packets...no chance on this side of the globe...been getting a wakeup reading around about liquid smoke, wood chip varieties, chicken rockets & stainless beer cans.....even dry rub... its not here.

I'm going to need to innovate, adapt or import from you guys

 

[chilehunter]

wow no premade spice packets down under ? thats strange well IMO it is. liquid smoke I dont know if you want to use that since its has a pretty strong taste to it but for adding to a water dish while grill/smoking is good.
I like'em thick jerky cuts I cut mine around 1/2" - 1" thick granted this will take longer to finish vs thin strips,that your choice.
I can look at some of my spice packets right now & what kind of wood chips for which kind of meat for you, I'll get back to you shortly.

 

[chilehunter]

ok I found some info & recipes for you & stuff I'm sure you could find at a store there, only problem is its alot of writing (but I'll type some of them out for you)
lets ask this, you said you'll be using the oven method is this correct ? & is there any kind of flavor or spices you'd perfer to use example tangy & sweet, worcestershire,no salt, ketchup,ginger, etc... the list goes on about the choices. plus I'm not pulling these out of nowhere these are right from a well know hunting club cookbook "north american hunting club"

most of these have chile in them for a little kick but you could always add more.

or should I type this stuff in the recipe section on this forum ?

 

[chilehunter]

this is what they say for oven method
arrange strips on finely spaced wire rack, allowing space between strips for air circulation, or hang meat strips from oven racks. Prop oven door slightly open with small ball of foil. set oven at 150 F degrees or lowest setting, & bake until jerky is desired consistency.

 

[chilehunter]

never mind I posted them in the other section of this recipe area, its a starting point to get a idea. I dont have any premade jerky packets to read off the ingredients, for smoking you can also use apple,cherry wood these two give a little more sweeter taste to the smoked meat/jerky

 

[chilliman64]

bentalphanerd, pm me your email address and I'll send some recipes. I buy my jerky mix from www.sausagesource.com and you can buy liquid smoke from www.usafoods.com.au (based in Melbourne).

chilehunter is right about it sticking to the trays, I bought some plastic sheeting which is available as optional accessories and they are worth their weight in gold habs and it doesn't really add to drying time.

you should only make jerky out of low fat meats so anything with marbling or high intra-muscular fat should be avoided as it can quickly spoil and become rancid. I can send you some Prague Powder as I have a fair bit of it. it is a preservative - you get small pouches of it with commercial jerky mixes. I bought a pound of it to use in my own recipes but you only use a very small quantity (snail mail address required bentalphanerd) I will of course send instructions for it's use.

I add liquid smoke or Wright's Hickory seasoning (from usafoods) as I don't have a smoker. it comes out fine in the dehydrator. I've found that chile powder works best for me for adding heat to my jerky instead of extract due to the difference in flavour.

Mark

 

[chilliman64]

...I dont have any premade jerky packets to read off the ingredients...

I do!

Backwoods Jerky Seasoning - Original

Seasoning Ingredients:
salt, worcestershire powder (dextrose, caramel color (sulfites 140PPM), monosodium glutamate, garlic salt, carboxymethyl cellulose, chili pepper, spices, mustard, malic acid, natural flavorings (spice extractives), onion, less than 2% silicone dioxide added to prevent caking), paprika, granulated garlic, monosodium glutamate, red pepper, dextrose, spices, and less than 2% tricalcium phosphate to prevent caking.

Cure Ingredients:
salt, sodium nitrite (6.25%), FD&C red #3 (0.00099%) and less than 2% sodium silico aluminate added to prevent caking.

shouldn't be too hard to knock that lot up in the kitchen at home

Mark

 

[The Hot Pepper]

Most people use london broil.

I was going to post that. It would have been a guess though. I was just thinking about the grain structure and lack of fat.

 

[chilliman64]

...I like'em thick jerky cuts I cut mine around 1/2" - 1" thick granted this will take longer to finish vs thin strips...

chilehunter, does the jerky dry out enough to stop mildew forming when the jerky is so thick? what about being overly dried out and brittle? do you use a dehydrator, smoker, or, an oven to dry your jerky?

Mark

 

[JerseyBoyzJerky]

jerky

chilehunter, does the jerky dry out enough to stop mildew forming when the jerky is so thick? what about being overly dried out and brittle? do you use a dehydrator, smoker, or, an oven to dry your jerky?

Mark

Send me your address i will send you a sample of our thick cut jerky you tell me what you think,,Has a shelf life of a year

 

[chilliman64]

Send me your address i will send you a sample of our thick cut jerky you tell me what you think,,Has a shelf life of a year

you don't have to offer me that twice

pm on it's way! thanks JBJ!!!

Mark

 

[chilliman64]

Its either my Scottish ancestry or my hippie upbringing, but how was it done before the days of eBay & camping shows?

I'm getting parts together to solar power my house & extra 1000 W is going to be difficult to justify.

bentalphanerd - I have some good news for you! I went for a drive to Goulburn yesterday with my beautiful chilliwoman. while she was working I strolled and sauntered into a newsagents, as I am prone to do. I picked up the obligatory motorcycle mag and thought I'd check out the gardening mags also. there, on the front cover of the Autumn edition of Earth Garden, I noticed a story - 'Build Your Own $50 Solar Food Dryer' this seems perfect for your needs - it's solar powered, inexpensive (read: cheap), green, it has a hippy connection, and it dries food! what more could you want?

here's a link to their website in case you can't find this publication on the shelves:

www.earthgarden.com.au/cover.html

I had a quick look at the article and it looks fairly simple to construct. there's an attached article from some dude who built one of these some years ago and he reckons it's great for drying vegies - he didn't mention jerky unfortunately though he did say that he had dried caps and chillies. let me know how you go!

btw - my wife is Scottish so I fully understand genetic frugality

Mark

 

[bentalphanerd]

That looks like the beast chilliman64 ...just reading the hippie mag by accident....i understand

Not sure how it will go with meat, can't see it generating enough heat to stave off maggots & ants - I suppose I could throw a smoker box into the bottom tray to help it along.

I copied the page & pic if anyone needs it - PM me (looks like they only post the current issue online)

Thanks again Chilliman64

 

[chilliman64]

a smoker box might be just the ticket to boost performance. you could also make your own chipotles, unless jalapenos are a little tame for you

 

[The Hot Pepper]

Send me your address i will send you a sample of our thick cut jerky you tell me what you think,,Has a shelf life of a year

Good stuff! Like eating sirloin. Even red in the center.

 

[chilliman64]

Good stuff! Like eating sirloin. Even red in the center.

sounds awesome!!!

Send me your address i will send you a sample of our thick cut jerky you tell me what you think,,Has a shelf life of a year

has anyone had it in their possession long enough to test the shelf life? sounds like it could be classed as an 'endangered species' to me. I'm drooling already!

 

[chilehunter]

chilliman64 - you gotta remember the meat shrinks as its cooked/dried. the jerky I did was fully cooked & no mold or fungus formed because of the thickness. the outside was dark brown & the inside was redish, granted mine might not be as good as JBJ jerky but non the less it still tasted good plus I've giving friends some of it also & they said it was good also but just a tad to dry. but the dryness is my fault, like I've said before making jerky is a trail & error, almost a art forum for making jerky. you need to watch it carefully so it doesnt get overdone (which sometimes I have a problem with that but other times it comes out perfect)

 

[chilliman64]

I agree chilehunter - trial and error it is! as far as drying out goes, I taste test and also bend my jerky to check for moisture. usually when I think it is almost ready - it is ready. that is when I remove it from the heat and allow it to cool for an hour or so before bagging. this works best for me.

next batch I make I will try thicker slices and see how it goes as I usually slice mine around 6mm (a quarter inch).

 

[Sickmont]

Cure Ingredients:
salt, sodium nitrite (6.25%), FD&C red #3 (0.00099%) and less than 2% sodium silico aluminate added to prevent caking.

Why in the world would food coloring be used as an ingredient of a cure? Seems like a waste of money to me.

 

[The Hot Pepper]

Why in the world would food coloring be used as an ingredient of a cure? Seems like a waste of money to me.

They probably put in the cure list so you think it's needed