Making Your Very Own Jerky

January 1st, 2009 by Raymond Felter

by Raymond Felter

Folks have sought after new and revolutionary ways to consume and enjoy meat for as long as we have been around. A very common format in which people love to eat meat as a snack is by making it into a jerky. Jerky is most commonly made with beef and it helps to preserve the meat and its flavor far better than any other method. Jerky is a good source of protein and it is more healthy as the fat is removed before the meat is made into jerky.

You can create your very own healthy source of jerky right in your own kitchen and you can be assured that it will be much more healthier than those bought in stores as you can stay away from all of the preservatives making it right in your kitchen. The preservatives that manufacturers put in to keep the meat fresher longer are chemicals that are not necessary when making your own.

The first thing that you want to do when making your own jerky is to buy the right meat. You want to go with a lean cut of meat such as top round, sirloin, or even eye round to name a few good meat choices. When you go with these kinds of meats, you will save a lot of time during the drying step.

Once you have your meat you will need to slice it into very thin slices approximately 1/8″ thick. You may even want to check with your butcher at your local meat market as they may slice the meat like this for you. Try to cut the strips against the grain so that the jerky will be much easier to chew. Be sure to trim off as much fat as possible because the fat will not dry and can ruin the jerky.

After this, you need to marinade the meat and use the flavor of your choice by getting the proper seasonings. Lots of folks love to use a sea salt and cider vinegar mix, and then they let it soak in the refrigerator over night for the absolutely best results. Keep in mind that the longer you marinate, the longer it can take to dry. You will want to put whatever seasonings you like as a coating on the meat such as cracked pepper, garlic, brown sugar, etc. Then dehydrate the meat.

You need to allow ample space between each piece of meat for thorough drying. It is good when utilizing your dehydrating machine to make it a rule of thumb to coat the dehydrator racks with a non-stick spray before placing the meat on the rack. If you are going to use your oven for making the jerky then you will want to set the over at 150 degrees but make sure that you let the over preheat. You can put the meat right on the rack with a cookie sheet underneath it. The heat is not to cook the meat but dry it out nicely.

Now that you have your meat marinated and seasoned, and you have put it either in the oven or the dehydrator and so now you just wait. Remember that this is a very slow process but it very well worth waiting for. The whole process can take anywhere from 6 to 12 hours. You will want to watch the meat and take it out when it is done to your liking. Be sure to test a piece to see if it is dried all the way through. You want it to be a deep burgundy or brown color.

You can store your fresh jerky in plastic zip lock bags and keep it in the refrigerator or the freezer. It will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator. Once you get the hang of making jerky, you will be making it on a regular basis. It also makes a great gift for family and friends, especially at the holidays.

About the Author:

Nothing tastes better than making all natural jerky right at home in your own kitchen. Check out a beef jerky dehydrator or a beef jerky maker today.