Jerky-

R

Robert L E

Active member
I've got the last of 20 pounds of jerky (raw weight) drying in the oven. We set the electric oven to just under 200 deg and it takes 8 to 12 hours per batch to dry.

I always use a commercial mix because I want to be sure I get a safe cure but we do get creative with it none the less. Most years we add a good sized jar of our homemade cherry jam (we grind the fruit when we make it). The jam adds sweetness and flavor. Due to a crop failure, this year we just added dark brown sugar. We always add black pepper and red pepper flakes too.

The jerky is spread out over out two oven racks and they are installed in the highest two positions in the oven. The top rack seems to dry faster so I put the thicker pieces there and the thinner pieces on the second rack. Both racks are dry about the same time then. We do not let it get brittle dry. As soon as one batch is done, the next batch goes in.

We package the dried meat in zipper bags and freeze it. I don't know how to explain it but after it is thawed the jerky has a more even and chewy texture. It is tempered, so to speak, and is much improved. Some of these packages are destined for Iraq and they were frozen first only to get the jerky tempered.

This is venison jerky but goose makes great jerky as well as almost any meat or fish. I have not done fish jerky yet but I'm getting hungry thinking about the possibilities.

Any other recipes or tips out there???

jerkyjpg.jpg


Bob
 
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Robert,

I did the same thing last night when I got my deer home. Just a few pounds this go around. I use the Shoreline commercial stuff and a dehydrator rather than the stove. It comes out with a hard shell but chewy in the middle. I'll have to try the oven/freezer method.

Looks good.

Ed L.
 
after the season.....we renamed it "Labrador Cocaine" after we made the mistake of sharing some with my lab Buddy.....forever after after that mistake he would "aggressively beg" for his share, something he had never done on any other food....

Kevin attempted to break him of that by making a batch that was so hot that it would bring tears to your eyes and blister your mouth it was so hot....like any addict Buddy was happy to have it....

Your Cherry Jam jerky sounds delicious.......

Steve
 
I'm gonna have to try that with some of the meat in the freezer. Goose, ducks etc. Sounds great. Will have to use our chunky apple sauce though.
 
I KNOW YOUR SON WILL BE THE HIT OF HIS COMPANY IF THEY GET A TASTE OF THAT.Making jerky of the otherwise wasted meat of waterfowl is a great food source,for man and beast.My dogs love it.
 
Joe-

About 2 years ago I sent packages to my nephew in Iraq and to my brother in law in Kuwait. Normally they open packages in front the people they are serving with. Both of them did this with my boxes. Well, you know how African vultures or piranhas are, the packages of jerky were gone in a swirl.

When I sent each of them a second box a month later, each of them went to his own quarters to open his box. Both my nephew, a Marine, and my brother in law, a soldier, told me the same thing about the jerky. I'll let you know how my boy does with it.

Bob
 
Yeah,no doubt it gets scarfed up in a New York minute.I hope the packages get to him as fast as mine did in Korea over 50 years ago.I kid with the Postmaster everytime I send a package,and they tell me it's going to take 8 days.My Dad would send me packages with pepperoni,cheese and bread,double wrapped in wax paper and foil,that I would get in three days from the east coast.The bread would be as day old bread.There were no Jets flying cargo/mail in thoes days.I always get a smile or blank stare when I tell that story.
It's hard to get a letter to the next state in three days today.I'm sure your pics on the internet is a big plus for our troops overseas today.Be great when you get him home.God bless him and all our men and women serving to keep us free.
 
Bob, my pal makes his own salt\sugar brine. He does the drying in a big chief smoker. Goose will convert anyone who eats it. Never shall a Canada pass one of our setups. If you would like I can ask for the recipe. Bet the guys in the unit will love having that care package.
 
Bob, my pal makes his own salt\sugar brine.... If you would like I can ask for the recipe.
Click to expand...
HECK yes ask your buddy for the recipe. I spent a ton this fall on commerical spices for jerky. We turned all of the ducks/geese into jerky. Damn good stuff. I would love to try something else but have always balked due to the whole "is it cured well enough" issues. Thanks
 
Bob B -

By all means post the instructions. Smoking is another way to make sure the product is safe and I'm thinking about building a smoker. I'm guessing that jerky just needs a little bit of smoke at the beginning then gentle heat for half a day to dry it.

Jerky is not cooked, it is cured. That is the reason I use a commercial cure and then trick it out after a day of curing. Food safety is important so any tips or advice is welcome by me. I do like my venison steaks medium rare though.

I really like pickled herring too so I've been thinking about what pickled fish strips, dried in a smoker, would be like. Damn... I gotta go eat something now.


Bob
 
For years, I have been making duck and goose jerky and early on, my hunting buddies asked me to share my "secret recipe"...which I did willingly without any qualms. Maybe too willingly because for years they didn't believe it could be as simple as it really is to make. This is a commercial mix available just about anywhere (Cabela's, Gander Mountain, Bass Pro etc.) as well as online (http://www.himtnjerky.com/).

I would like to tell you that this is an incredibly demanding recipe but the truth is, its so easy, its impossible to goof up (with the exception of one time and it was entirely my fault). I can guarantee at least from my own experience that it will last until it is gone or until you take it off the table.

I like to cut the venison/duck/goose into strips about 3/16" thick with the grain of the meat. Venison roast and goose breasts are large enough to get those nice wide pieces

Buy a pkg of Hi Mountain Jerky. They offer about a dozen different recipes now...used to be just 3. Follow the directions, sorta kinda, regarding the ratio and mixture of curing salt to seasonings. I bought a special Tupperware type plastic container about 11 x 17 x 3 with a snap down lid for the next part. Sprinkle a layer of salt/seasoning to coat the bottom of the container then lay your meat strips in it side to side, end to end until the bottom is covered in meat. Sprinkle on more salt/seasoning mix, then lay on another layer of meat strips...more seasoning then another layer of meat until the container is full of strips in contact with the seasoning on both sides. Snap the lid down tight and slide it into the frig for at least 24 hours (their recipe)...I usually leave it in longer, at least 3 or 4 days.

I do the actual smoking in my old cheapass charcoal Brinkman smoker. I modified it slightly to increase its capacity by adding two extra round grills inside, suspended on sheet metal screws. Take out all of the grills and load them up with the now-seasoned meat strips... just touching is okay, but no overlapping. Set them aside.

Open up the grill take out the water pan and fill up the charcoal pan with regular charcoal (not very scientific). Spray on some lighter fluid and fire it up, letting it burn off ALL of the fluid for at least 15 -20 minutes. (That was my one screwup, not letting it burn off long enough - tasted like diesel jerky).

Replace the water pan over the coals and fill it up with water then place all of the grills with meat strips into the smoker. I have an old orchard on the property so I usually throw a few chunks of green apple wood thru the side door onto the coals when the meat is still pretty raw. It burns off in an hour or so then the whole load just cooks slowly. Let the whole thing go until the charcoal simply burns up. Thats it...no science required. It usually goes about 4 hours and thats usually about when I check it. As expected, the layer closest to the fire is done a little more than the top grill, which is fine with me and the people who eat the jerky....some like it almost crisp and some like it really chewy.

I have never met a person who didn't love this recipe and I have watched people go nuts for it...insisting that it was the best they had ever tasted and demanding that I share my "secret recipe". I wish I was a great jerky chef but the truth is that its as simple and easy as described...not that I don't take credit once in a while as long as my wife isn't around to tell them the truth.
 
Thanks scott, now may I ask can I use frozen meat? Just thaw it out and do as described? I have at least two dozen goose breast in the bank.
 
I think Scott O has the right idea!

I have a batch of divers ready to smoke this weekend.
I keep them semi-frozen - easier to slice into strips.
I marinate them for a day or so, smoke them, and then dry them in the oven.
They make good protein snacks.
going to try and keep track of the birds to compare taste.

Canada geese make excellent sausage. If you don't do it yourself, a good butcher can do it for you. Usually takes about 10lb. to get them interested (min. order) but is worth it. Hint: Look for guys named Otto/Matthias/Werner!

Dave
 
I got bored and drew up the slicing rig we use. My older boy bought it for me and it included mix and cure. What it did not include was the meat hold down. We did not use it until I made the hold down because that knife is sharp and we couldn't figure out how to hold the meat while we were slicing it without cutting our finger tips off.

The board actually has a thin cut side and a thick cut side and works very well on meat that is completely thawed.


slicer.jpg


Bob
 
That'll work.I don't try to cut too thin.I like the partial frozen idea.If you had a electric meat slicer you could set it at 1/4-3/8 in and slice the partial frozen that way.In my case I let the wife cut,marinate,(her recipe) and dehydrate them.My input is shooting,cleaning,and reminding her to be careful she doesn't cut herself:o)
 
Ok, Joe, cough it up, where is the wife's recipe?

Bob, you too, come on, share, it is Christmas time afterall...

Scott, I like the sound of your's. This year I just sliced everything, puddlers/divers/goose to 1/4 or so by hand and then marinaded in a commerical recipe from Fleet Farm for 2-3 days in a zip lock. Turn/toss rotate every 12 hours or so and then laid them out on the dehydrator for bout 12-18 hours.

Charlie, do you freeze your's or vacuum pack it? be careful with no cure...
 
Eric,

Truth be told it doesn't last long enough to find out if it goes bad. It gets eaten in a hurry. I use Doc McCullough's recipie.

The only time it was not eaten very fast was when I made a batch of diver jerky, I couldn't give it away. Too fishy...

Charlie
 
Frozen goose breast works just fine and like Dave said, just let it half thaw before slicing...makes it a lot easier to get those even clices
 
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