Homemade Jerky

[Scottieoutdoors]

Since one of the discussions recently I mentioned beef jerky and its been stuck in my mind ever since...so the other day I bought a joint of beef from lidl, wasn't the leanest joint, but it was pretty good I'd say, then yesterday set about cutting it and marinating. I cut lots of bits wafer thin, others less so - purely because of fiddliness and patience...
Eventually marinaded it in soya sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sugar and a bunch of others bits and bobs Inc some chilis. Left that about 22 hours then today, onto a cooling rack (on top of a tinfoil covered tray) then into the oven on 80 degrees C for 3 and a bit hours and omg...amazing.. luckily I was too busy working otherwise I'm sure I'd have eaten the lot. Tomorrow I have to cook the rest of it.

Next phase I guess might be vacuum packing into batches for hiking snacks! If I don't eat it all in the meantime!

 

[grizzlyj]

It is super tasty, even with no marinade
Recipes in the Idiots Guide to Dehydrating say, once you've done the long and low temperature, to do it for a further 10 minutes at 275 degrees F to make sure you kill any remaining bugs.

 

[Kadushu]

Yes it's a little bit morish!

 

[Scottieoutdoors]

It is super tasty, even with no marinade
Recipes in the Idiots Guide to Dehydrating say, once you've done the long and low temperature, to do it for a further 10 minutes at 275 degrees F to make sure you kill any remaining bugs.

Uh oh bit late!

 

[Robson Valley]

Recently, I watched a very good trick for oven-jerky.
The roast(?) was cut into 1" x 6" x 1/4" strips. These were marinated in whatever secret brew you like.
Close to one end, you stick a toothpick, a fat one, across the meat.
Put one oven wire rack as high as possible. On the lowest remaining rack, put in a sheet pan for a drip tray. Feed the toothpicks through the upper rack wires and give each piece a quarter turn so the meat hangs from the wires.

250F to 275F for as long as you like for as stiff and hard as you like. In my oven, at least 4 hours depending on how thinly I have cut the meat. I have a Breville "Smoke Pistol", an electric gadget that burns apple sawdust. Half a dozen snorts with that in the first hour is the right thing to do. I always have laid the meat out flat but the toothpick holder will double or triple the load for the oven.

 

[Scottieoutdoors]

275F is 135°C, that seems quite high. Looking at some stuff I have, a core temp of 70°C for 2 mins is all that's required when commercially cooking. So I think 80°C would be ample no?

I need to try and find a butcher who would slice a joint up for me thin...if such a service exists.. that way I could do big slices and then cut them up once done... rather than have lots and lots of tiny pieces.

 

[Robson Valley]

Good catch. I was dreaming of BBQ. I run the dehydrator at 55C. Drying meat at 60C ought to be plenty.

 

[demented dale]

I was going to start a new thread with a question then spotted this. I dried some venison by the wood burner and made as basic a jerky as you can. Has anyone got any tips and more importantly secret recipes for marinades they would be willing to declassify for the betterment of humanity. x

 

[Nice65]

This is incredibly easy. Cupboard, lightbulb, computer fan. Biltong though, not jerky.

Warren Smith was a member here for ages and recommended a spice mix. I’ll try and track it down as it was the best and easiest.

EDIT: Crown National is the make. I think I used the Safari. It’s bloody lovely.

In this thread, the most important part of the process is the vinegar soak. It deep kills any lurking bugs and gives the Biltong a long shelf life.

Thread 'Biltong'

May 11, 2018

With a nod to the jerky thread, I’ve loaded the biltong box. Silverside or topside are the best cuts for this. Trim most fat and ALL muscle sheath.

Vinegar wash for a half hour, kills surface bugs. Use a long knife to slice the meat into 1cm or 2cm strips. Do this along the grain of the meat so the dried product is cut across it and is tender to eat. The reason for a long knife is to prevent any hacking or sawing, this creates ragged flaps in the meat that can store nasty bacteria. So choose a very...

• Nice65
• Replies: 51
• Forum: Lovely Grub

• 

 

[Tengu]

Get off every speck of fat you can. (wont be wasted; bung in a stew)

I use soy or Worcester.

Plain is a bit bland.

 

[ONE]

I have to make mine in semi-secrecy, otherwise the Mrs. eats it all. She would never touch it until we got stuck in a wee ville in Brittany one Sunday evening with everything shut. I had crackers, rat pack cheese & a baggie of my teriyaki jerky in my ruck, upon which we dined that evening. Never been able to keep her away from not since.

For anyone interested in using jerky for something other than a trail snack, look into Filipino Tapa recipes. Most of what you'll find online involves more-or-less slicing and marinading meat as though you were going to jerky, but then cooking it conventionally rather than drying it, but it was originally a means of making jerky more palatable as a 'proper' meal ingredient.

 

[demented dale]

Get off every speck of fat you can. (wont be wasted; bung in a stew)

I use soy or Worcester.

Plain is a bit bland.

how long do I soak it? x

This is incredibly easy. Cupboard, lightbulb, computer fan. Biltong though, not jerky.

Warren Smith was a member here for ages and recommended a spice mix. I’ll try and track it down as it was the best and easiest.

EDIT: Crown National is the make. I think I used the Safari. It’s bloody lovely.

In this thread, the most important part of the process is the vinegar soak. It deep kills any lurking bugs and gives the Biltong a long shelf life.

Thread 'Biltong'

May 11, 2018

With a nod to the jerky thread, I’ve loaded the biltong box. Silverside or topside are the best cuts for this. Trim most fat and ALL muscle sheath.

Vinegar wash for a half hour, kills surface bugs. Use a long knife to slice the meat into 1cm or 2cm strips. Do this along the grain of the meat so the dried product is cut across it and is tender to eat. The reason for a long knife is to prevent any hacking or sawing, this creates ragged flaps in the meat that can store nasty bacteria. So choose a very...

• Nice65
• Replies: 51
• Forum: Lovely Grub

• 

Thanks I am taking note of all this x

 

[Tengu]

Soak overnight.

 

[Scottieoutdoors]

My recipe up there is something I more or less follow each time.

Haven't made it in ages and now this has reignited the desire for it!

 

[bopdude]

Jerky or Biltong, slightly different but essentially the same thing, I make and call mine Biltong. While everyone has their own recipes and ways of drying and length of time to dry here's my version, I marinade for about eight hours in a mixture of malt vinegar lea perin touch of chilli flakes a pinch of cumin and some ground rock salt. The meat I use is either topside silverside or salmon cut, I leave the fat on. Then I make a dry rub of toasted coriander seeds and black pepper corns, these are then ground down to a not too fine consistency, mix into that some smoked paprika and spices too taste, I then hang this in my biltong box to dry for about 4 days depending on how thick I've cut the meat, once dry I then slice it quiet thin.

 

[demented dale]

Jerky or Biltong, slightly different but essentially the same thing, I make and call mine Biltong. While everyone has their own recipes and ways of drying and length of time to dry here's my version, I marinade for about eight hours in a mixture of malt vinegar lea perin touch of chilli flakes a pinch of cumin and some ground rock salt. The meat I use is either topside silverside or salmon cut, I leave the fat on. Then I make a dry rub of toasted coriander seeds and black pepper corns, these are then ground down to a not too fine consistency, mix into that some smoked paprika and spices too taste, I then hang this in my biltong box to dry for about 4 days depending on how thick I've cut the meat, once dry I then slice it quiet thin.

View attachment 94319View attachment 94320

thats both cool and interesting. what is the billtong box and how does one work? x

 

[Nice65]

thats both cool and interesting. what is the billtong box and how does one work? x

Lightbulb for heat, computer fan to move air, plastic storage box with holes, old kitchen cupboard. Mesh over any holes (flies and rodents).

You did ask this already above, there a whole thread I linked to. Mine was a grubby old cupboard, @bopdude has sensibly used stainless steel.

 

[HillBill]

Lightbulb for heat, computer fan to move air, plastic storage box with holes, old kitchen cupboard. Mesh over any holes (flies and rodents).

You did ask this already above, there a whole thread I linked to. Mine was a grubby old cupboard, @bopdude has sensibly used stainless steel.

Oven at 50c for 12 hours. Oven door held open with a cocktail stick.
Jerky 2 by Mark Hill, on Flickr

Sorry, old pic. Bought a thick flank from farm shop, maybe 7 or 8 years ago.

 

[bopdude]

thats both cool and interesting. what is the billtong box and how does one work? x

As said below, you can make your own but I bought mine from Amazon there are a few different ones, mine from a company called 52 degrees south

https://amzn.eu/d/aW12rQ4

 

[demented dale]

I just made venison billtong. I did as was suggested on here to marinade in Worcester sauce overnight and dried it over the burner. I am very impressed and eating it now. I tried to make a smoker yesterday which was going worryingly well then it caught fire. As with all things , nothing is wasted and I now know one more method that DOES NOT work. x

Lightbulb for heat, computer fan to move air, plastic storage box with holes, old kitchen cupboard. Mesh over any holes (flies and rodents).

You did ask this already above, there a whole thread I linked to. Mine was a grubby old cupboard, @bopdude has sensibly used stainless steel.

Thanks. it needs electric so thats me out x