Will it Jerky?

[Mooseman1]

The way i see it, though i may not be totally correct is this.
If its fatty then no, if you cant eat the meat rare like chicken or pork then no, as you don't cook jerky you dry it so it is still raw meat.

So any lean meat that can be eaten rare is ok. I have made Beef, Venison and Pigeon so far with good results and its all nice as hell.

Hmm Pigeon i never thought of that, did you just add salt and pepper? i am gussing it didnt take that long to prepare?

 

[HillBill]

Hmm Pigeon i never thought of that, did you just add salt and pepper? i am gussing it didnt take that long to prepare?

Not really. Just take the breast from the bird and carefully slice it so you don't go all the way through and kind of unroll it using the knife, if you understand what i mean? Salt and pepper are all i put on it.

 

[rik_uk3]

Leaner the meat the better, bacon is a no no, skinned Chicken breast will dry but not keep that well for some reason, turns out more like TVG in my attempts anyway

 

[Mistwalker]

The way i see it, though i may not be totally correct is this.
If its fatty then no, if you cant eat the meat rare like chicken or pork then no, as you don't cook jerky you dry it so it is still raw meat.

So any lean meat that can be eaten rare is ok. I have made Beef, Venison and Pigeon so far with good results and its all nice as hell.

If venison works then would not rabbit or hare work also?

I am going to experiment with jerking ox heart. The credit crunch jerky at £3 per heart. I like the taste of ox heart but it is a bit aquired.

They sell beef hearts at our local grocers but every time I pick one up the mrs say eeeeeeeeeewwwww....and so does my oldest daughter. Praps I should pick one up while I'm out by myself remove the label when I put it in the freezer and make a stew with it to get them past it. I've never tried ox or beef hearts but I do like chicken hearts...and livers

 

[HillBill]

I have never tried making jerky from rabbit or hare tbh. I can't imagine it would yield much from a rabbit, though the meat is lean. Hares i always throw in a pie with pigeon, potato's carrots and gravy.
I've been playing with the idea of jerkying tuna steaks as they can be eaten part cooked. Sounds like it will be nice as tuna steak is good.

 

[Mistwalker]

My favorite has always been roasted over a fire or in a nice hash with corrots, potatoes and onions but that rabbit pie sure sounds good.

While where I live now we do have smaller rabbits called "cotton tails" down south in the Chattahoochee River Valley we hunted what my father always refered to as "Canecutters" and most of those were so large he could not tie them at his waist as their heads on dragged the ground, the man stands just shy of two meters tall. Just one made a fine hash to feed the ten of us.

 

[HillBill]

My favorite has always been roasted over a fire or in a nice hash with corrots, potatoes and onions but that rabbit pie sure sounds good.

While where I live now we do have smaller rabbits called "cotton tails" down south in the Chattahoochee River Valley we hunted what my father always refered to as "Canecutters" and most of those were so large he could not tie them at his waist as their heads on dragged the ground, the man stands just shy of two meters tall. Just one made a fine hash to feed the ten of us.

Thats a big bottom rabbit. Cotton tails are the ones we have over here. Were not lucky enough to have a bunny on steroids .

 

[Mistwalker]

Yeah...lol, that's what I said the first time I saw one...I was ten and had been hunting rabbits here for three years. Those aren't skinny like jack rabbits. I just learned they actualy are in the cotton tail family and that they are also called swamp rabbits, and they get as big as ten pounds or 4.5 kg.

here's a link
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/...=sutton_keith&page=g_col_sutton_swamp_rabbits

 

[Melonfish]

wish we got them over here, they'd make nice eating

 

[HillBill]

They sound mental in comparison to cotton tails. I wouldn't mind seeing one, no chance of that though.

 

[Mistwalker]

wish we got them over here, they'd make nice eating

I was under the impression that your hares were about that size

 

[HillBill]

I was under the impression that your hares were about that size

Hare's can get large. But where i live you don't really see any, and as i shoot an air rifle, i don't hunt them either. Rabbits are vermin and game depending on their numbers and the damage they are causing. Hare's are just game. It's a different shooting level.

 

[Mistwalker]

I used to hunt rabbits with my air rifle down in Florida years ago. I was just looking at a Winchester .177 air rifle yesterday....shoots 1,100 fps and I am thinking about buying it.

 

[Matt.S]

I used to hunt rabbits with my air rifle down in Florida years ago. I was just looking at a Winchester .177 air rifle yesterday....shoots 1,100 fps and I am thinking about buying it.

Yup but in the UK we're limited to 12 ft/lb from an air-rifle. Any higher and you need a firearms certificate and all the... awkwardness attributed thereto. 25, maybe 30 yards maximum humane range, and good head-shots are somewhat mandatory.

 

[reddeath]

ok ok now i need jerky!
i dont have the facilities / time etc to make my own but i adore the stuff
i used to buy it over ebay from the states but it costs as much in postage as it does for the product
i like simple plain old smoky or a teriyaky? flavouring and im not fussy on meat - cow/ deer/ moose all good
anyone have a source from uk/ roi where i can buy with more reasonable postage ( im in roi)

 

[T1tch]

I've never tried this company - I make my own, but the postage looks reasonable...
http://www.wildwestjerky.co.uk/shop.htm

 

[forestwalker]

hmm raindeer?, buffalo?

Reindeer is quite commonly dried here. Smoked reindeer heart is also lovely.

 

[forestwalker]

Don't forget the ground beef. Fry with finely chopped onions (optional) and spices (also optional), Put in a fine metal sieve and pour a kettle of boiling water over it (cleans out most fat). Spread in dryer or in oven and dry, stirring and re-crumbling occationally. Very handy basis of soups and stews, or when making pemmican.

 

[Rhoda]

I've been playing with the idea of jerkying tuna steaks as they can be eaten part cooked. Sounds like it will be nice as tuna steak is good.

A friend of mine has just done some salmon which turned out well as far as I know...will ask him about it

 

[Boston973]

I make jerky almost every week and i have had no problem with with most meat. Pork was fine but i have to say I stay away from poultry. I checked out some info from the bourd of health and there is just to much of a chance of something going wrong when you dry birds.

There is a process though. If you want to dry bird then i beleave it is suggested that you freeze it for thirty days before drying.

There are aton or recipes out there for diffrent marinades but i find that experimenting and keeping it simple is the best. So far my favorite is steak souce or soy souce.

I have exerimented with making a stew all dried so that when out i just add hot water and boil for a bit to get a good meal. Just dry some beef cubed, some onion, potato, carrotes, celery, some garlic, and of course a few cubes of beef bullion.

Mind you i have only done this once so far but it came out really good. So i am goin to add it to my meal plan this time out. Should save me some cash at any rate.