Jerky Basics 101

I have recently started making my own beef jerky and thought I would put up a simple pictorial guide to how I do it. If anyone would like to offer suggestions to improve my technique, please do so!

Some basic rules to jerky:
*Jerky is dried, not cooked, so don't be in a hurry!

*Since jerky is dried, you will need to add salt, so it doesn't make you sick.

*Some add sodium nitrite as a preserving agent, but if you plan to consume it soon, keep it in the fridge, just use ordinary salt and CLEAN YOUR HANDS when making it!!
If you plan on selling your jerky, seek advice from a professional.

Since jerky is dried, make the process as sanitary as possible. This will reduce the chance of introducing bacteria and other nasties.

 

[ring sting]

Step 1: Cuts and the marinade

Jerky meat needs to be lean, with minimal fat. Fat is bad in this case, as it will not dry and will go rancid, and will make you ill.
Cuts suggested to me have been eye fillet, rump and the one I choose is skirt steak.
Skirt is taken from the inside of the rib cage, and most butchers use it to make mince, as there really isn't a market for it. As such, you can usually pick it up for under $10 a kilo in Australia, as opposed to eye fillet at $30-45 a kilo!

Marinades are many and varied. Some prefer to use a dry "rub", or a combination of both. Whatever floats your boat! Just remember, you will need a good amount of salt to aid in the curing process. This can either be in the base, such as soy, or added, as in a couple of T-spoons.

There are many marinade recipes here at THP, and a quick gargoyle search will pull up many different recipes to jerk your meat!

Whichever you pick, remember to write down the recipe exactly, and then you can modify it to your taste in the next batch, writing down your changes, so that you can modify it further into the future!

 

[The Hot Pepper]

There are many marinade recipes here at THP, and a quick gargoyle search will pull up many different recipes to jerk your meat!

What's a gargoyle search?

 

[Nova]

I think he meant Google

Nice tute Ringa.

 

[ring sting]

Step 2: Cutting and making the marinade!

I freeze the meat, then partially defrost when cutting. Others suggest par-freezing. Either way, make the meat firm before slicing.

Cutting with the grain will produce a chewy strap of jerky that may be difficult to bite off a chunk. some people prefer this style, and is similar to (but quite different from) South African biltong.

Cutting against the grain will produce an easily masticatable and breakable jerky piece. This is my preferred style. I try to keep the pre-dehydrated meat slices at about 0.5cm in thickness.

Please observe the following badly made collage and follow the numbers! I am making a large batch, 1.4kg's, but the recipe below is for much less. I have scaled up the proportions for this series of pictures.


1. Skirt steak has had most of its fat and sinew removed, and is about to be rolled up for freezing.

2. One of the Stillmanz's range, a favourite for jerking, Naga/Fatali.

3. Rolling the skirt and placing in cling-wrap prior to freezing. It isn't necessary to roll it if you are cutting by knife, but I cheat, and make it fit into my food processor chute. If you look carefully, you will note that the grain of the meat in this picture runs left-right, so that when it is cut, it will be cut against the grain.

4. Into the freezer!

5. Various condiments for the marinade. The base I use is someone else's teriyaki, ty anonymous!

1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup soy sauce
500g lean meat, sliced 5mm thick

6. I then add:

1 Tbsp Naga/Fatali hot sauce by Stillmanz
or just mess with it to see what happens!

7. I like to let the marinade stand for about an hour so that the flavours can mix around a bit. Incidentally, this is about the length of time I leave the meat out of the freezer to partially defrost.

8. Into the food processor, using the slicing blade at approx 0.5cm. Make sure to remove the cling-wrap. (Did I really need to mention that?)

9. Place your cut meat into zip-lock bags. You can marinate in a bowl if you so choose, but I find the zip-locks to be quite effective, as nearly all the air can be removed. This allows for the meat to be entirely exposed to the marinade, and it isn't too messy.

10. Pour marinade into bag.

11. Roll bag up and squeeze the air out one corner.

12. Mush the meat around and make it flat in the bag. Place it in the fridge for 12+ hours!

I Hope this has been instructive, and I welcome any comments/feedback

RS

I will post the drying process soon.

 

[ring sting]

What's a gargoyle search?

I think he meant Google

Nice tute Ringa.

I try not to advertise for those that dont need it -- or those whose products/services I think are below standard, ergo, gargoyle search, yippeee search, 6ft6inch females search. I think you get it...

BTW, the products used in the photo, I do think are reasonably good.

RS

 

[ring sting]

Dry Rubs

I haven't experience with dry-rub-jerking. I personally prefer a wet one.

As I understand it, you mix the dry spices together, and then toss your meat in it.
Leave for a time, and then dry as normal. I'm sure someone else could elaborate more fully on this subject. IMHO, I don't know how the flavours penetrate the meat, but I guess they must.

 

[Pepperfreak]

RS that looks like a good tutorial. I have never used wet marinades so this was very informative. As using the dry rubs, it is much the same as what you described with the wet ones. It is important to use either salt or sodium nitrate as a curing agent. Here's what I do: Lay out the cut strips of meat on a cookie sheet and dust the meat with all of the dry spices combined in a shaker bottle. Flip the meat and dust the other side. Once all of the spices are used up, I stack the strips of meat and place them in a zip lock bag and seal all air out. Sometimes I will even vacuum seal the meat. Then, and this is crucial, let the meat sit in the fridge for AT LEAST 24 hours. By letting the meat sit and rest, it absorbs the spices and the salt or sodium nitrate works the meat. It is also important to keep the jerky refrigerated since there isn't any preservatives used. If I make a big batch, I usually vacuum seal small bags and freeze these portions for later use.

 

[hixs]

Ive got a batch in the fridge now marinating.Been there 5 days a brewing.I`ve been doing this for 5 yrs now and have never been able to get a good even dry rub down.I`ll stay with wet all the way.

 

[POTAWIE]

Personally I use sodium nitrate not so much as a preservative but to prevent botulism when drying/smoking at low temps.

 

[ring sting]

Botulism : May keep you young -- forever in a picture

I really want this thread to be a tutorial on jerky, but sanitation must be looked at. IT IS CRITICAL.

As such I have started another discussion on food sanitation, and please post to it all "wash yer hands grubby!" comments there.

Thanks for keepin' it clean!

RS

This is the link

 

[shayneyasinski]

makin another batch right now

 

[ring sting]

Taste Test of my jerky -- not very objective, I know!

Stillmanz Naga/Fatali Jerk Sauce

Texture: 8/10
Can be made as dry or moist as desired

Flavour: 9.5/10
I like how it starts off sweet, and then builds moderately quickly towards a searing, blistering pain. The only solution is to either eat more to get the saliva flowing, or drink something.

Heat: 9/10
For a natural, non extract additive, this packs THE punch! The heat lasts for several minutes.

Overall Rating: 9/10
I gotta leave room for improvement!
Using the above recipe with the added amount of this sauce is really, really gooood!!


Bentalphanerdz Chronic Pain

(less sugar added)

Texture: 8/10
Can be made as dry or moist as desired

Flavour: 7.5/10
This jerky would benefit from a different base, or more sugar.
The flavour is more salty, with the heat building to a moderate level.
The Chronic added a nice rounded element to the jerky mix.

Heat: 7/10
Not as hot as the above recipe, but still pleasant.

Overall: 7.5/10
It's good, but save this sauce for more delicate cooking, or as a post-cooking additive.
I'd serve this to people who like milder chillis. It doesn't seem to pack a punch that would knock over poeple so much.

Good effort guys!
Bent, let me know if you make a hotter one!

RS

 

[shayneyasinski]

I have been given a jerky kit from my loving wife and it uses ground beef and spices that gets put into a jerky gun and squished into strips.

so far so good and the jerky is not all that bad.

 

[The Hot Pepper]

I have been given a jerky kit from my loving wife and it uses ground beef and spices that gets put into a jerky gun and squished into strips.

so far so good and the jerky is not all that bad.

Sounds more like dog treats! Ground beef?!?! Well, if you say it's good.

 

[ring sting]

I have been given a jerky kit from my loving wife and it uses ground beef and spices that gets put into a jerky gun and squished into strips.

so far so good and the jerky is not all that bad.

Exthellent! I can take out meh denturth!

 

[POTAWIE]

Sounds more like dog treats! Ground beef?!?! Well, if you say it's good.

Isn't that how Chilliman64 makes his jerky that some really like?
BTW, what happened to chilliman64

 

[moyboy]

ring sting, I love the thought of jerky and i've always wanted to do it. So question time:

1. What sort of temperatures do you dehydrate at? and for how long?

2. What sort of dehydrator do you use? (I don't have one yet and am looking for suggestions)

3.Can i put the meat in a smoking box for a amount of time to get a slight smoke flavor or does this cook the meat to much before dehydrating and kill the end product?

4.Do you remove all excess marinade from the meat before drying?

Thanks....and thanks for such a detailed thread!!!

 

[ring sting]

ring sting, I love the thought of jerky and i've always wanted to do it. So question time:

My apologies for not updating my entries beyond the marinating stage. I kinda got busy.

So, to your questions, MoyBoy:

1. What sort of temperatures do you dehydrate at? and for how long?
2. What sort of dehydrator do you use? (I don't have one yet and am looking for suggestions)

I dont have a dehydrator, but if I'm reallly reallly gooood, santa may get me one on Gift Giving Day. So what do I do?

I have a fan forced oven, and I set the temp at about 80C, and wedge the door ajar about 3cm at the top with a tea-towel, ball of foil, whatever.
I went to the local Myer/Target/BigW and got some of the Baker's Secret NON-STICK cake racks. The advantage of these ones is that they have the wires running both ways, so can cope with small and long strips/chunks of meat.
After marinating the beef, I dump it out of the zip lock bag and into a colander to drain while I put it on the racks.
I rack it up flat, in strips, and place in the oven for about an hour, then turn and keep it in the oven, door ajar, for another 2 or so hours.

The other option is to just use your existing oven shelves and hang the strips of jerky over them, thus creating a large upside down U-shape of jerky. When dry, just break in half.

If you are going down the jerky gun road, I would recommend 'cookie' sheets with a layer of "bake" paper, otherwise they will stick. Incidentally, I chuck all the smaller bits onto a cookie sheet with the oven paper to dry and they do OK.

Why do I turn/move the bits around? Coz if I don't, they invariably stick to the racks anyway.

3.Can i put the meat in a smoking box for a amount of time to get a slight smoke flavor or does this cook the meat to much before dehydrating and kill the end product?

I'm sure others here are more qualified to answer, but I would say to cold smoke, or keep the temp below 80C, as you are curing/drying the meat, not cooking it. I have used a liquid smoke (Tone's) and am not really sold on the liquid kind. Too little, barely taste it. Too much, tastes like a bushfire.

4.Do you remove all excess marinade from the meat before drying?

Well, for the first mix recipe, I find that there is not a lot of excess marinade left...
Secondly, the marinade gives the flavour.
Thirdly, to prevent a war with the missus, and cleaning up burnt salt/sugar from the bottom of the oven, I place a layer of tin foil down so that any drips fall on it.

(This may be why some peeps prefer dehydrators with the motor on top -- the marinades dont damage it.)

Thanks....and thanks for such a detailed thread!!!

YW!!

 

[POTAWIE]

I do a lot of jerky in my smoker and for best results your marinaded meat should be well dried to absorb smoke better, you can even add a little pepper and/or dry spices too. I usually finish it off in my dehydrator(motor on top)