Beef Jerky

soflsun

New Member
Beef jerky is quite expensive for 1/4 lb. bag...maybe in the range of $6-8 or so.  Does anyone have any experience preparing there own jerky or have a source that sells it in greater quantity?  Thanks.
 
I make jerky out of flank steak using a food dehydrator.
 
I occasionally make beef jerky in a smoker or dehydrator.  But I saw an episode of "Good Eats" with Alton Brown where he made it with a box fan and paper furnace filters.  I have wanted to try it but just haven't yet because I can never find filters that don't have fiberglass and other stuff used in them.  Here is the recipe and instructions.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food....00.html

I prefer to use flank steak also because it is very lean and easy to cut.  But it has gotten pretty pricey over the last few years (it used to be really cheap!).  You can also use London Broil to make som pretty good jerky because it is usually pretty lean meat and easy to cut up.
 
I make it regularly, as soon as I can afford the meat for it. Any lean part of the cow will work, but wild game is also nice. Try deer! Just put it in the freezer for an hour or two to make it easier slicing up, then slice it into thin pieces (the thinner, the faster the dehydration). Marinate for a full 24 hours in a marinade of your choice. For about two pounds of meat, I use about a cup of soy sauce, some mustard, some lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add a little water to the marinade if doesn't cover all the meat. While it's marinating, remember to flip the meat around a few times to make sure that all of it is soaking.

You don't actually need a dehydrator to dry it - a regular oven is fine. Just hang the meat in there, at 50 degrees (celcius). Depending on the thickness of the slices, it'll take about 18-24 hours until it's done.

Cheers
/Minime
 
Thanks guys. How do you keep it fresh? What allows it not to be refrigerated? I think I'm going to try and make some on my own...much cheaper even with a decent cut of meat.
 
A proper marinade cures the meat.  Once it is dry it will keep for months without refrigeration as long as you keep it in an air tight container.  You should use a jar that the dried meat sticks will stand up in rather than plastic bags for storage.  The bags will hold moisture up against the meat and it will spoil a lot faster.  The jar will keep air around the meat helping it stay dry and help prevent spoiling.
 
What Bulldog said. Just remember that fat goes rancid - so if your meat isn't very lean, you have to trim away as much of the visible fat as possible.
 
<div>
(Minime @ Jun. 02 2008,10:58)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">What Bulldog said. Just remember that fat goes rancid - so if your meat isn't very lean, you have to trim away as much of the visible fat as possible.</div>
Ah yes! Thanks for mentioning that...I forgot all about it!

That is why flank steak is such a good choice for jerky...it is very lean.
 
I made some nice new jerky yesterday, and added garlic to the marinade, four cloves for a pound of meat. Boy was it good...
 
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