Jerky is an American meat snack food that is low in fat and calories

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Jerky is an American meat snack food that is low in fat and calories. Jerky is high in protein, making it a popular food among hikers, hunters, bikers, climbers and people on the go. Native Indians were making jerky from any meat they hunted that could not be eaten immediately. Dried meat was mixed with dried fruit and called "pemmican" by some tribes. The European settlers quickly discovered the benefits of making jerky for themselves as it was easy to make and transport. Jerky required no refrigeration and could be carried anywhere which was very important for pioneers that travelled west in horse drawn wagons. Jerky can be made of any meat from buffalo to whale. The meat is cut into strips and hung on sticks or placed on racks to dry in the sun. The meat loses moisture and becomes very dry with excellent shelf-keeping qualities. The Spanish call it "carne seca", the dry meat.

When making jerky the main purpose is to dry the meat and it can be done in the following manner:

air dryed - in the sun, oven or dehydrator
smoked and air dryed - smoked in a smoker then air dried

Applying smoke will of course add to a jerky smoky flavor but any small dried meat pieces can be called jerky even though not previously submitted to the smoking process. Don't place any water filled bowls inside of the smoker and use dry wood chips or sawdust. Making jerky relies on moisture removal not bringing it in.

General Tips for Making Jerky

The meat must be lean and of good quality. Discard all visible fat, sinew and gristle. The fat will impart in time a rancid taste and the jerky will not last as long.
Venison meat being very lean by nature is an excellent choice for making jerky. When using beef, the flank steak is the top choice although it is rather pricey. Most people choose London Broil which is economically priced, yet makes great jerky.
After your meat has been trimmed from all fat, sinew and gristle have it partially frozen. Cut the meat into strips 1/2" thick and 1" wide. Cut the strips along the grain to make them "chewy".
Marinate strips overnight. Soy sauce or teriyaki sauce are often used. You can use a plastic ziplock bag.
Dry them for a couple of hours in the air or for one hour in a pre-heated to 120º F smoker (no smoke).
Apply thin smoke for one hour then keep on drying without smoke. Jerky strips are very thin and smoke will penetrate meat very fast. If you smoke with a heavy smoke for a few hours the meat may acquire a bitter smoky taste.
In many recipes Worcestershire Sauce is mentioned and it gives jerky a wonderful taste.
You should add Cure # 1 when smoking meats at low temperatures. Besides, cure imparts to smoked meats a particilar flavor.
There are hundreds of jerky recipes - use ingredients that you personally like. A lot of people like jerky with a lot of pepper - sprinkle jerky with pepper right after placing on the drying rack. The pepper will "stick" to the jerky. If you like your food hot, add some cayenne pepper.
When drying in the oven (set the temperature control at the lowest level (about 90º -100º F) and leave the door slightly open to permit moisture to escape. Jerky should be done in about 10 - 12 hours.
Finished jerky is very dark and shriveled. It should have the characteristics of leather, it should be flexible and easy to bend but it should not break into two parts. Don't over dry it, in time it will lose even more moisture and will become stiff and brittle.
Jerky can be reconstituted in soups or in stews. As a rule of thumb, 1 pound of jerky equals 4 lbs of meat.
Liquid smoke can be added into the meat to create a smoky flavor. Don't add liquid smoke to the meat that will be smoked with natural smoke.
Store jerky in food containers with tops that have holes punched in to prevent mold.
When ready to begin drying, place a sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom of the oven to aid in cleanup.
Slightly oil the drying racks to prevent jerky strips from sticking.

A typical jerky recipe

about 3 lbs of lean meat

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce

1 Tbs salt

1 tsp Cure #1
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder

A mixture of salt, pepper, oregano, marjoram, basil and thyme is tasty for most people. Many seasonings work equally well. It is a personal preference.

Instructions

1. Trim the meat

2. Cut the meat into strips

3. Marinate for 24 hours in refrigerator. Overhaul meat after 12 hours.

4. Dry meat in colander and pat dry with paper towels

5. Place jerky into a preheated smoker (120 F) and apply thin to medium smoke for 30 minutes.

6. Continue drying (without smoke) inside the smoker or dry jerky in the sun or in the oven. If you live in a dry climate you can dry jerky during summer months in a place like the attic or a garage.

Ground Meat Jerky

The main advantage of a ground meat jerky is the price and convenience of making it. You can buy already ground beef that is 95% - 97% lean.

Don't use marinade, use a dry spice mixture instead. Dry seasoning mixtures need to be pounded into the meat for best results.

A typical dry mix:

1 Tbs salt

1 tsp cure #1

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

4 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme

Instructions

Making jerky from ground meat resembles making a sausage.

1. Grind lean meat

2. Mix with all ingredients

3. Place in a stuffer and form flat strips of jerky. After smoking and drying, these strips will have a texture of a regular solid meat jerky.

4. Smoke in a smokehouse

5. Dry


Jerky stuffing attachment for making flat strips		Jerky shooter for making flat or round strips
Photos courtesy the SausageMaker, Buffalo, N.Y.

Other methods of forming ground meat strips

Place seasoned ground meat between two sheets of waxed paper. Using a rolling pin press the meat into 1" wide, 1/4" - 1/2" thick strips. Lift the strips from the paper and place on smoking/drying racks.

Line up rectangular 2" thick baking pan with a waxed paper. Manually stuff the seasoned jerky meat into the pan avoiding air pockets. Stuff the meat hard, cover on top with the overlapping wax paper and place overnight in a freezer. Remove from the container, unwrap the paper and slice the jerky into 1/2" thick strips using a serrated knife. A meat slicer will work much faster. Place strips on smoking/drying racks.