Anyone making homemade beef jerky?

T

timtune

Well-known member
Site Supporter
Forum Sponsor
It's christmas time so I have the dehydrator out making jerky as gifts.
I have the flavour down pat according to anyone that's ever tasted it, but I'm not as happy with the texture.
By all accounts it's good. It needs a bit of chewing, but I would like to take it further. Kind of to the point where you'd need to suck on it a bit to soften up before you could chew it. However when I let it dry out more it just becomes brittle and crunchy (like beef jerky hard candy)

Any secrets from an expert?

FWIW The dehydrator I have is the same as in the link below. Just an element in the bottom - no fan or heat control.

www.recipetips.com

Food Dehydrator

Food Dehydrator cooking information, facts and recipes. A utensil used for drying and preserving foods by removing most of the natural moisture contained in the food, thus reducing the potential problems with spoilage that occur with fresh foods.
www.recipetips.com www.recipetips.com
 
Interested in this as I love jerky. Prefer mine on the slightly tender/chewy side though


Sent from my iPhone using GTAMotorcycle.com
 
Just discovered beef jerky. Love it

Gets expensive buying jack links.

Anybody got any leads for cheap jerky?
 
Lightcycle said:
My family on my mother's side is South African and they make dried meat similar to jerky called Biltong.

They use different meats, beef, ostrich, kudu, springbok. The meat is spiced and not as tough as jerky. If you get a chance to try it, you might be converted.
Click to expand...
If people thought beef jerky was expensive, coming up with ostrich/urdu/springbok biltong will probably be shocking. Sounds delicious though.
 
Butcher shop called Florence meat in Oakville on speers rd specializes in Biltong , all flavours and domestic meats . It addictive, we put it out on as appitizers at parties


Sent from my iPhone using GTAMotorcycle.com
 
I made it a few years back, but mostly with venison. It was a good texture from what I recall. Perhaps if you cut it a bit thicker, you could get the texture you want. It could then dry a bit more, but the middle would remain as a backing that keeps it from just breaking apart. I need to look in my freezer and grab a roast from last year and make some more.
 
Lightcycle said:
My family on my mother's side is South African and they make dried meat similar to jerky called Biltong.

They use different meats, beef, ostrich, kudu, springbok. The meat is spiced and not as tough as jerky. If you get a chance to try it, you might be converted.
Click to expand...

Love biltong as well. Very similar to jerky and very delicious IMO


Sent from my iPhone using GTAMotorcycle.com mobile app
 
SunnY S said:
Just discovered beef jerky. Love it

Gets expensive buying jack links.

Anybody got any leads for cheap jerky?
Click to expand...
Home made is cheaper but not cheap. .984kg of Eye of the round oven roast was $15.16 and I got .420kg of jerky.
So about 3.5 cents per gram. 80 grams of Jacklink is $6.50 at the store or about 8cents per gram.

I have a great marinade recipe if anyone is interested.
 
Lightcycle said:
My family on my mother's side is South African and they make dried meat similar to jerky called Biltong.

They use different meats, beef, ostrich, kudu, springbok. The meat is spiced and not as tough as jerky. If you get a chance to try it, you might be converted.
Click to expand...
My MIL is South African, agreed, biltong is good stuff.
 
timtune said:
Home made is cheaper but not cheap. .984kg of Eye of the round oven roast was $15.16 and I got .420kg of jerky.
So about 3.5 cents per gram. 80 grams of Jacklink is $6.50 at the store or about 8cents per gram.

I have a great marinade recipe if anyone is interested.
Click to expand...

Shoppers sells their own version of jack links. It's cheaper and has slightly better macros on the nutrition label.

They had it on sale last week for $3 or 4 bucks a bag. Needless to say I wiped them out. The regular is good, not crazy about the teriyaki but still good.

Also costco sells the giant bags of jack links. I'm pretty sure it's cheaper overall
 
timtune said:
Home made is cheaper but not cheap. .984kg of Eye of the round oven roast was $15.16 and I got .420kg of jerky.
So about 3.5 cents per gram. 80 grams of Jacklink is $6.50 at the store or about 8cents per gram.

I have a great marinade recipe if anyone is interested.
Click to expand...

I’d love to get the recipe, shoot me a PM or post here for all to see


Sent from my iPhone using GTAMotorcycle.com mobile app
 
Shoppers still has their PC brand on sale for 4.99

Almost 3 bucks cheaper than Jack's.

Taste as good if not better imho
 
SVeezy said:
I’d love to get the recipe, shoot me a PM or post here for all to see


Sent from my iPhone using GTAMotorcycle.com mobile app
Click to expand...
The basic marinade recipe is 1 cup soya sauce, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/3 cup worchester sauce. I sometimes need to add a 1/2 cup of water in order too have enough to submerge all the meat.

I spice up the basic recipe with a hardy sprinklings of onion and garlic powder, and about 5 shakes each of Frank Red Hot and tabasco.

12 hr in the marinade is about right. Go too long and it disolves the meat fibre and you end up soup.

Cut meat with the grain (It makes it chewier and less likely to turn to mush in the marinade). I find 1/8" to 3/16" thick is good.
 
timtune said:
The basic marinade recipe is 1 cup soya sauce, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/3 cup worchester sauce. I sometimes need to add a 1/2 cup of water in order too have enough to submerge all the meat.

I spice up the basic recipe with a hardy sprinklings of onion and garlic powder, and about 5 shakes each of Frank Red Hot and tabasco.

12 hr in the marinade is about right. Go too long and it disolves the meat fibre and you end up soup.

Cut meat with the grain (It makes it chewier and less likely to turn to mush in the marinade). I find 1/8" to 3/16" thick is good.
Click to expand...
If you're just making it in the oven, add a few drops of liquid smoke to that to give it a more authentic taste. If you're going to smoke it, you don't need to do that obviously.
 
Sorry, but I hate the fake smoke taste.
 
Lyndsay said:
Fair enough. It's not for everyone. I was doing it one time and the bottle slipped and a bunch went in. Way too strong smoke flavour, and it put me off for a bit.
Click to expand...
Sometimes restaurants seem to want to load it up on burgers and it just overpowers .
Forum Sponsor
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom