The process of making meat jerky is a time honored, traditional way of preserving meat. While traditionally, jerky was made using smoke and the sun, today jerky can be made using liquid smoke and an oven or dehydrator. Jerky can be made from any type of lean meat, including beef, pork, poultry and venison. Recipes for jerky range from simple, smoke-flavored to highly seasoned specialty blends. You can purchase jerky seasonings in a kit or create your own recipes.
Instructions
1. Freeze the meat before making jerky to make it easier to slice the thin slices. Slice the meat into quarter-inch strips with the grain.
2. Mix together 3 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. pepper and 2 tbsp. sugar in a shallow dish.
3. Place the strips into the spice mixture, turning to coat each strip. Refrigerate the strips for 24 hours.
4. In a shallow bowl, mix equal amounts of and water.
5. Use a meat mallet to pound the spices into the meat on both sides. Dip into the mixture.
6. Make brine in a large saucepan by combining 1 gallon of water with 1/2 cup sugar, 3/4 cup of salt and 2 tbsp. black pepper. Bring to a boil.
7. Boil the strips in the brine until they turn gray. This will take two to three minutes.
8. Use tongs to remove the strips from the brine and place in a single layer on dehydrator or oven drying racks.
9. Dehydrate the meat for 9 to 24 hours in the dehydrator or in a 150- to 200-degree Fahrenheit oven. Store the dried jerky in clean, covered jars or in plastic zipper type freezer bags.
Tags: liquid smoke, each strip, jerky made, jerky made using, , meat into