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Dan s Smokehouse Jerky - The Best Pt 1
Ingredients:
***MEAT***
venison
top round steak
turkey breast brine---
kiln dried medium salt
molasses -- (Brer Rabbit light
-- or Grandma s)
black and/or red pepper
Instructions:
There are probably as many different variations of jerky recipes out
there as there are jerky lovers. This is a BBQ List and most of the
posts deal with standard BBQ issues, briskets, ribs, butts, *cookers*,
grills, smokers and their related mops and sauces. Occasionally, there
are posts outlining sausage making, which is an art form of it's own
and is sometimes difficult to put a finger on precisely how to 'clone'
a closely guarded family or industry secret. The recipes posted here
were of great interest to me and I admire the effort from those who
shared with us - not exactly true BBQ, but invaluable savvy nonetheless.
Along the same line, I would like to share a jerky making process
that goes back a long way, before refrigerators, before electricity.
To the best of my knowledge it has never been written down, just passed
along from one old timer to the next - until now....Showing a person
how to do something is one thing, but putting it into words is,......an
incommodiously arduous task? The Meat: Generally, the lean scraps
from most venison (elk, deer, caribou, antelope and moose) work very
good. Bear is greasy(sorry Bear), as is pork. Buffalo is similar to
beef and makes good jerky. The best cut of beef that will yield the
most usable lean meat is the top round. If you like turkey, use large
bone in breasts and remove the bone. I haven't done reptiles, but
what the hey, if that's your bag give it a shot. The meat should be
reasonably aged, at least kept cool for a week or so after it's dressed
out and skinned. It is important to trim as much fat off as possible,
even if you have to cut it out or scrape it off. The fat will not
take salt very well when the meat brines, it will become rancid and
grow mold quickly. Cut the meat with the grain, into strips as big
around as your thumb (3/4-1" square) and as long as possible. The
Brine: This is a self brining method and works in two stages, dehydration
and rehydration. The ingredients needed are: A kiln dried medium salt.
Most feed stores have 50# bags for about $3. which will make about
eight thousand pounds of jerky. Medium salt is about the size of salt
that comes on a pretzel. Molasses. I use Brer Rabbit light or Grandma's.
Brer Rabbit comes in pint bottles and have a small top that you can
pour a nice 'string' from. Grandma's comes in a large mouth bottle
and it's best if you transfer it to some sort of a squeeze top ketchup
or pancake syrup bottle (1 pint = about 20# of meat). Black Pepper,
medium grind or coarse - your choice. If you like it hot, use red
pepper flakes instead, if you don't like pepper leave it out. This
brine process goes easier and more quickly if you have a few extra
happy hands joining in - the kids, the wife and myself usually make
it a project and when it's done everyone gets to pat each other on
the back. Since we're all together and helping each other, some interesting
conversations usually surface. Anyway, you will need a flat bottom
non-corrosive container and lid, a Tupperware storage bin, a plastic
bus tray or a stainless steam table pan will work well. The size depends
on the amount of meat and the room in your refer - the lids keep things
out and are handy for stacking the containers. Salt the bottom of
the pan evenly, making sure to get in the corners as well. This may
not be as easy as it sounds. Put a few pounds of salt in a bowl, cup
your fingers together and scoop out about a half a handful - not in
your palm. Shake your hand back and forth across the top and about
a foot above the top of the pan. As the salt starts to leave your
hand, slowly open your fingers and let the salt run through evenly.
Hand salting may require some practice. Practice salting the bottom
of the pan until it becomes comfortable and the coverage is without
gobs or streaks or voids. If this method becomes too frustrating,
a shaker top jar works too - a mayonnaise jar with the metal lid poked
full of holes by a 16 penny nail. The coverage amount should be between
light coverage (barely covering) and full coverage (completely covering)
- the only comparison I can think of, is sugar on a pie crust, or,
sugar on your cereal. You don't want it too salty, so, one might consider
their first batch of jerky experimental and take it from there. String
the molasses. Same kinda deal as the salt, hold the bottle about a
foot above the pan, start moving it from side to side and pour. When
the molasses starts running try to get a 'string' about the size of
a pencil lead and let it crisscross the pan bottom over the salt.
Once the strings are even in one direction, change directions (perpendicular)
and string evenly across again. Don't forget the corners. When it's
done it will be an even grid about 1/2" square covering the pan bottom.
Good luck... don't worry, 10-12 layers and you'll be able to sign
your name with it. The pepper will vary as to individual taste. One
note though, pepper almost doubles its intensity as it soaks and is
easy to overpower the finished product. I would recommend that a light
dusting would be sufficient for most people (about the way you would
pepper a baked potato). Red pepper flakes, even more so. Again, hold
the pepper can about a foot above, and dust it evenly - good, you
remembered the corners. Layer the meat strips across the bottom of
the pan one at a time. Starting on one side, place the strips next
to each other without overlapping and with all of the strips running
in the same direction. Work the meat across until the layer is complete,
without voids. Pat the surface, edges and corners down smooth and
flat. Salt, molasses and pepper the surface as was done to the bottom
of the pan to start. The second layer of meat is done the same, but
it is ran perpendicular to the first layer. Pat smooth, salt, molasses
and pepper. Each additional layer is placed perpendicular to the layer
before it. continued in part 2 |
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