Beef Jerky Help!

[jo552006]

I have owned a dehydrator for SEVERAL years.  Bought originally with the intent to make beef Jerky.  Every time I get to wanting to try, I start researching and having doubts about making jerky that is both safe to eat and tastes good.  I am hoping somebody on here makes their own jerky.  I do have specific questions, but figured I'd start by asking if anybody here makes their own beef Jerky.

[Fonzico]

I do! Although I don't use a dehydrator, I just dry it out in the oven.

I don't really think there's a ton of safety issues - bacteria needs moisture, so as long as it's dried, and kept in a dry place, it will be fine. The only issue I've ever had is some pieces with a bit more fat in them can grow mould. But that's pretty obvious. I've also known people who vacuum seal it, if you want it to last long, but we usually eat it quickly, and I'll freeze it if I want it for the future.

So yes, use the leanest cut you can (sirloin works good, and I've had good results with inside/outside round roasts too, which are less expensive.)

I use a marinade of soy sauce, liquid hickory smoke, garlic and chili powder, worcestershire sauce and chili-garlic paste, 24 hours, then pat dry and dehydrate.

[sandandsun]

I will second what Fonzico says... have been making it for years (switched from dehydrator to oven due to ease of use/quantity), and I've never had any issues... I use long skewers in oven and let the pieces hang down between the oven rack...
Spend your time on really cleaning the meat when cutting/processing and you will have beautiful results- be careful not to cut too thick, observe recommended time and temp and you really cant go wrong.  Will keep 6 mo plus in the fridge and almost indefinitely in freezer... and its a lot better than anything you can buy- you can customize your flavor...
Tip: Venison is great for making jerky- and if you live in an area where hunting is big, people are happy to give it away many times- especially for some finished jerky in return :)

[DrJohn]

I always minimize fat content.  Jerky keeps fine normally,  but if there is significant fat it can go nasty a lot quicker...

[Erica/NWEdible]

I make jerky. It is totally safe assuming some basic procedures are followed. What are your concerns?

Here is a link to the National Center For Home Food Preservation section on jerky: http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/dry/jerky.html

Here is a link to a tutorial I did on beef jerky: http://www.nwedible.com/2014/01/beef-jerky.html

[MBot]

I used to make it all the time in a dehydrator. Using a cheap lean cut like eye of round works well. Although I usually did sirloin and marinated it in brown sugar, garlic powder and soy sauce.

[jo552006]

So we did make some jerky.  Started out real simple by getting a nesco mix, and following their instructions.  It was very good, and i would make it again.  I'll list some of my specific questions below:

1. Is jerky actually cost effective?  I only got ~1/2 lb of jerky from ~1 lb of meat, at 5.99/lb I'm not sure I did any better than if I had just bought jerky from costco!  (I did weight, but after I had eaten a couple slices, hence the approximation)

2. How to make sure jerky is safe.  Obviously using nesco jerky mix and following directions will yield a safe product (or other tried and true recipes), but what are the actual requirements of safe meat?  It seems like if you 100% dried the meat it would be safe due to lack of moisture.  If you 100% cook the meat, it would be safe because you'd kill bacteria (would not necessarily store well).  If you salt it enough, it becomes safe.  If you're not KILLING everything you cook with heat, salt, or overly long dehydration times (and for good jerky you probably shouldn't) is there some magical formula of internal temp reached, moisture content reached, and sodium content?  My wife thought she could buy any teryaki mix from the store, marinate, and dehydrate 4-6 hours and have a safe lasting product because it is dehydrated (note she planned to dehydrate to jack-links jerky consistency).  Is she right, or would this have produced a questionable outcome as I suspected?  How does storage change the food safety requirements?  I think if we were going to eat within a week my wife's plan would have been perfectly safe, but if I ever decide to store this for any length of time I feel like it would not have been okay.

3. How do you know when the jerky is done... assuming you don't expect to get an accurate temp reading due to think slices.

4. If you do store jerky, how do you know it's still safe when you eat it?

5. My PLAN is to see if this is actually saving money (might not be) and if it is, buy bulk Jerky cure and use that in any recipes I try to make.  They I'll freeze any jerky I plan to store for more than 1-2 months, and refrigerate the rest.  Is this a sound plan, or am I going way overboard?

[sandandsun]

I use venison, which I get for free, so I cant speak to the cost issue... as far as storage, I keep in the fridge what I am eating that week and store the rest in the freezer.  because the moisture content is so low, there really isn't any thaw time required- its just really cold when you take it out but edible within minutes if you don't mind it cold.  I've never monitored internal temp. I just clean it really well, marinate/cure by directions and enjoy :)

[jo552006]

Update: Making More Jerky Tonight/Tomorrow

So wife and I bought 5lbs of steak, removed fat and sliced thin.  We already marinated/seasoned with Nesco beef jerky mix (teriyaki, original, and hot & spicy.  I think we have a nesco pro dehydrator, but it is one that goes up to a high temp.  I have read in other places NOT to use the recommended temp setting as it wouldn't make as good a jerky.

My specific question (for the moment) is what is a safe temp & time to dehydrate at?  How to check for done-ness?  Last time it was VERY good, but I think I may have over-dried as it was pretty brittle when we were done.

[sandandsun]

there are so many variables, you almost have to determine this by trial and error... when I make it in the oven, it takes longer than in the dehydrator... and I have the oven temp a touch higher because it has to have a small opening to vent.... of course meat thickness play a role too...

best advice I could give: keep making it and only change one variable at a time- you'll hit on the perfect combination very quickly!

[MustardTiger]

I make my own jerky.  The only mistake I made in the beginning was allowing too much moisture and some of it molded.  Now I leave the container open and layer it with a paper towel to absorb the moisture and no problems.

[Elderwood17]

I make venison jerky, using a major roast cut and a marinade similar to what is described above.  Gave up the dehydrator for the oven years ago.  It works well and gives us some more variety in using up our venison. 

[arebelspy]

Oh my goodness my mouth is waering reading this thread and Erica's step by step blog post.

It seems like a quite expensive snack.  How much do you get for the cost?

[jo552006]

The short answer: MAYBE $0.50 less than Jack Links 1lb bags at costco, amazon, sams, etc.  I told my wife and family that I would probably just buy it next time as it's really not cost effective... but they all told me that the stuff I made was WAY better and that they want me to make it again.  I guess you could consider it realtively gourmet jerky cooked exactly to your taste for the same price as the store jerky.  I'm thinking venison jerky in the future may be much more cost effective though.

I wound up getting somewhere between $14-$16/lb.  It's a little hard to pinpoint exactly as we tried some of the jerky to make sure it was done properly, and I did it over multiple days, and used some hard to count items like zip lock bags, and lots of paper towels (you can roll up the jerky in paper towels when done to get extra fat off and it'll last longer).  Also, I could probably have dehydrated for less time and wound up with more weight which would have skewed the results, but about $14-$16 is what I calculated.

[arebelspy]

The short answer: MAYBE $0.50 less than Jack Links 1lb bags at costco, amazon, sams, etc.  I told my wife and family that I would probably just buy it next time as it's really not cost effective... but they all told me that the stuff I made was WAY better and that they want me to make it again.  I guess you could consider it realtively gourmet jerky cooked exactly to your taste for the same price as the store jerky.  I'm thinking venison jerky in the future may be much more cost effective though.

I wound up getting somewhere between $14-$16/lb.  It's a little hard to pinpoint exactly as we tried some of the jerky to make sure it was done properly, and I did it over multiple days, and used some hard to count items like zip lock bags, and lots of paper towels (you can roll up the jerky in paper towels when done to get extra fat off and it'll last longer).  Also, I could probably have dehydrated for less time and wound up with more weight which would have skewed the results, but about $14-$16 is what I calculated.

Great info, thank you!

[RunningWithScissors]

Other posters have covered the main points (I use a dehydrator and round roasts) but I wanted to offer one trick to make slicing the roast in thin slices easier.  After I remove the fat from the exterior, and any 'blueskin' or connective tissue around the outside, I then freeze the roast solid.  Once it's just beginning to thaw, it's easy to cut thin slices of consistent thickness.  Thawing time depends on the roast size.  Just be careful, as you'll need a fair bit of force on the knife to get through the still semi-frozen meat.

[10dollarsatatime]

I don't make it often because of the cost, but I do love it.  Sometimes I make jerky for the brothers for Christmas.

Anyway... now is a good time to see if anyone you know deer/elk hunts.  I've picked up a couple of good sized haunches for free because the wife wouldn't let the husband go hunting until last year's meat was out of the freezer.  Game meat makes awesome jerky.

[Threshkin]

We make cured meats in a similar way.  Both cured pork belly and sausage.  We do not use a dehydrator but instead air cure the mead.

My wife is the expert on this but here is the basic technique for air cured pork belly.

• Cut the meat into strips that are about as wide as they are thick
• Marinate the meat for several days to a week in salt, spices and alcohol. We use Chinese liquor or fortified wine, use something pretty strong. (This seasons the meat and kills bacteria.)
• Poke a hole in the end of each piece and insert a loop of string.
• Hang the meat pieces on a pole and place in a cool, dry and breezy location during the day.  At night we take it in to the garage.
• Once the meat is dried to the point of being hard (this will take 1-2 weeks), store it in bags in the deep freezer.
• When it is time to eat, defrost a piece and slice it crosswise into 1/8 to 1/4 inch pieces.
• Then cook it.  We usually steam the meat, either on the top of a pot of rice or in a steamer on a bed of dried orange peels.

It is important to do this in a breezy dry climate when it is not too hot or below freezing.  Spring and fall here in Colorado is ideal.

We have also dried the meat in a low oven when the weather did not cooperate.  It is not as good as the air dried meats.

The cooked meat is absolutely delicious!  The fat renders out during cooking and the remaining pieces of meat and rendered fat are addictive.  They are particularly good in a stir fry with napa cabbage or by themselves as a snack with beer.

You can find detailed recipes on the internet and the spices at good Asian markets.

The sausage recipe is very similar except we grind or chop the marinated meat and stuff it in casings before hanging it up to dry.  Don't make your sausage too lean though!  It will dry to a rock like consistency.

[TheFrugalFox]

Beef Jerky in South Africa is called billtong and is extremely popular ether bought or home made with hundreds of recipes out there - might be worth trying for a bit of variety?

Here is one - pretty simple..

http://www.picknpay.co.za/recipe-search-results/biltong-2