Beef jerky @ home

[lowkee]

Well, it is that time. I have already cut back on outside costs by restoring my own boat, brewing my own beer and now I have begun producing my third necessity on my own.. beef jerky!

Anyone else tried or doing this? It is quite easy and came out pretty well, and for about 1/3 the cost of store bought.

If you're curious to try your own jerky, here is a quick recipe:

- Buy a 6lb beef roast
- Slice it into 1/8-1/4" slices
- Remove the fat as best as you can (fat tastes icky in jerky)
- Marinate it overnight in whatever flavorings you wish (we used Worcestershire, fresh onion, fresh garlic and some liquid smoke)
- Cut some window screen (the kind you would use on a screen door) to place over your oven racks
- Lay the sliced meat on the screening
- Roast in the oven @120*F for 12-16 hours or until it tastes like jerky .. I know, taste testing is such a chore!
- Be sure to prop the oven open with a jar lid or similar to allow for moisture to escape

We noticed the jerky pooled up with the oils from the meat, so we may put a paper towel under the screen to absorb that next time, but otherwise it came out really tasty and stringy, just like normal jerky!

Boating, beer, beef jerky. Life is complete!

We used vinegar in our initial batch and it came out zesty, in a bad way, so I'm hoping for some sweeter recipes.

Anyone else have a good recipe for marinade?

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: Beef jerky @ home

Boating, beer, beef. Sounds like you got your B's in line. Good combination though for sure.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Beef jerky @ home

Lowkee Yes I am a huge fan..... you have a PM

 

[JRJ]

Re: Beef jerky @ home

We make it in a dehydrator. Marinate overnight in 3 parts low sodium soy sauce to 1 part liquid smoke (hickory or mesquite).
Make enough to thoroughly cover meat (we use London Broil or venison or elk) in a non metallic container. Refrigerate 24 hours, turning occasionally.
Remove and blot w/paper towels. Coat with black pepper to taste.
Rotate racks until done.
Simple and tasty.

 

[rbh]

Re: Beef jerky @ home

We make it in a dehydrator. Marinate overnight in 3 parts low sodium soy sauce to 1 part liquid smoke (hickory or mesquite).
Make enough to thoroughly cover meat (we use London Broil or venison or elk) in a non metallic container. Refrigerate 24 hours, turning occasionally.
Remove and blot w/paper towels. Coat with black pepper to taste.
Rotate racks until done.
Simple and tasty.

"What no moose" those swamp donkeys are the best.

 

[JB]

Re: Beef jerky @ home

I use a stovetop hot smoker and either hickory or mesquite chips after the marinade, then put it in the oven at about 170 for 3-5 hours.

Works very well for venison, too.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Beef jerky @ home

Going to have to try it myself now.
Until today I have always bought it and hated the price.

 

[SuperNova]

Re: Beef jerky @ home

I use a dehydrator and make my marinades "off the cuff" depending on how my taste is running at the moment. A good dry rub works out great too. Also, if you want to go really inexpensive, you can make jerky out of ground meat, like hamburger. Then I can shape it flat like normal or round like a slim jim. I'm always trying to hit up my hunting buddies for some venison to dry, in season.

 

[xxxflhrci]

Re: Beef jerky @ home

I've made it at home. I usually use ground meat and a shooter. Meat is no problem. We have a beef cattle farm and I have a brother who kills no less than half a dozen deer a year.

I've also bought it at steep discounts and stocked up. A couple of years ago, I found 360ct. boxes of Super Slim Jims for 20 bucks a box...I bought 1100.

A few months ago, I went into Dollar Tree and found 4 ounce bags of jerky for a buck. Those are the big bags that are normally about 5 bucks. I bought 100 bags.

 

[HopeSheFloats]

Re: Beef jerky @ home

Yep, make it here at home as well....we run a toothpick thru one end and 'hang' them from the oven racks, and use a drip pan to avoid a mess{don't ask how I know this...lol} we go 200 degrees for 4 hours, the meat gets harder after it cools{if you can wait that long }.

For a marinade, heavy{to your own taste} black pepper & 1/4 cup tamari soy sauce, 1/4 cup of your favorite steak sauce, teaspoon of liquid smoke{hickory}, some onion powder, salt, and a tablespoon of worcestershire sauce...Mmmmm

 

[i386]

Re: Beef jerky @ home

I have a dehydrator that I bought specifically for making jerky. I forget which cut of meat I was buying at the time, but I recall it being expensive. I say expensive because after it shrinks there's not a whole lot left compared to what I bought. It sure was good though. I'd like to try it again sometime perhaps with a cheaper cut of meat. IIRC I just used a little salt, pepper, worchestershire, Coca Cola/Dr Pepper, liquid smoke and sometimes Tobasco.

I used to like venison and that would be a good option except something happened to my tasters. Wild game grosses me out now and I don't know why. That's one of the reasons I don't hunt anymore...

 

[JRJ]

Re: Beef jerky @ home

"What no moose" those swamp donkeys are the best.

I've never hunted them but have had a sample, I'm sure it makes good jerky.

 

[dlindeblad]

Re: Beef jerky @ home

Around here in Maryland we are allowed 12 deer. This equals six deer from my original home in upper Michigan. I have about 100 lbs of venison burger each year. I go to bass pro each season and stock up on powdered seasonings and just mix w/ a little bit of water before mixing in the burger. I prefer pepper jerky seasonings.

I have one of those devices described by a poster before that looks like a caulking gun. It came w/ two differernt tips so if I was making two flavors I could tell the difference visually. Now after I squeeze them out on the racks I place them in my Cheftain smoker with some Jack Daniels wood chips from their used whiskey barrels. After running on that smoke for a few hours (as they are bigger chips) I switch out for some hickory shavings. They usually sit in the smoker for 10-12 hours. Be sure not to over smoke the jerky or it will taste like licking the bottom of a pot belly stove.

 

[mike64]

Re: Beef jerky @ home

I tried making jerky for the first time a few weeks ago, from venison strips. I marinated it in a soy sauce-brown sugar-black pepper mix, and I hung the strips using the method Kenny mentioned (with shish kebab skewers instead of toothpicks). 5 hours in a 150 degree smoker with hickory and applewood. Turned out terrific! I want to try it with beef too now.

 

[thurps]

Re: Beef jerky @ home

I make it pretty much the same way as JRJ except he forgot the cayenne pepper. We slice up a turkey about every other time and jerk it. Other varieations are using ground beef or ground turkey and flatening it out between two pieces of waxed paper. I haven't quite mastered fish yet but by adding a little olive oil to the mix it seams to flavor it better. Now I have to go out and make some more.

 

[mike64]

Re: Beef jerky @ home

If you're making jerky out of beef, what cut of meat works the best?

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Beef jerky @ home

If you're making jerky out of beef, what cut of meat works the best?

Start out with a bottom round roast which is a cheaper cut and works fine. Trim the fat and slice it into 1/8 - 1/4" slices.

 

[SuperNova]

Re: Beef jerky @ home

I've also bought it at steep discounts and stocked up. A couple of years ago, I found 360ct. boxes of Super Slim Jims for 20 bucks a box...I bought 1100.

Ummm...that's 22,000 dollars worth of slim jims?
Something wrong with my math? I mean I like slim jims and all....but 22,000 DOLLARS!! You are a slim jim GOD!!

 

[mike64]

Re: Beef jerky @ home

Start out with a bottom round roast which is a cheaper cut and works fine. Trim the fat and slice it into 1/8 - 1/4" slices.

Thanks!

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Beef jerky @ home

What dehydrators do you guys recommend?