As some of you might know, each year, my husband, sister, brother-in-law and I do a secret Santa gift exchange (which almost never happens at the holidays). The only catch is that the gift has to be homemade. I originally thought it'd be an awesome deal for me because it would significantly reduce the number of gifts I would need to think up to give my husband.
Except for the fact that I keep drawing his name year after year - grrrr!!
This year, I decided to try my hand at making jerky. But not just beef, I made all the variations below:
- Bison with wasabi teriyaki (store bought marinade)
- Beef with a smoky classic marinade (worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, honey, onion powder, liquid smoke, ground black pepper, red pepper flakes)
- Turkey (soy sauce, honey, sesame oil)
- Goat (red wine, white vinegar, mint, onion, hot sauce, soy sauce water, olive oil)
- Lamb (onion, cumin, turmeric, garam masala, curry powder, cardamom pods, tomato paste, salt, water)
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| Everything but the kitchen sink in these marinades |
The basics of making jerky:
- Slice meat along the grain about 1/3 inch thick, as evenly as possible. Partially freezing your meat first will make it easier to cut nice even slices.
- Marinate your meat overnight.
- Drain marinade and pat meat strips dry.
- Dry on highest setting (about 160F) for about 6-8 hours. Meat should be leathery and pliable, but will be dry, chewy, and stringy when pulled apart.
Store in an airtight container and use within a month or two (though I assure you it will be long gone by then!).
Oh wow! That is so impressive! You made jerky!! Looks incredible! Do you make it in a dehydrator?
ReplyDeleteYes, dehydrator. I saw some great instructions for how to string it to dry in the oven, but the dehydrator is just so easy.
ReplyDelete