Posted by sherry on January 02, 2001 at 12:28:00:
In Reply to: Jerky posted by Jackie on January 02, 2001 at 11:22:01:
: Would like a receipe for the spice mixture uded to make jerky. Have heard there are some prepackaged ones you can buy, but haven't seen them.
PREPARING MEAT FOR JERKY
When making a batch of jerky, start with a minimum of 3
to 5 pounds of very lean beef; this will yield less than 1
pound of jerky. Round steak, flank steak or other very lean
beef will make good jerky. Have your meat man cut the beef
into steaks about 1 1/2-inches thick. Then trim away all the
fat (this is important because the fat can become rancid) and
cut the meat into strips 1/8 to 1/4-inch wide. Make the strips
as long as possible.
The seasoning of beef jerky is entirely a matter of
taste. If the meat is to be used on a hiking or camping trip,
you'll want to leave it unseasoned or simply sprinkle both
sides lightly with salt and pepper. (Eating salty jerky on a
hike may make you thirsty.) For appetizers, make the jerky more
highly seasoned.
Beef Jerky:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 1/2 lb. beef, flank, chuck
or rolled rump
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. salt or less
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
dash of pepper and monosodium
glutamate
1 tsp. minced ginger root
1 small red pepper, crushed
1/2 clove minced garlic
Trim all fat from meat and cut into thin (not over
1/4-inch thick), long strips, about 2-inches wide. Combine
remaining ingredients; mix with meat strips and pour into large
plastic bag. Tie bag tightly; place in bowl in refrigerator to
marinate 24 hours. Preheat oven to 165 degrees. Place meat on
cooling racks set in baking sheets. Dry in oven 6 to 7 hours,
until jerky texture. Meat may be stored in freezer 6 to 8
months, but should be used in about a week when refrigerated.
Use as a snack or heat through under broiler and slice
diagonally and serve as an appetizer. This is quite salty, so
reduce the salt to adjust to personal taste.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VENISON OR BEEF JERKY
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 lb. top round steak
salt and pepper
liquid smoke
These chewy dried meat strips are a great snack for
outdoorsmen and indoorsmen alike. Carry jerky or crumble it
and use as you would crisp bacon bits for a salad garnish or
for seasoning.
Remove and discard all fat. Freeze steak until icy.
Cut in very thin strips, cutting across the meat grain for
crisp jerky and with the grain for chewy jerky. Place meat
strips in bowl or crock in 1/2-inch thick layer. Sprinkle with
salt, pepper and liquid smoke. Repeat layers until all meat is
used. Weigh down meat with plate or heavy object; cover and
refrigerate overnight.
Drain and pat strips dry with paper toweling. Arrange
strips on rack in shallow pan. Bake at 250 degrees for 3 1/2 to 4
hours, until of desired dryness. Cool, store in airtight
container in the refrigerator or at room temperature until
used. Makes 8 to 9 ounces of jerky.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRUE VENISON JERKY
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
venison
brown sugar
salt
pepper
garlic salt
celery salt
Cut lean strips of venison with the grain into pieces
that are 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, about 1 inch wide and any
length. You can use any cut, but tender meat gives a better
product. The leg makes the choicest jerky.
Mix 1 part brown sugar to 3 parts salt. Add pepper,
garlic salt and celery salt as desired. Sprinkle strips
liberally on both sides with mixture. Let stand 15 minutes.
String on wires or place on trays and transfer to smokehouse.
Dry out and flavor with warm, not hot, smoke until dry.
Personal taste will determine preferred dryness. Use any
nonresinous wood such as alder, maple, ash or apple. When dry,
place in plastic bags and freeze. Jerky keeps indefinitely if
all fat has been removed. You can dry jerky made by this
method in the oven. It will taste different but it will be
good.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHILE PASADO AND VENISON JERKY
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 c. chile pasado
1 c. venison jerky (beef may
be substituted)
1 medium-sized onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, pressed
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 c. water
Pound the chile and then the jerky on an iron maseta
until each ingredient is well broken into small pieces. Saute
onion and garlic until clear. Add the chile and jerky. Saute
slightly. Add water and simmer for 30 minutes.
The grandmother of Raul Sepulveda was an Indian woman,
and a very early settler in the Valley. She and her family
lived on the Walter Moore Ranch. When she prepared this dish
she used the exact maseta that today is used by her third and
fourth generation. She also got clay from a tributary to the
west and made the family dishes.
Chile Pasado is made by roasting green chile, peeling it
and then drying it in the sun on a clothes line or wire. Today
other methods are in use. The same is true for the jerky.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INDIAN JERKY
(Makes About 50 Pounds)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 gal. water
2 lb. brown sugar
1 oz. salt and pepper
1 oz. cayenne pepper
1 can juniper berries, crushed-buy in health food stores
1 whole piece ginger
Bring water to a boil; add remaining ingredients. Boil
for 5 minutes. Remove skin as it appears. Cool. Store in
crock or wooden barrel.
Jerky is a dried meat, cut in long strips from large
game. To prepare sun-dried jerky: Cut fresh meat into long,
thin strips about an inch wide and an inch thick. Rub the meat
with salt. Space well apart on rack in the sun to dry. When
dry, store in sacks hung in a dry place.
Jerky can also be dried by placing the strips in a
canning solution for 3 or 4 days, then hung on a rack over a
slow, burning fire for 2 days. The strips should be placed
well apart to keep from touching each other. When dry, the
strips should be wrapped in cheesecloth to keep insects and
dirt from settling on them.
Jerky will keep dry as long as it is exposed to the air
and smoke. It is important to not leave it drying no more than
2 days, then take down and store in airtight containers, such
as jars.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SEVEN STEP JERKY (VENISON)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 lb. venison, sliced
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. Accent
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. seasoned salt
2/3 tsp. garlic powder
2/3 tsp. black pepper
In container, combine all of the ingredients except the
venison. Stir this mixture well with a spoon to dissolve all
of the soluble ingredients. Now the marinade is ready to be
used. Place the strips of meat in the marinade, be sure they
have completely submerged. Marinate overnight, turning if
necessary. Lay marinated meat strips on oven rack. Cook for 6
to 8 hours at 150 degrees. They get crispier, the longer they bake.
Store finished jerky in Ziploc bags or other airtight contain-
ers to seal in freshness. Jerky will keep up to 2 years.