Adventures in Jerky
March 30, 2009 by Heather R.
Filed under Recipes
I got a food dehydrator a while ago and last month decided to make some jerky. I researched the options for marinades and decided to go easy the first time and use the mix that came with the machine.
The packet of seasoning had to be mixed with a curing packet and mixed in water. Nothing too hard there!
I used a London broil that I got on sale at the store and sliced it into 1/4″ strips. I stuffed a Ziploc bag into a large measuring cup so the bag would stay upright while I loaded it. I mixed the cure and seasoning packets with water and put the meat in with it and then squeezed out as much of the air as I could and zipped it shut. It went into the fridge for several hours before I patted the strips down with a paper towel and placed them in the dehydrator.
The meat dehydrated for about five hours and I dabbed at it with a paper towel once or twice during the process to get the oil off the surface as it dried.
When I make it again I’m not going to use one of the packets! The meat itself was fine but the seasoning was pretty bland. I’m going to go with this recipe I found at FoodReference.com next time:
1 1/2 – 2 pounds of lean meat
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon each of black pepper and garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon hickory smoke-flavored salt
I can’t wait to see what you can make with your own seasoning. I bet the flavor difference will be amazing!
I LOVE making jerky in my dehydrator! An awesome Teriyaki recipe that I use is: take some smoke flavored salt and a bottle of either hoisen sauce or dim sum sauce, slice your meat and layer the meat in a tupperware container, be sure to salt the meat and dab a little of the sauce in between each layer. Stick in the fridge for about 1-2 days, then dehydrate. Awesome!
I love making jerky in my food dehydrator! Here is a recipe for a marinade that I came up with after many trial/error batches.
2/3 c soy sauce
2/3 c (or a smidge less) Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
3/4 c packed brown sugar
1 1/2 t black pepper (the finely ground stuff in the can is best)
2 t garlic powder
4 t liquid smoke
2#’s very lean meat (all fat trimmed off)
Marinate your sliced beef for 24 hours in a zip top bag. Turn bag every so often and massage the marinade into the meat to ensure a good coating.
After 24 hours, drain and pat dry on paper towels.
Arrange on deydrator racks and dry until done.
Best wishes to you! ~Moxiegrrl
I can’t wait to try out these recipes — thanks, guys!