Making Your Very Own Jerky

People have been looking for new ways to enjoy meat for as long as we can all remember. One of the most common ways that people love to eat meat as a snack is by making it into a jerky. Most of time, beef is used to make jerky, but the methods used will help to preserve the meat and its flavor much better than any other method. Jerky is a wonderful form of protein and it is even more healthy since most of the fat has been taken out prior to making the meat into jerky.andnbsp; You can make your own healthy version of jerky right in your own home and you can be sure that it is much healthier than those found in stores as you can stay away from all of the preservatives making it right in your kitchen. The preservatives that manufacturers put in to keep the meat fresher longer are chemicals that are not necessary when making your own.

The first thing that you want to do when making your own jerky is to buy the right meat. You want to go with a lean cut of meat such as top round, sirloin, or even eye round to name a few good meat choices. When you go with these kinds of meats, you will save a lot of time during the drying step. After you have procured your meat you will then have to cut it into very thin slices there are approximately 1/8andquot; thick. You might want to even talk to your butcher at the meat store as they can usually slice meat like this for you. Try to cut the strips against the grain so that the jerky will be much easier to chew. Be sure to trim off as much fat as possible because the fat will not dry and can ruin the jerky.

After this, you need to marinade the meat and use the flavor of your choice by getting the proper seasonings. Lots of folks love to use a sea salt and cider vinegar mix, and then they let it soak in the refrigerator over night for the absolutely best results. Keep in mind that the longer you marinate, the longer it can take to dry. You will want to put whatever seasonings you like as a coating on the meat such as cracked pepper, garlic, brown sugar, etc. Then dehydrate the meat.

You need to allow ample space between each piece of meat for thorough drying. It is good when utilizing your dehydrating machine to make it a rule of thumb to coat the dehydrator racks with a non-stick spray before placing the meat on the rack. If you are going to use your oven for making the jerky then you will want to set the over at 150 degrees but make sure that you let the over preheat. You can put the meat right on the rack with a cookie sheet underneath it. The heat is not to cook the meat but dry it out nicely.

Once you have the meat slices, marinated and seasoned, put them either in the oven or the dehydrator and wait. This is a slow process but well worth the wait. The whole process can take anywhere from 6 to 12 hours. You need to stay alert and watch the meat and then take it out when it is done to your liking. Make sure that you test a piece of the meat to ensure it is thoroughly dried. What you are looking for is a deep burgundy or brown color. You can store your fresh jerky in plastic zip lock bags and keep it in the refrigerator or the freezer. It will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator. After you have gotten the hang of making your own jerky, you will probably want to make it regularly. Never forget that it makes a wonderful present for family and friends, especially at the holidays.

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