Conference turris::cooks

	 I make  beef  jerky  for  when  I go backpacking. The following
     recipes are from 'The Supermarket Backpacker' by Harriet Barker.

    Recipe #1 :
    
	Marinade (amounts may be varied to taste):

	    1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
	    1/2 cup soy sauce
	    1/4 tsp onion powder
	    1/4 tsp garlic powder
	    1/4 tsp salt

	Meat:
	    1 lean flank steak (partially frozen to slice easier)


	 Cut rolled  steak  into strips 3/8" to 1/2" wide. Trim away all
     fat.  lay  strips  flat  in  a jelly roll pan. Place a second layer
     going  the  opposite  way for easier handling. Combine marinade and
     pour over the meat strips, moving them around so the marinade comes
     in  contact  with all of them. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it
     down on the meat to remove air pockets.  Refrigerate overnight.

	 Next morning: Stretch *washed* nylon net or cheesecloth tightly
     over  oven racks. Fasten with safety pins pr clothes pins. Blot the
     marinade  from the meat with paper towels and place strips on racks
     *not*  touching.  keep the top rack at least 5" away from the light
     bulb.

	 Replace the oven light with a 150-watt bulb. Prop the oven door
     open  slightly to allow moisture to escape. A folded paper towel or
     hot  pad  will work well. Protect the meat nearest the light with a
     paper towel. Rotate the trays often for even drying.

	 Beef jerky  should  be  pliable  when  ready.  Store  in Ziploc
     plastic bags or tightly covered glass jars until ready for use.


    Recipe #2 (only slight variation):

	Marinade (amounts may be varied to taste):

	    1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
	    1/4 cup soy sauce
	    1/2 tsp onion powder
	    1/2 tsp garlic powder
	    1/4 tsp pepper (optional)
	    1   tsp seasoned salt

	    Also optional additions are thyme, cloves, bay leaves and 
	    red wine.

	How to make:

	 Take the  leanest  beef  (flank  or  round steak) and partially
     freeze  to  make slicing easier. Trim away all fat. Slice about 1/2
     inch  thick  (I try to use 1/4" slices cuz they dry faster). If you
     like  cheyw  jerky,  cut  the  meat  with the grain; if you like it
     brittle,  cut  across the grain. Lay the strips in a shallow pan in
     rows.  If there is more than one layer, lay the second one at right
     angles  for  easier  handling later. Pour the marinade over, moving
     the  strips to allow it to touch all the meat. Cover with a plastic
     film,  laying  it on the meat to force out as much air as possible.
     Be sure all the meat is covered with the marinade.

	 Leave in  the  refrigerator  overnight.  Drain and pat dry with
     paper  towels.  Lay the strips over oven racks or te barbeque grill
     to  dry.  Do  not  allow  the pieces to touch. When dry, store in a
     tightly covered jar or sealed plastic bag.


	Notes from my experience:

	 If you  use  an electric oven to dry, cook for several hours on
     lowest possible temperature. (don't change the light bulb)

	The thicker the meat, the longer to dry.

	 Gas oven:  you  should  be able to just put it in there and let
     the  natural heat from the pilot dry the meat (I haven't made it in
     my new gas oven yet)
    

Originally and traditionally, jerky was plain meat, dried in the 
sun.  Its production in the traditional manner is for all 
practical purposes impossible now for two reasons.  First, the 
meat used in jerky must have an absolute minimum of fat.  In an 
earlier day, jerky was made from the flesh of wild game or from 
the virtually fat-free meat of range-run cattle, and the overfat 
flesh of today's feedlot-finished cattle will spoil during the 
several days required for the sun to remove its moisture.

Second, sun-dried jerky can only be made in places where two 
conditions prevail: long, warm summer days and nights and pure, 
unpolluted air (which leaves out the northeast).  Sadly, there is 
no place today on the North American continent that provides both 
these conditions.  This does not mean you must go jerkiless, for 
there are ways to make your own.  If you have a bit of venison, 
it will make better jerky that will feedlot beef, though if you 
use the least fatty portions of commercial beef, your homemade 
jerky will be very close to that made by the traditional method 
of sun-drying.

....How to make jerky in your oven:

    Obtain lean beef or venison and slice it into strips about 
    1/2-in. thick.

    Season (with garlic powder and hickory-smoked salt, for 
    instance) the meat and leave overnight in the refrigerator. 

    Next, arrange jerky strips on a pan and place inside oven.  
    The idea is not to cook the jerky, but slowly dry it, so set 
    oven at the lowest possible temperature (usually 125F).  The 
    drying process may take as long as 3 to 6 hours.

    The jerky is finished when it has a coal-black appearance, 
    but it is not burned.  Nor does it require refrigeration. 
    Stow a plastic bag full in your jacket pocket and enjoy 
    nutritious nibbling all day long.  Jerky can be sliced and 
    added to soups and stews.  The dried meat absorbs water and 
    returns to its former tender state.

    6 OZ. Beef jerky
    1 Large onion
    2 Tomatoes
    2 Small cans of ortega's chopped green chili's
    2 Tblsp. pure lard
    
    If jerky is extremely dry, then sprinkle it with a little water,
    just enough to dampen it. Then using a mallet or a hammer on a
    hard surface, such as the bottom of an iron skillet, pound the
    jerky until it is shredded.
    
    Melt the lard in a skillet and fry the jerky for about ten minutes
    over medium heat, then add the chopped onions and tomatoes, along
    with the green chili's. Saute until the onions and tomatoes are
    very soft. You can vary the taste by adding Garlic or Cumin.
    
    Serve with re-fried beans and hot flour tortillas or roll it up
    in a flour tortilla, and make a Burro out of it.

This is a relatively quick/easy jerky that I've been making for a while now.

Buy thin sliced round sandwich steaks. I get these at Alexanders' in So. NH.
They tend to run about $3.99 a pound. Note: these are fresh meat, not frozen
sandwich steaks of any kind. If your store doesn't carry them that way,
buy a lean round roast and ask them to slice it thin (1/8 inch). You want
this stuff to be as lean as possible. If it has any fat on the edges, trim
it off. If it's marbled, either avoid using it or eat it quickly afterwards
(within a few days) before the fat can go rancid.

Marinate these in a mixture of about 1/2 cup soy sauce to 1/4 cup brown
sugar, for about an hour in the fridge. (This is about right for a pound
or so of steak.)

Then slice the steaks into strips about an inch wide and spread on a cookie
sheet. Leave in a warm oven (convection is best if you have it) (lowest temp
possible - 125 to 150) for about 2 hours, at which point the meat will
be substantially dried out. Then transfer the strips to a cake cooling rack and
return to the warm oven for another hour or so.

They should be very dry and stiff to the touch when done.

Not sure how long they'll keep in a dry place, as they usually disappear
pretty quick. Note: you'll get about a quarter pound or less of jerky per
pound of steak.

-Jack

    Anyone have the jerky recipe for use in a food dehydrator?

    I buy a roast and have the butcher at the grocery store slice it 1/8
    inch thick.  Most groceres will do this for free.  Then I buy Lea and
    Perrins teriyaki sauce, and your favorite brand of soy sauce. I pour
    all of the above over the meat and add water also to cut down on the
    saltiness. Soad overnight and then I put it in the dehydrator for 24
    hours.  Turns out pretty good if I do say so myself.
    
    Shilah

    I was wondering if anyone would have a simple recipe for teriyaki beef
    jerky. I have made it the regular way and I wanted to see how it would
    taste teriyaki style. unfourtunately I don't own a food deheydrator so
    it would have to be a recipe that I could cook it in the oven. 
    Thanks alot,
    Chad

    
    Anyone ever made jerky in a smoker?  
    
    I'd bet the teryaki recipe would be fantastic, but how long 
    would you smoke it?
    
    

         I think if you use a smoker style that most of us have (Brinkman)
    that the heat would be to high and you would end up cooking it and not
    actually drying it. If you have the gas or electric models you may be 
    able to control the heat to a lower setting. Or you may use some liquid
    smoke in the recipe and dry it in your oven or dehydrator.