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| Everything You Ever Needed to Know About Beef Jerky |
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Beef jerky is one of the oldest forms of preserved foods that can
provide nutrition during leaner times. Tribal communities find it easy
to store and transport on the move. Game meats like buffalo, elk,
venison and antelope were processed into jerky. Beef jerky is now
commonly found at the supermarket.
Do you know you can make beef jerky at home? You should make a better-tasting product and save a lot of money if your family enjoys beef jerky. You can also personalize your home made jerky with marinades seasoned to your family's tastes. Start with a lean cut of beef, such as London broil or brisket. Remove all the fat because it turns rancid, and will spoil the entire batch. Freeze the meat partially after you trim all fat. The meat can then be cut into the very thin slices necessary to produce the traditional and safely dried beef jerky. Then cut the beef across the grain into strips not larger than one quarter inch thick. Finished strips should measure ½ to ¾ inches wide, and six to eight inches long. The next step is marinating the beef for two or three hours. The jerky can be marinated with anything that tickles your fancy. You can use your favorite marinade recipe or a purchased marinade sauce or dried packet. Beef jerky can be made through several methods. The meat may be sun-dried, smoked, dehydrated in a food dehydrator or oven-dried. However, the sun-dried method is not recommended for the home cook because it introduces unsanitary elements like flies and other insects.
A food dehydrator offers the most control of temperature for “automatic” drying but it can only offer a limited space. Smokers are a good choice because they add a desirable smoky flavor while keeping undesirable critters at bay.
You can make a large batch of beef jerky in your home oven. However, you have to make sure that the slices do not touch one another because this will cause uneven drying. Set the oven temperature to 140 degrees if possible.
You can set the temperature to “warm” if your oven does not permit setting to this exact temperature. You have to monitor the temperature with an oven thermometer until you approximate the ideal 140 degrees. You should also leave the oven door ajar for good air circulation.
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