The jerky thread

Roper

Roper

Idiot Savant, still
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My wife’s son and his SO visited last week from Vegas. They spent Wednesday down at the Pike St. market. They brought me a bag of jerky from their shopping trip. It was smoky and sweet, a nice combination. Since I’ve been snacking on it I decided to look into making my own. So the web has lots of info but the one puzzle for me is against the grain or with it. I’m sure lots of you have made your own, what’s your thoughts on this?

Feel free to share ingredients that make for unique flavors…
 
I'm just gonna follow since I've been curious myself.
 
I'm following as well. I've dabbled in the jerky and pepperoni making a bit over the years but never got a recipe or process dialed in enough to keep making more.

As far as the grain, I think it depends on how chewy and laborious you want the eating it to be. Like classic Oh Boy Oberto is definitely not cut across the grain, but with the grain and it's a real jaw workout to eat it. But that's kind of what you're after with jerky, it's a long duration snack when you're out hiking or fishing or whatever. If it were easy and quick to chew, I could down a whole $20 bag in a couple minutes.
 
I made a lot of jerky years ago, there is a learning curve and a lot of it involves $$$. Getting good meat wasn't always easy and even then there was a lot of waste as all the fat had to be trimmed. More $$$. I just got tired of the inconsistency of the final product and didn't make any for years.

Then I stumbled on to ground beef jerky and started having fun again. I can buy 93/7 quality ground beef so there is no waste and the final product is quite satisfying. It has a nice chewy consistency and once you get the flavor you are looking for the rest is easy. I mix the night before then dry it the following day using an ice cream scoop to make uniform rounds and roll them in wax paper between two flat sticks that are about 1/8'' thick. Placed in the dehydrator they only take a few hours and come out all about the same size and can be stored in a glass jar layered to the top. Good stuff and the highest possible ratio of lean to fat makes the best stuff.
 
I haven’t made any in years…I used to have a dry box and made dried aku and ahi after brining, and had a dehydrator for beef jerky…
 
I find homemade jerky to always be tougher than store bought. So I never cut with the grain when making my own. Even against the grain, it ends up being a bit of a workout chewing sometimes. I've recently been trying a blade tenderizer before drying to see if it makes any difference.

I've thought about giving ground beef jerky a try like @iveofione mentions. It always seems to be the answer to the "how can I get softer jerky" question on cooking forums.

This is a good jerky recipe site:

www.jerkyholic.com

Homemade Beef Jerky and Smoked Meats Made Easy

Learn EVERYTHING you need to know about making beef jerky and smoking all types of meat to perfection. Fire up that smoker and let's go!
www.jerkyholic.com www.jerkyholic.com
 
Josh said:
I find homemade jerky to always be tougher than store bought. So I never cut with the grain when making my own. Even against the grain, it ends up being a bit of a workout chewing sometimes. I've recently been trying a blade tenderizer before drying to see if it makes any difference.

I've thought about giving ground beef jerky a try like @iveofione mentions. It always seems to be the answer to the "how can I get softer jerky" question on cooking forums.

This is a good jerky recipe site:

www.jerkyholic.com

Homemade Beef Jerky and Smoked Meats Made Easy

Learn EVERYTHING you need to know about making beef jerky and smoking all types of meat to perfection. Fire up that smoker and let's go!
www.jerkyholic.com www.jerkyholic.com
Click to expand...
I used to partially freeze the beef (usually flank), pre sharpen your knife, and shave against the grain as thin as possible…
 
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This is what I use and it turns out great. I dehydrate instead of smoke and usually cut with the grain at about 1/8 in thick.
It also works for ground meat jerky too. And they have multiple flavors to choose from. This one just happens to be my favorite.
 
www.traeger.com

Traeger Smoked Beef Jerky | Traeger Grills

This easy to make beef jerky requires no special salts and makes an amazing snack.
www.traeger.com www.traeger.com
This is what I do. Family and friends love it. It doesn't last long on a river, camping, or hunting trip. Typically I use tri tip, sirloin, or round. I have a rack with 3/8" square openings that I transfer the meat from draining on a sheet pan directly to the traeger grill for smoking. I used to do it on an air dryer with a similar recipe, but the traeger is so much more efficient.
 
Can this be done in little chief smoker? I have one I haven't used for awhile as I catch steel very seldom anymore. Or any other fish worth smoking. But I can catch steak etc at safeway. I have bags of chips I need to use up. Apple, cherry etc.
 
bobduck said:
Can this be done in little chief smoker? I have one I haven't used for awhile as I catch steel very seldom anymore. Or any other fish worth smoking. But I can catch steak etc at safeway. I have bags of chips I need to use up. Apple, cherry etc.
Click to expand...
Absolutely. You just want to dry out the meat before it spoils.
 
Wish I knew how Glondo's in Cle Elum did their beef jerky. Best I have ever had...
 
I went through a phase where I made my own and ate so much of it!!! Got thinly sliced beef from a butcher near my house, never measured but added A1, Worcestershire, honey, and soy sauce, marinade for 24 hours, then put in dehydrator. Loved it, and thought it was better than anything I could buy. Just got out of the habit and haven't made any in a long time. Would cut it up with scissors into bite size pieces and ate it around the house, on road trips, fishing...not sure why I ever quit doing this.
 
Buzzy said:
Owen's Meats just up the block (or down the block) also has GREAT jerky.

(Thread drift: small little town with two great butcher shops).
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Owen’s Meats is a GREAT butcher shop. They also have a jerky vending machine outside the entrance which is pretty cool!
 
troutstalker said:
Owen’s Meats is a GREAT butcher shop. They also have a jerky vending machine outside the entrance which is pretty cool!
Click to expand...
A jerky vending machine, huh! I haven't stopped in there for quite a few years; maybe tomorrow since I'll be in town.
 
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