Just as the term "stew" could mean many different things around the world, I think our use of the term "Jerky" in this discussion centers on basic died meat, not spicy Caribbean food.tenngun said:
18th century jerky
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That "1/2" I got that from word of mouth from what the Sioux were doing around 1930, figuring they were likely doing it the way they always had. If I recall I was told, "Oh, they cut it into half inch thick strips about two feet long" so maybe I'm off on that. By "1/2" thick" I mean the thickness, the width could vary. All those photographs you posted, to me all that meat looks about 1/2" thick 2" wide and as long as you can cut and drape it over a wood frame. But that 1/2" was just an estimate, what I was trying to say is if you make jerky in an oven my experience is that you need to cut it much thinner than what the plains NDN's did. I cut mine very thin and it only takes about 3 days to set. The NDN stuff was much thicker- as shown in all the photos.
Jerky in the NE USA. I thought it existed but not sure.
I'm surprised about all the folks that use salt. The real stuff does taste like raw meat but I like it that way. The ground up jerky I made, I had actually forgotten I had it squirreled away and it was five years old. I tasted just a little to see if it would make me sick, I was okay, tried a little more next time and was okay, then just used the stuff as usual.
Jerky in the NE USA. I thought it existed but not sure.
I'm surprised about all the folks that use salt. The real stuff does taste like raw meat but I like it that way. The ground up jerky I made, I had actually forgotten I had it squirreled away and it was five years old. I tasted just a little to see if it would make me sick, I was okay, tried a little more next time and was okay, then just used the stuff as usual.
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2 inches wide? :wink:crockett said:
Actually, maybe I'm overdoing the thin aspect- what sizes do most of you cut when making jerky? With grain or across? I got going on the really thin stuff to dry out quickly so I didn't have it hanging in the oven a week or two.
True enough...just that the thread bonced around modern, and westren and eastren aspects, along with salted and plain sun dried and smoked.
Best way to make jerky, should it be plain or spiced, cut thin and dried fast or cut thick and dried slow...when we are done with that we can find out what the best patch lube is :haha:
Best way to make jerky, should it be plain or spiced, cut thin and dried fast or cut thick and dried slow...when we are done with that we can find out what the best patch lube is :haha:
The Karabs were a south american people speaking the langauge group related to the north eastren coast of south america and from about 1300 ad were moving north along the windwards in to athe antillies. Invading the area and killing off the natives at about the same time the Spanish showed up. Thier taste for human tartre also gave us our word cannibal...my your jerky is a might pale and taste like pork or veal :haha:
:thumbsup:tenngun said:
My venison jerky is done with a little salt, and is cut about 2" wide, about 1/4" thick and about 6" long... but that's more of a function of the knife that I like to use being short and very sharp, and the cutting board that I use is 8x11...maybe it's that simple... maybe it's just up to the tools available at the time...
LD
LD
I would have to agree. :thumbsup:Loyalist Dave said:
How do you dry it? What I'm doing right now is cut with the grain, about 1/8" thick (if I can cut it that thin) and maybe 3/4" wide and 8" long and I run a toothpick through one end and hang it on the grate in an oven. No salt. No smoke which I figure would enhance the taste if I could do it that way. Maybe I'll try the salt, I always thought it would draw out moisture but then if left on the meat- shorten the shelf life. Guess I was wrong on that.
you can lay it on racks in the oven, put it at a 170 degress and it will dry overnight. Commercil dehydrators can be bought on line or over internet, You can sundry on strings hung out side, you have to be handy to keep flys off until its well crusted. A smoky fire set around helps, and it needs to be a dry day. Takes a few days depending on the weather.
greggholmes
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I've done it all three ways... well all four..., the first jerky that I ever made was very DIY....I lined a large moving box with foil, and placed the meat on wire racks suspended within... the box was placed on the dining room table. I installed one of those portable work lights on the end of a cord (minus the aluminum cone and clamp) to hold a light bulb about 6" above the bottom of the box, and used a 75w bulb. I made a hole the size of a mason jar lid in the side of the box next to the bottom, and a second hole in the top of the box, and these I covered with scraps of screen... to allow air flow to carry away the moisture, and to keep out flies and the house cat. So... added the meat, turned on the bulb, closed the box, 24 hours later...jerkey. Not bad tech for 1979.... :shocked2: I have no idea how energy efficient this was or if a lower power bulb would work (can you get plain 75w bulbs anymore?)
The next method I tried a commercial dehydrator... I still use it, four "tray" version... it works fine.
I tried a few large batches in the oven with a rack designed for that purpose...I found that my oven is correct at 170 degrees when set for that, but that the jerkey comes out better if I bake for 6 hours and then turn off the oven and prop the door open about 1/2" for another 4 hours while everything cools. This is best done in Winter, when the extra heat in the house is a good thing. In the summer, you're paying extra $$ to cool the house down while warming up the oven for 6-10 hours.
I've lastly done the over-a-real-fire method. It takes less heat than you realize, so the first pound of meat I did was wrong as it was actually cooked..., so I doubled the height of the rack, and kept the coals low, and the next couple of pounds did very well. Best flavor with the added smoke, that's for sure.
OH and it's pretty simple and good way for you to do a demonstration at a historic site for the public while at the same time adding to your hunting or trekking rations for the future. :wink:
LD
The next method I tried a commercial dehydrator... I still use it, four "tray" version... it works fine.
I tried a few large batches in the oven with a rack designed for that purpose...I found that my oven is correct at 170 degrees when set for that, but that the jerkey comes out better if I bake for 6 hours and then turn off the oven and prop the door open about 1/2" for another 4 hours while everything cools. This is best done in Winter, when the extra heat in the house is a good thing. In the summer, you're paying extra $$ to cool the house down while warming up the oven for 6-10 hours.
I've lastly done the over-a-real-fire method. It takes less heat than you realize, so the first pound of meat I did was wrong as it was actually cooked..., so I doubled the height of the rack, and kept the coals low, and the next couple of pounds did very well. Best flavor with the added smoke, that's for sure.
OH and it's pretty simple and good way for you to do a demonstration at a historic site for the public while at the same time adding to your hunting or trekking rations for the future. :wink:
LD
If you do it around a fire and cook it you can still let it dry. Beat it with a mallet and you get a dry cooked beef that works well in stew and soups. With a little dry onion and mushroom you can make a killer 'french onion soup' on the trail. I tried it on a smoker once and thought I discoved something great. Some years later I found I was a few tousand years short...Turkey foot traders even sell the stuff :haha:
