my first attempt at beef jerky

[buckytom]

this past week i was able to get my work bench in the basement cleaned off and set up my excalibur food dehydrator. i wanted to make beef jerky, and the italian style roast beef was on sale for 4.99 a pound, so i figured i'd skip the marinating step and buy already flavored beef. i asked the girls in the deli to slice it extra thick as i was making jerky, but the 2 eastern european women who were behind the counter looked puzzled, mumbled something in polish or russian about jerky (it was the only word i could make out) to each other shrugging their shoulders, and proceeded to slice it as thin as regular cold cut roast beef. so much for customer service.
i loaded up 5 trays with the extremely thin sliced roast beef, having difficulty seperating the slices, but i was persistent.
i set the dehydrator on 145 degrees, and checked it about 6 hours later.
the results weren't exactly what i was looking for, but were delicious none the less. it was kind of like tasty beef chips, rather than jerky strips. it crumbled like a chip, but then melted in your mouth into flavorful bits of beef. from what i could taste, there was some rosemary, thyme, oregano, and fennel seed in the italian style marinade. i am going to go to a different supermarket this week (same franchise, different town) to see if i can get the recipe from someone who speaks better american-english. i'm afraid to even attempt it in the first store.
i am also going to buy plain roast beef and try a few marinades. i will post my results. the first pound of beef went in about an hour it was so good... 8)
i am also going to attempt drying fruit; maybe mango, peaches, plums, and pineapple as chocolate chef suggested.

any other jerky makers out there? tips and suggestions appreciated.

[Alix]

Try a light teriyaki type marinade. It is to die for yummy! Good luck getting the right thickness.

Oh, and try dehydrated apples. My kids go mental for them.

[luvs]

i made a delicious jerky the one time i made it, not so long ago. (then my Mom turned the oven on to heat some rolls up, and i had my jerky in there to keep the cats from eating it till i put it into storage containers.

i took a few cloves of smashed and chopped garlic in a 1-qt. measure, added all but a few tbsp. of a large bottle of Heinzz worcestershire, a little A-1, onion powder, black pepper, kosher salt, white vinegar, ground sage, a little hot sauce, red pepper flakes, just a little splash of teriyaki sauce, slices of ginger, and a lemon, juiced.
i didn't use deli roast beef like you did; i bought really thin (about 1/8-1/4"), large sirloin steaks??.... i'm not sure what cut, just sort of like feally thin steaks with very little marbling, if any). i cut some of it with the grain and some against, then put it in the marinade overnight and for most of the next day, then laid it on baking sheets (i dried it really well by rolling the pieces up between several thicknesses of paper towel first), then put the oven on it's lowest temp., kept the door ajar by wedging a thick fork handle between the door and the oven, and just checked it by bending pcs. of it to see if it was pliable like jerky should be. fresh jerky, that is.
then i brushed it with A-1 and put it in the oven even though it was off, and let the residual warmth dry the A-1. it was just delicious, till Mom turned the oven on later. sigh. :?

[abjcooking]

I don't have the exact recipe on me right now, but my favorite marinade has soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, liquid smoke (this makes a big difference), corn syrup, brown sugar, garlic, worcheshire sauce, I think either chili powder or cayanne. That's all I can remember right now. It might have had vinegar. I actually marinate mine for most of the day. I use brisket and top round. I usually cut my pieces pretty thin right out of the freezer, but not thin enought to tast like chips and then cook on low in the oven. My dog goes crazy from the smell of the beef cooking.

[Alix]

You guys have me drooling. Liquid smoke is essential. Mmmmmmmm! Hungry!!

[PA Baker]

:oops: I have never tried beef jerky :oops:

[abjcooking]

OK, here is the beef jerkey marinade that I like so much in case anyone wanted to give it a whirl.

5 Lbs. Minimum (One piece preferred) Fresh Brisket (Lean) - Any brand
*You may substitute the beef brisket with your choice of meat*
15 - 20 oz. Soy Sauce - Any brand
15 oz. Worcestershire Sauce - Lea & Perrins - Preferred
15 - 20 oz. Teriyaki sauce - Any brand
2 - 4 tablespoons Dark Brown Sugar - Any brand
2 - 4 tablespoons Garlic Powder - Any brand
2 - 4 tablespoons Onion Powder - Any brand
2 - 4 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper - Any brand
5 oz. bottle Liquid Smoke - Any brand any type
2 - 4 oz. Dark Corn Syrup - Any brand

[Michael in FtW]

I used to make buffalo jerky when I was living in Colorado about 7 years ago. I had a real butcher that I used to go to and he knew what I wanted when I told him what I was making ... boy, that was nice.

Anywho - for jerky, you want very lean beef/bison/venison/moose/elk/atalope (just about any red meat) - cut across the grain about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Marinade it and then dry it at a very low temp for a long time. 145-F almost seems a little "hot" ... I did my in my oven set at the lowest setting (about 110-F) and left the door ajar.

I've been going nuts trying to figure out where I got my recipe and what I might have done with it. I remember it used soy sauce, "Fabulosa Fajita Marinade", black pepper ... but I don't remember what else.

If I can find the Rx I'll send it to you.

[Goodweed of the North]

For my jerky, I marinade in a mixture of water, garlic (I use granulated in this rather than fresh), Onoin powder, A1 sauce, Lee & Perrin's Worcestershire Sauce, Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Lite Soy Sauce (just a little), and a bit of brown sugar. I just add the ingrediants, a little at a time, and test until I get the flavor I want.

To dry, I place no more than 7 peices of charcoal on one side of my Webber Kettle Barbecue. When they are fully ignited, I cover them with sticks of hardwood such as maple, apple, or birch, or some combination of the three. I then place the meat on the grilling rack, cover, and set all vent until they turn my grill into something close to an airtight stove. Just a sittle air seeps through and I get a very smokey barbecue.

The jerky comes out amazing. I have several people who are willing to pay me about $20 for a pound of jerky. I don't make it often though as it takes most of the day to do it. And you have to watch the fire and add wood and charcoal as required.

No if I had Rainee's barbecue rig...

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

[pdswife]

Originally Posted by luvs_food

i made a delicious jerky the one time i made it, not so long ago. (then my Mom turned the oven on to heat some rolls up, and i had my jerky in there to keep the cats from eating it till i put it into storage containers.

i took a few cloves of smashed and chopped garlic in a 1-qt. measure, added all but a few tbsp. of a large bottle of Heinzz worcestershire, a little A-1, onion powder, black pepper, kosher salt, white vinegar, ground sage, a little hot sauce, red pepper flakes, just a little splash of teriyaki sauce, slices of ginger, and a lemon, juiced.
i didn't use deli roast beef like you did; i bought really thin (about 1/8-1/4"), large sirloin steaks??.... i'm not sure what cut, just sort of like feally thin steaks with very little marbling, if any). i cut some of it with the grain and some against, then put it in the marinade overnight and for most of the next day, then laid it on baking sheets (i dried it really well by rolling the pieces up between several thicknesses of paper towel first), then put the oven on it's lowest temp., kept the door ajar by wedging a thick fork handle between the door and the oven, and just checked it by bending pcs. of it to see if it was pliable like jerky should be. fresh jerky, that is.
then i brushed it with A-1 and put it in the oven even though it was off, and let the residual warmth dry the A-1. it was just delicious, till Mom turned the oven on later. sigh. :?

About how long did you cook it??