Turkey Jerky
- Thread starter lk1932
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
obiwan9962
Senior Cook
with ground turkey yeslk1932 said:
buy a whole piece of turkey and slice it thin
marinate in soy, ginger, brown sugar, chili flakes and any other spices you like
i like alittle pineapple juice, star anise and pink peppercorn
marinate 30 minutes
then dry with dehydrator or low oven for at least 8 hours
candelbc
Senior Cook
I use a kit I got at the local grocery store. It includes a "Cure" which I think is a Sodium Nitrate. That just does an extra good job of killing any nasty things.
We make Turkey Jerky like this all of the time. It's fantastic!
-Brad
We make Turkey Jerky like this all of the time. It's fantastic!
-Brad
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
Hmmm, uncooked, dried turkey?!?!
We are cautioned constantly that poultry has to be cooked to a minimum temperature of 161 F to be safe.
A dehydrator does not reach that temperature. I believe it maxs out at around 130 F. I recommend checking into the safety factors before proceeding.
We are cautioned constantly that poultry has to be cooked to a minimum temperature of 161 F to be safe.
A dehydrator does not reach that temperature. I believe it maxs out at around 130 F. I recommend checking into the safety factors before proceeding.
obiwan9962
Senior Cook
preserving by drying is not really a danger
as long as you use enough sugar and salt to dessicate the protien....ie draw all the moisture out
that along with the drying process, it's all chemistry
granted if you dry it for a few days, and end up with a moldy product you have issues and it should be tossed
a brine generally need not contain nitrites/nitrates
as long as the brine itself is a saturation brine meaning it will no longer absorb any more salt or sugar no matter how much you try to combine it
as long as you use enough sugar and salt to dessicate the protien....ie draw all the moisture out
that along with the drying process, it's all chemistry
granted if you dry it for a few days, and end up with a moldy product you have issues and it should be tossed
a brine generally need not contain nitrites/nitrates
as long as the brine itself is a saturation brine meaning it will no longer absorb any more salt or sugar no matter how much you try to combine it
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
Humans have been drying meats to preserve them for millennia. However, my thought is, if a poultry product is contaminated with salmonella, what effect does the process have on it?
candelbc
Senior Cook
That's why my butcher recommends the Sodium Nitrates. You bring up a very good point. People must always be careful with poultry..
-Brad
-Brad
obiwan9962
Senior Cook
granted there is that but salmonella is not prevalent in all poutry
duck has not that issue
it is how the item is processed at the plant
waterblanching to remove the feathers is a huge culprit
while i have never made turkey jerky, i have made duck jerky for years with not incident
in my years of cooking i have yet to find any evidence nitrates inhibit the growth of bacteria
here is a link to a recent study:
Growth of Staphylococcus and Salmonella on Frankfurters With and Without Sodium Nitrite
duck has not that issue
it is how the item is processed at the plant
waterblanching to remove the feathers is a huge culprit
while i have never made turkey jerky, i have made duck jerky for years with not incident
in my years of cooking i have yet to find any evidence nitrates inhibit the growth of bacteria
here is a link to a recent study:
Growth of Staphylococcus and Salmonella on Frankfurters With and Without Sodium Nitrite
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
obiwan9962 said:
I agree it's not an issue with duck. We were talking about turkey.
obiwan9962
Senior Cook
understood my friendAndy M. said:
i was responding to a previous post
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
obiwan9962 said:
Ok then. I think I'm up to speed now.
obiwan9962
Senior Cook
no matter what
we want no one to die or get ill
the suggestion is to get ahold of a local professional to see what he/she does
all else fails find a local food scientist
i am a chef
i know what i've learned over the last 30 years but def not infalliable
we want no one to die or get ill
the suggestion is to get ahold of a local professional to see what he/she does
all else fails find a local food scientist
i am a chef
i know what i've learned over the last 30 years but def not infalliable
oldcampcook
Senior Cook
I do a lot of jerky, but mostly with beef. For the "Slim Jim" type jerky, I use American Harvester spices which come in a package of seasoning and a package of "cure". You use one pack of each for a pound of meat.
I personally do not like the texture of ground turkey.
With turkey, I buy a turkey breast, freeze it partly and use my meat slicer, cutting the pieces ACROSS the grain, about 1/4 inch thick. Then I marinate the meat overnight in a ziplock type bag with soy sauce, worchestshire (?) sauce and teriyaki. I use the same procedure for beef roasts.
I dry all of them on my American Harvester dehydrator for about 6 hours at the maximum heat. I turn both types at least once during the drying process and blot the grease with paper towels.
On the turkey, I was worried about samonella, so I take the dried slices and put them on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven at 500 F for about 10 minutes. This also tends to give the turkey a bit of a smoke flavor which I really like.
You can get the American Harvester at the big box superstore or order from on line.
I make about 8 lbs of jerky every weekend.
Old Camp Cook
I personally do not like the texture of ground turkey.
With turkey, I buy a turkey breast, freeze it partly and use my meat slicer, cutting the pieces ACROSS the grain, about 1/4 inch thick. Then I marinate the meat overnight in a ziplock type bag with soy sauce, worchestshire (?) sauce and teriyaki. I use the same procedure for beef roasts.
I dry all of them on my American Harvester dehydrator for about 6 hours at the maximum heat. I turn both types at least once during the drying process and blot the grease with paper towels.
On the turkey, I was worried about samonella, so I take the dried slices and put them on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven at 500 F for about 10 minutes. This also tends to give the turkey a bit of a smoke flavor which I really like.
You can get the American Harvester at the big box superstore or order from on line.
I make about 8 lbs of jerky every weekend.
Old Camp Cook
Last edited:
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
oldcampcook:
How many people are you feeding with that much jerky?
How many people are you feeding with that much jerky?
obiwan9962
Senior Cook
OCC thanx for the input
did not think of the blast of 500 then again i never do turkey
did not think of the blast of 500 then again i never do turkey
oldcampcook
Senior Cook
AndyM,
I have 3 grandson who would rather eat jerky than candy. I also take jerky and fresh homemade sourdough bread to work every Monday. It resembles feeding time at the zoo about 30 mins after I arrive.
Bob
I have 3 grandson who would rather eat jerky than candy. I also take jerky and fresh homemade sourdough bread to work every Monday. It resembles feeding time at the zoo about 30 mins after I arrive.
Bob
oldcampcook
Senior Cook
Obiwan9962,
You might want to try the turkey breast. Done that way it is a little crisp and the flavor is awesome.
Bob
You might want to try the turkey breast. Done that way it is a little crisp and the flavor is awesome.
Bob
