I Have Made Beef Jerky!

[popeye]

I have been noticing the amount of beef jerky I eat on a regular basis costs me a lot of money. I think it was 6 bucks for the small bag of Jack links the last time I bought it and there was only about 5 decent sized pieces in there. So I thought hey why not try making my own. My brother back in high school bought a dehydrator and actually made a lot of beef jerky that he sold right out of his locker. Since then the dehydrator has been lost in the abyss of the basement at mom's house.

Well a few days ago I found the old machine. And I thought hey let's give this a shot. I had the butcher at the grocery store cut me 1/4 strips of beef from a roast. 5lbs worth of it. I made a homemade marinade with soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, some liquid smoke, onion powder, and a touch of brown sugar. I let it sit in the marinade for 24 hours in the fridge and the following day I set it up in the dehydrator.

Another 24 hours later and bingo we have beef jerky! I have to admit I did a few things wrong such as I should have had them cut it thinner than what it was. And next time to use a little more brown sugar to make it a bit sweeter. I think I did pretty well though for my first trial. Considering I have a hard time making mac & cheese this is a big step for me.

Anyone have any suggestions for recipes let me know. I do not like hot beef jerky so I guess i have a hard time finding a good recipe.

 

[Sandra]

Well I'm not allowed to have soy so that puts me out.

 

[Dee Morris]

I use a similar marinade minus the onion powder & brown sugar. Sometimes I use red pepper flakes.

Sandra, you don't have to use the soy. Just omit it in your marinade.

 

[Sandra]

Me cook? :roflmao:

 

[CraftyCath]

I've never had beef jerky although I know you can get it in the UK. I do have a lovely, foolproof recipe for a Chinese marinade.

2 tablespoons tomato puree
2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons stock (any kind)
2 tablespoons oil
1/4 tablespoon chilli powder or a few drops Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese five spice poeder
1 clove garlic (crushed)

Mix together the tomato puree and honey then add all the other ingredients. Marinade for as long as you need to but save some for turning and basting once during cooking.

 

[James B.]

One thing for sure, Beef Jerky ain't gonna make you fat, no way.

Also, if one chose organic free-range beef, the nutrition value would probably qualify "beef jerky" as near "superfood".

Beef has the ability to stabilize blood sugar levels, although it's a surprisingly major job for the digestive tract. If you are a big fan of beef, it may be wise to consider balancing this "acid" food (type) with alkaline foods. A scale of 4 parts alkaline, one part acid. Get some mango or papaya (or melon) in there too...

A lot of good healthy food and diet plans break down when we are super busy, or have to be mobile. Taking readily consumable snacks along, is a very smart way to stay on track with your plan. If Beef jerky isn't your thing, try bringing some almonds, sunflower seeds, walnuts or pepitas along. Those'll stabilize your blood sugar really well, also.