Beef Jerky is Travelers Gold

Well this week instead of having the Friday night pizza challenge we are going to have the Saturday night pizza challenge which I will be posting tomorrow.  This beef jerky was requested by Sheryl and Katherine so I hope you both are able to try it and enjoy it!

There are not many snacks that come close to meeting the portable satisfying traits of Beef Jerky.  Not only that but Beef Jerky is not economical to purchase in the grocery store anymore.  For $6.99 to $10.99  you get hmmm…maybe 3 oz. if you are lucky and then you hope it tastes good and you also have to wonder how chemical laden is this delicious treat actually.  For $9.99 we made over a pound and a half of beef jerky and its fabulous….trust me I am eating some right now…..

Making it at home solves two major problems.

#1 – You can make beef jerky at home without chemicals and it keeps for quite a good amount of time.    However at my house it is never around really long so I have not been able to test this.

#2 – It is much more affordable to make beef jerky at home and you can make it with different sale meats and experiment to find out what you like best.

You would not want to use a real fatty cut of meat though you want to stick with leaner cuts of beef for this.

You do need a food dehydrator ideally.  We use this dehydrator, although I am sure it is an older model and it works real well for us. Some of my friends buy the anti-moisture packets we do not we just seal the jars and if eaten within a year to a year and a half with fruits and veggies all my dried food has been fine.  That being said we have not had to test this out with beef jerky so I can’t answer to its exact shelf life.  Beef jerky should last approximately 4 months on the shelf in a cool dark place or if you freeze it up to a year.  Check out this forum at Survivalist Boards for more info.

My husband “The Viking in my life”  makes all of our beef jerky in our house it’s his thing….kind of like making yogurt is mine but its important for me to know his process and how to make it in case he ever says he is done with it.  I love how he will flavor his with different seasonings and garlic its way better than anything we could ever get in the store.

Here is his most recent recipe :   

After cutting meat against the grain 1/4 to 5/16 thick. (makes for more manageable eating) I lay the meat out in a casserole dish in layers. Between each layer is where  I add salt, pepper, montreal steak seasoning, garlic salt or powder, (fresh garlic is good also) texas-pete, and worcestershire sauce. Any number of spices and herbs can be used suit to your own personal taste. When time allows I will smoke the meat on the grill after cutting into slices but before adding the spices. You know you’re in for a treat after that. Always write down your recipe so if it  turns out especially good you will know what to use in the future.   We sometimes add sugar,brown sugar, barbecue sauce, fresh rosemary, terriyaki sauce, duck sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, well you get the idea the possibilities are endless.    Once the meat has set for 30 minutes or so(refrigerated) I usually transfer to a gallon size zip lock bag and return the fridge for 24 hours. Turn the bag and mix up everything every 8 hours or so. Then it is off to the dehydrator. Curing times vary with humidity and temperature. 6 to 10 hours is usually good. I like to flash bake in the oven at 175 for 1 hour so don’t let the dehydrator dry it out completely. Our next batch is going to include some fruit and nuts  cured in with the mix kind of like pemmican.   We will keep you posted and let you know how every thing turns out with that one!!!!!! Dont forget to share  your ideas with us if you come up with some good ones. ~Eric aka as my wife says
“The Viking” 😉

This recipe is so addicting!    We both hope you enjoy it and thanks so much for stopping by our Lil’ Suburban Homestead!