Jerky…the making of which was passed onto our ancestors by the very Jerky Gods themselves for they so loved us and wanted us to be happy. The tangy, chewing, meatiness of this protein rich delicacy powers us through all the hard tasks of our day whether we are running down a herd of deer through the boreal forest or paddling down white water rapids in a vain attempt to stay afloat. Vegans and other prey species proceed no further…this is the territory of the Carnivore. You have been forewarned…
The men of the Clanhold spend an inappropriate amount of time in the process of Jerky Making. From the hunt, to game processing and finally the jerky production itself a good bit of effort has been expended all in the name of a meat product. We choose to make an old fashioned style of jerky utilizing sliced meat over the more modern practice of using ground meat and a jerky gun. And while the ground style can be tasty it lacks the satisfying snap and chewiness of the old fashion stuff. Jerky really is easy to make and I often wonder why people don’t make more of their own. Here’s how we do it…
First here’s what your gonna need…
*Meat…duh
*Cutting board and a sharp knife…and if you don’t have a sharp knife you might be on the wrong forum.
*A dehydrator…unless you’re going real old school and are going to do it over a fire on a drying rack.
It all starts with the meat and we usually utilize the rear leg rounds of an older doe or buck for this. Bear, elk, moose and turkey also work well. Hell we’ve been known to jerkify goose breast from time to time. Once the meat is selected we place it uncovered in a freezer just long enough to get a chill through it. This makes slicing the meat easier and increases the chances for a uniform thickness with each cut. Uniformity means that when the meat is drying it will all get done at the same time with less messing around. We cut our meat between 3/16 to ¼” thick. You can cut slimmer but I feel it takes a little bit of the tactile enjoyment away when you take a bite.
Next you need to prepare your brine or marinade. This is how you will be adding the flavor to the meat and there is a wide range of styles to choose from. For us we start with a basic recipe and then modify it to achieve the taste we’re after. The basic recipe is as follows…
Jerky Marinade for 3lbs Meat
1 Bottle Soy Sauce (I prefer a salt free variety)
3 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Bottle Liquid Smoke
1.5 tsp Onion Powder
1.5 tsp Garlic powder
1.5 tsp Black Pepper
4tsp Hot Sauce
From here you have a few choices. You can substitute 1 bottle of Teriyaki sauce for the Soy Sauce if you’re a fan of that flavor. Also you can add red pepper flake and some cayenne pepper to taste if you want a hotter kick to the Soy Sauce. In this batch in the photos you see here I used a citrus based Soy known as Ponzu and I add a couple of tablespoons of orange zest to the brine for a sweet, citrusy counterpoint to the smoke and heat. Also I added a couple of tablespoons of red pepper flake just for kicks.
Once the brine is done add your meat to the brine and mix it thoroughly with your hands working the marinade into the meat. Once done, set the marinating meat in the fridge to percolate overnight so as to get as much flavoring into the meat as possible. The next morning place the meat on the dehydrator’s rack leaving some airspace around them.
I can usually get a double batch situated in our Cabela’s dehydrator. Set the dehydrator at its highest temp and get to drying. Each batch should take around 10 to 12 hrs. to dry depending on the thickness of the meat and the species. Bear and Moose seem to take longer.
Check the jerky from time to time to gauge its progress. You will know the jerky is done when it has no give to it. Pick up a piece and give it a squeeze, it should have no “squish” to it and feel firm but not brittle. If the jerky is brittle you’ve probably gone too far. That won’t hurt the jerky but makes eating it messier. If anything you want to err on the over dried side than under this way the jerky will last without refrigeration for a long time. Pull the jerky out and guard it with your life. Fell brigands will be seeking to relieve it from you at any chance. Don’t offer your jerky to a group unless you’re ready for it all to be gone.
Please feel free to share the gospel of the Jerky and post up your recipes and techniques..The more Jerky the better.
The men of the Clanhold spend an inappropriate amount of time in the process of Jerky Making. From the hunt, to game processing and finally the jerky production itself a good bit of effort has been expended all in the name of a meat product. We choose to make an old fashioned style of jerky utilizing sliced meat over the more modern practice of using ground meat and a jerky gun. And while the ground style can be tasty it lacks the satisfying snap and chewiness of the old fashion stuff. Jerky really is easy to make and I often wonder why people don’t make more of their own. Here’s how we do it…
First here’s what your gonna need…
*Meat…duh
*Cutting board and a sharp knife…and if you don’t have a sharp knife you might be on the wrong forum.
*A dehydrator…unless you’re going real old school and are going to do it over a fire on a drying rack.
It all starts with the meat and we usually utilize the rear leg rounds of an older doe or buck for this. Bear, elk, moose and turkey also work well. Hell we’ve been known to jerkify goose breast from time to time. Once the meat is selected we place it uncovered in a freezer just long enough to get a chill through it. This makes slicing the meat easier and increases the chances for a uniform thickness with each cut. Uniformity means that when the meat is drying it will all get done at the same time with less messing around. We cut our meat between 3/16 to ¼” thick. You can cut slimmer but I feel it takes a little bit of the tactile enjoyment away when you take a bite.
Next you need to prepare your brine or marinade. This is how you will be adding the flavor to the meat and there is a wide range of styles to choose from. For us we start with a basic recipe and then modify it to achieve the taste we’re after. The basic recipe is as follows…
Jerky Marinade for 3lbs Meat
1 Bottle Soy Sauce (I prefer a salt free variety)
3 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Bottle Liquid Smoke
1.5 tsp Onion Powder
1.5 tsp Garlic powder
1.5 tsp Black Pepper
4tsp Hot Sauce
From here you have a few choices. You can substitute 1 bottle of Teriyaki sauce for the Soy Sauce if you’re a fan of that flavor. Also you can add red pepper flake and some cayenne pepper to taste if you want a hotter kick to the Soy Sauce. In this batch in the photos you see here I used a citrus based Soy known as Ponzu and I add a couple of tablespoons of orange zest to the brine for a sweet, citrusy counterpoint to the smoke and heat. Also I added a couple of tablespoons of red pepper flake just for kicks.
Once the brine is done add your meat to the brine and mix it thoroughly with your hands working the marinade into the meat. Once done, set the marinating meat in the fridge to percolate overnight so as to get as much flavoring into the meat as possible. The next morning place the meat on the dehydrator’s rack leaving some airspace around them.
I can usually get a double batch situated in our Cabela’s dehydrator. Set the dehydrator at its highest temp and get to drying. Each batch should take around 10 to 12 hrs. to dry depending on the thickness of the meat and the species. Bear and Moose seem to take longer.
Check the jerky from time to time to gauge its progress. You will know the jerky is done when it has no give to it. Pick up a piece and give it a squeeze, it should have no “squish” to it and feel firm but not brittle. If the jerky is brittle you’ve probably gone too far. That won’t hurt the jerky but makes eating it messier. If anything you want to err on the over dried side than under this way the jerky will last without refrigeration for a long time. Pull the jerky out and guard it with your life. Fell brigands will be seeking to relieve it from you at any chance. Don’t offer your jerky to a group unless you’re ready for it all to be gone.
Please feel free to share the gospel of the Jerky and post up your recipes and techniques..The more Jerky the better.
