• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

How Do You Dry Jerky?

Maustypsu

Maustypsu

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2015
Messages
1,139
I use an Excalibur 9 tray dehydrator. And I have a Lil' chef electric smoker.

I'd love to get a larger smoker but for 20lbs of meat a year (family doesn't like smoke flavor), I can't justify the space, money or emotional investment of arguing with my wife until I get it...
 
I always done jerky in a dehydrator. Hadn't made any since I made the smoke house. It's on the list of things to do. I'm not a fan of strong smoke flavor either. I use oak. It's very mild.
 
I know this may sound blasphemous, but if it's just for you and you don't have the space: liquid smoke.
 
Never had luck with Jerky(sliced meat). It always didnt look done, and when it did look done, it was rock hard. I used a dehydrator and Ive also used the oven with the door cracked. I might try again now that I have a smoker, but with my sausage stuffer, I like doing burger and 19mm casings. I do those in the smoker.
 
kenn1320 said:
Never had luck with Jerky(sliced meat). It always didnt look done, and when it did look done, it was rock hard. I used a dehydrator and Ive also used the oven with the door cracked. I might try again now that I have a smoker, but with my sausage stuffer, I like doing burger and 19mm casings. I do those in the smoker.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'd like to get a meat mixer and sausage stuffer. That's some good stuff!

The test I use for "doneness" is that it is brittle enough when you bend it that the strains separate but it doesn't snap or break cleanly. Then I usually put just a touch of moisture back into the bag and seal it for a half day. That can be a piece of bread or just some hand splashed water into the bag.
 
Maustypsu said:
kenn1320 said:
Never had luck with Jerky(sliced meat). It always didnt look done, and when it did look done, it was rock hard. I used a dehydrator and Ive also used the oven with the door cracked. I might try again now that I have a smoker, but with my sausage stuffer, I like doing burger and 19mm casings. I do those in the smoker.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'd like to get a meat mixer and sausage stuffer. That's some good stuff!

The test I use for "doneness" is that it is brittle enough when you bend it that the strains separate but it doesn't snap or break cleanly. Then I usually put just a touch of moisture back into the bag and seal it for a half day. That can be a piece of bread or just some hand splashed water into the bag.
Click to expand...

Good tip on the moisture, have to try that. I wish I had a commercial slicer, that would be sweet. Also as you mentioned a mixer. Your hands get COLD mixing that stuff. I find the store bought mixers are over priced for what they are, but chances are thats what I will end up with.
 
kenn1320 said:
Good tip on the moisture, have to try that. I wish I had a commercial slicer, that would be sweet. Also as you mentioned a mixer. Your hands get COLD mixing that stuff. I find the store bought mixers are over priced for what they are, but chances are thats what I will end up with.
Click to expand...

You could always get a $20 hand grinder and use your drill chuck on it and steal your wife's electric mixer. Or just steal her beater from her mixer and add it to your drill. Or a five gallon bucket and a new mortar paddle bit.
 
DIYSaddler said:
kenn1320 said:
Good tip on the moisture, have to try that. I wish I had a commercial slicer, that would be sweet. Also as you mentioned a mixer. Your hands get COLD mixing that stuff. I find the store bought mixers are over priced for what they are, but chances are thats what I will end up with.
Click to expand...

You could always get a $20 hand grinder and use your drill chuck on it and steal your wife's electric mixer. Or just steal her beater from her mixer and add it to your drill. Or a five gallon bucket and a new mortar paddle bit.
Click to expand...


I tried to talk her into a mixer "for her" this year. Didn't work. I will refine my tactics for next year!!!
 
DIYSaddler said:
kenn1320 said:
Good tip on the moisture, have to try that. I wish I had a commercial slicer, that would be sweet. Also as you mentioned a mixer. Your hands get COLD mixing that stuff. I find the store bought mixers are over priced for what they are, but chances are thats what I will end up with.
Click to expand...

You could always get a $20 hand grinder and use your drill chuck on it and steal your wife's electric mixer. Or just steal her beater from her mixer and add it to your drill. Or a five gallon bucket and a new mortar paddle bit.
Click to expand...

My brother used a hammer drill on a cheap hand grinder, worked great. I bought one and hooked my electric impact gun to it and broke it. Hindsight I didnt have the handle on it, just ran the bolt into the shaft. The shaft was weaker than the meat aparently and as it tightened it split the shaft. I was able to hammer the handle back on and grind the meat by hand. It really wasnt that bad.

As for the mixer, my wife has a kitchen mate. Would that work? I was thinking it would puree the meat? I bought the grinder option for that and it sucked! I have since figured out the meat cant be cut into long strips and pulled into the grinder, needs to be small chunks. Might try the kitchen aid again after figuring that out.
 
Looking at the game winner 5# stuffer at academy for $99. It has steel gears and looks exactly like a bunch of different brand stuffers that get good reviews. I'm pretty sure its the same stuffer with different labels slapped on them. Should have gift cards for that after Christmas.
 
kenn1320 said:
As for the mixer, my wife has a kitchen mate. Would that work? I was thinking it would puree the meat? I bought the grinder option for that and it sucked! I have since figured out the meat cant be cut into long strips and pulled into the grinder, needs to be small chunks. Might try the kitchen aid again after figuring that out.
Click to expand...

I would grind it then used the paddle bit that comes with the kitchen aid and run it on low. The kitchen aid should have more than enough torque to get it done. Just keep an eye on it and if it looks like it's flexing the beater too much stop.
 
The Kitchen Aid is what I tried to talk my wife into. I would then have a good excuse to spend the extra several hundred dollars on all of the attachments: grinder, meat mixer, sausage stuffer, maybe even jerky slicer.

I have one of the Cabelas Commercial Deli counter style meat slicers. It's not perfect but if you put the meat in the freezer for about 20 mins to get the outside of it firm, then it slices like they do the turkey in the store. If you don't do that with mine, then I end up adding a couple pounds of scraps to my burger pile.

I currently grind with a VERY old Oster grinder from my great uncle. Not fast, but this thing is built like a tank. If the electric goes on it, I might actually invest to have it re-wired. I would put the moving parts on my car if I had to.
 
My wife has a Kitchenaid Mixer and it has no problem mixing meat. However, the grinder and sausage stuffer attachments get very mixed reviews. I've never used them.
 
I dry my jerky in the oven. I do it almost exactly like this guy and it's pretty darn good, better than a lot of peoples jerky I've tried...they make shoe leather. I want it a chewy.

I leave mine in the cure/spices for 36ish hours.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWBk_F_DkQQ

I've also added smoking chips in a pan in the bottom of the oven but it can end with smoke detectors going off and dogs barking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIalJAeYAUg


I don't know if other people like my jerky because it never makes it more than a couple days and no one else gets any. LOL Now I want to go shoot another deer just to make more jerky!
 
I've only ever made jerky in the oven by hanging the meat off the rack with paper clips. It worked well but was kind of messy.
 
I used to make jerky in the oven, wife hated the mess I didnt clean up. Yours does look good and I think the key is knowing when its done, versus shoe leather. I always think its not done and then bam, bend and snap it(over dried).
 
Cabelas three tier jerky tray
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas- ... 191481.uts

In oven with convection turned on. I spray the trays with Pam so the jerky does not stick.

Prep is grind the meat, add cure and seasoning, let sit overnight in fridge.

Then piece of wax paper, jerky, then another piece of wax paper.
Use a rolling pin to flatten out the meat, remove top wax paper, use butter knife to cut rectangle strips, then turn butter knife horizontal and slide it under piece to remove and put on tray.

Least amount of mess I have encountered in the different ways I have made jerky.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top