Beef jerky lovers!

[Dirtyfingers]

Hello all, I would like to start making my own beef jerky. what would you reccomend as dehydrators? I am not going to go into comercial production or anything like that but just something to expand my choices of food in the barracks. I also would like to know if there is any tips, tricks, recipes someone could share with me. Thanks!

 

[Yotta]

I have an Excalibur dehydrator which works quite well for making jerky.

I cut beef into 1/8" thick strips, soak it overnight in a mix of soy sauce, Worchestershire sauce, liquid smoke, brown sugar, red wine, etc. and then dry in the dehydrator till ready.

It disappears quickly, though :hungry:

 

[nevada]

when I was a kid, we used an old smoker, and just didn't add the chips. it worked great.

one of those.

ive had it from a dehydrator and from our smokeless smoker. I liked the stuff from our little chief the best.

 

[ndcent]

I too use a little chief. It adds the versatility of being a hobby smoker as well, you can't finish big roasts in it but you can certainly add smoke flavor or "par-smoke" roasts as I call it for an hour or two before finishing in oven or grill. Plus you can cold smoke cheeses with it.

 

[Dirtyfingers]

how do they work? would i be able to use it like in an enclosed space?

 

[ndcent]

Like a garage or porch? Sure. Indoors, no - it produces smoke in a pan via wood chips over an electric heating element.

 

[ddnww]

I love Jerky, we used to make deer Jerky when I was a kid, after marinating and seasoning we used to hang it up like on a clothes line

 

[nevada]

how do they work? would i be able to use it like in an enclosed space?

if you never added chips you could use it indoors.

it is literally just a hotplate on the bottom. not much different than a coil burner on an oven.

 

[ndcent]

I was in a frozen storage facility past week and noticed some skids of boxes labeled beef head. Asked the dude what they're for? A: slim jims.

 

[KidVermicious]

A smoker will work, but you'll get better results the less heat you use.

If you don't want to buy an actual dehydrater right away, try this: Beef Jerky Recipe : Alton Brown : Food Network

 

[Dirtyfingers]

A smoker will work, but you'll get better results the less heat you use.

If you don't want to buy an actual dehydrater right away, try this: Beef Jerky Recipe : Alton Brown : Food Network

I admire that enginuity. Wow.

 

[MtnT4R]

I use one of these:

mostly for making jerky, but have dehydrated quite a few other random foods. It works perfectly, and the stackable design saves a little more space than the bigger boxy models, which might make sense in more confined spaces. only thing though- a fairly large area around where you turn this sucker on is gonna smell like delicious tasty jerky for about 5 hours until its finished drying, so thieving rodents or strays might be a problem.

They sell a cheaper $40 model that doesnt have a temp control or auto shut off, but those two features were a selling point for me.

best recipe? down a few beers and rummage through the fridge for random condiments. as long as you go heavy on the soy sauce and worchestershire you are pretty much golden. Thirds each of soy, worchestershire and teriyaki has always been a favorite.


also, you can never make enough jerky.

 

[nevada]

we also have one of these.

Cabela's Commercial Food Dehydrators : Cabela's


im not sure which exact model, but its pretty big.
we haven't used it for jerky yet, but have dried a ton of random fruits and veggies.

I do have a couple big roosts in the freezer tho. they'll be getting turned into jerky soon.

 

[nevada]

A smoker will work, but you'll get better results the less heat you use.

If you don't want to buy an actual dehydrater right away, try this: Beef Jerky Recipe : Alton Brown : Food Network

i didn't read much, I stopped when it said to "cut with the grain".
that's one thing I really hate about store jerky, they cut it with the grain, and you get "string" meat. no thanks.

if you decide to make some, try a bit each way, both with, and across the grain, see which you prefer.

 

[Yotta]

try a bit each way, both with, and across the grain, see which you prefer.

I actually cut my jerky strips diagonally. I prefer the mouth feel of that to jerky cut straight across the grain, it's just not chewy enough.

 

[ddnww]

i hate most store bought jerky, except at some hunting stores they may have some decent jerky. But most jerky i by is from guys parked on the side of the road. Doesnt have all that hard to pronounce ingredient crap in it.

 

[KidVermicious]

i didn't read much, I stopped when it said to "cut with the grain".
that's one thing I really hate about store jerky, they cut it with the grain, and you get "string" meat. no thanks.

if you decide to make some, try a bit each way, both with, and across the grain, see which you prefer.

I'm with you, I like it across the grain too. I was just referring to his cool homemade dehydrator.