Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Jerky 101

I love good jerky! I have tried, failed, tried, failed and just gave up. Last weekend a friend of my husband came over and helped him cut up the deer he recently killed. He makes wonderful jerky and I cornered him and got his recipe and cooking time. The cooking time and the temperature I was using was Wrong. My Nesco Food Dehydrator & Jerky Maker said meats should be dried at 155 deg for 4 to 15 hours. Hello, could you be a little more specific on the time needed. I was tasting every few minutes and just could not tell if it was done, mainly because HOW do you tell if jerky is done???? Now most people use the oven and cook overnight or about 15 hours at the lowest temperature. You can dry much more in the oven but electric ovens won't go low enough so I am back to the dehydrator and forced to divide it into several batches.


Marinade

Dehydrator

Voila


I am still cooking 10 sticks of summer sausage. I put them on 170 deg (per box of seasoning) at 7 AM and still not 165 deg. internal temp. per meat thermometer....It's now 3:30 and internal temp. is 150 deg. This takes time!!!!


Now let's talk about the smell/odor in my house! I put the jerky in dehydrator yesterday 3 PM and cooked until this morning...that means "odor" ALL night long! I didn't know if I was hungry or sick/ha I got up at 3 and turned on the vent fan on stove and that helped some but folks I have second batch going now and another one waiting. Might take awhile for me to eat any of it, I'm full just smelling it!

If it all turns out good, I should enough for everyone!!!!

Nanny

8 comments:

Solar Powered said...

I can't wait to eat that. Yum! BM is going to freak!

26 Dresses and Counting said...

BARF!!!

grammy said...

I tell ya... that first picture is just not right (o:
Good for you though to be making the best of your meat.
Hope it all works out to be delicious.

Betsy Brock said...

Well, those summer sausages are tempting me for sure...yumm-o!

Amanda said...

When I was in the 7th grade, I made some jerky for a school project. It was terrible. I was so disappointed and have never tried again. I hope yours turns out well.

And I'm with you on the night time food odors. That's the worst!!

theUngourmet said...

I've never tried making my own jerky. I hope yours turns out perfectly! :D

Tanna said...

LOL! I've smelled that smell... and, for the first few hours, it's good... then, after several more, not so much. But, the outcome! I'm sure it will be fantastic! Those summer sausages look yummy!

Solar Powered said...

I can't believe Tiffy said Barf! Whatever. And of course I will NOT be on a diet when you are here or the week after. :)