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Post by wizardoftrance on May 29, 2015 18:09:23 GMT -5
I usually use round steak, but top round, bottom round, flank, its all good.
If you buy the steaks, get the thin cut ones (or have your butcher cut your roast up into thin slices) about 1/4" thick.
Marinate overnight in a gallon zip lock bag or marinade container.
Season meat to taste before putting into marinade (it doesn't wash off the meat) I use: Season salt, Black pepper, Garlic Salt, Cayenne pepper (sparingly) add a sugar product if you like a more teriyaki flavor.
For a marinade I use the following:
Equal portions of Soy Sauce and Worcestershire Sauce.
After marinating overnight, Place meat strips on cooling rack in oven or thermowell (have pan under rack to catch drips) Do not overlap meat!
Cook at 200 deg for 3 hours or until dried out...
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Post by karitx on May 30, 2015 9:45:03 GMT -5
Beef jerky has been on my list of things to try for a while, so thanks for the reminder and the recipe! I picked up an Excalibur dehydrator at a garage sale a while back and I think this would be perfect for its maiden voyage.
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Post by mach12 on May 30, 2015 11:20:56 GMT -5
Karitx - Did you get a manual with your Excalibur? If not, I can scan mine. If I remember right it's mainly recipes and general dehydrating techniques but I haven't looked at it for quite awhile.
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Post by 58limited on May 30, 2015 11:21:05 GMT -5
I'm making jerky today. I tried several homemade marinades but never really liked them. Finally I settled on Hi-Country's dry jerky seasonings (http://www.hicountry.com/) - they have MSG free versions available and powdered smoke as well. I use my vintage deli meat slicer to slice rump roasts to about 1/8" thick and I dry them in my oven - lowest setting with door cracked (otherwise it gets too hot), takes about 5 hours. I have a dehydrator but it really doesn't do jerky well. Academy carries Hi Country seasonings.
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Post by vaporvac on May 30, 2015 12:45:44 GMT -5
I loved that slicer 58ltd! Have you ever tried the Twell to dehydrate or is it too small. Growing up we used to hang it from clotheline wrapped in cheesecloth! Never any marinade, just some salt I think, and occasionally some red chile. Of course, besides snacking we used it for actual cooking so it didn't need any other seasonong
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Post by 58limited on May 30, 2015 13:03:16 GMT -5
Here is the only home marinade I've tried that I like:
1 - 16oz bottle soy sauce
1 bottle liquid smoke (I used applewood)
2 cups brown sugar
1 TBSP salt
Marinate overnight.
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Post by mach12 on May 30, 2015 13:49:43 GMT -5
That looks a lot like how we make jerky most of the time and it works well. A few years ago we grazed a couple of steers on a friends place and ended up with a strong flavor in the meat from plants near a creek. Perfectly safe but just had a flavor that we didn't care for. I decided to make jerky and sausage with a lot of it and found the following, which made some really, really good stuff. I've messed with different things, like molasses instead of the dark corn syrup, and different liquid smoke and it seems to always turn out nice. When I dry it in my dehydrator I make sure to rotate the trays and turn the meat over when about half way through. I marinate it in the marinating container that connects to my vacuum sealer. It's a good alternative if ever needed.
Beef Jerky Recipe
Ingredients: Amount, Item & Brand (If Applicable) 5 Lb. Min (One piece preferred) Fresh Brisket (Lean) - Any brand You may substitute the beef brisket with your choice of meat 20 oz Soy Sauce - Any brand 15 oz Worcestershire Lea & Perrings (preferred) 20 oz Teriyaki sauce - Any brand 2 - 4 tablespoons Dark Brown Sugar - Any brand 1 - 2 tablespoons Garlic Powder - Any brand 1 - 2 tablespoons Onion Powder - Any brand 1 - 2 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper - Any brand 5 oz bottle Liquid Smoke - Any Brand any type 4 oz Dark Corn Syrup - Any brand
Note: Plan for times on two separate days – about 2 hours the first day to prepare, at least 24 hours to marinate, then 8 hours or more drying time the second day. I start marinating Wednesday evening, and then dry the meat on Saturday while I attend to other projects. All ingredients can be more or less as you desire to your own taste except soy & Worcestershire which can be more, you must have enough liquid to cover meat. Brown sugar and corn syrup can be to taste for sweetness or not used at all.
Day 1:
Prepare Marinade: Add all liquid ingredients into container (with lid is preferred or cover with a plastic wrap-or see tip below) rinse each bottle with a dash of water and add this to the liquid. Now add all other ingredients into the container, stir frequently.
Prepare Meat and Place In Marinade: Trim as much fat as possible off the meat. It is the fat on the meat that will go bad (rancid) not the meat. The meat is to be sliced with the grain as thin as possible (approx. 3/16"). This allows for more slices and a quicker drying time. Place into marinade as sliced. Make sure all meat is covered with the marinade and stir meat occasionally to ensure all areas of meat have been exposed to it. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours or more, occasionally shaking or stirring the meat at least 2 more times. (See Marinating Tip below)
Day 2:
Prepare Oven for Drying the Meat: Place aluminum foil on bottom of oven and cover bottom entirely. Try to make a pan out of the foil because of the drippings (remove when it is obvious that there are no more drippings. This is usually awhile after the meat has been turned over. You will notice that the drippings will have a tendency to give off a burning smell because it is laying on the bottom of the oven. You can replace the foil at any time to avoid this. You may want to place paper towels on the oven door while open and loading the trays to catch the drippings. Set oven temperature at its lowest temperature (140 - 150 degrees).
Drying the Meat: Place the meat across the racks filling the top rack first (highest position) and then the second rack (next highest position). To avoid cooking (the low heat is to dry the meat, not cook it) prop open the oven door with a fork or spoon to dissipate the heat. When visible dripping has stopped, all meat has to be turned over because the bottom of the meat will be more moist than the top. Also the top rack will drip onto the bottom rack and the bottom meat will be more moist than the top. The meat should be checked for consistency in drying and should be move around accordingly (from move bottom rack to top, rearrange from edge to center etc.) It should take approximately 4&1/2 to 8 hours or more, depending how many & how thin the meat was sliced and the set temperature.
Removing From Oven: You can tell the meat is done when it no longer bends and you could break off a piece with ease. The meat should not be so dry as to be crisp & break. It is better to be less dry than over dried and you can finish it by letting it air dry to perfection. The Jerky is now ready to eat but you can allow it to air dry an additional day or so in an open container. It will keep in a sealed container (zip lock bags are great) for months refrigerated although I have kept my jerky for months without refrigeration and can also be frozen until you want it. Remember this meat will continue to dry unless placed in a sealed container once totally dried. Do not worry about color changes of the beef jerky. It will get lighter and harder as it continues to dry over time. It is only important to keep the jerky away from humidity for long term storage. The net result of all this fun will give you approx. 2.5 to 3 lbs or more of the best jerky in town. Try it - you’ll love it, and you didn’t spend $30.00 a lb or more for commercial chemically processed so called meat.
Marinating Tip: To make marinating easier and less messy you can divide the meat and marinade into two of the big, plastic bags that zip shut. You can then slosh it around to more evenly distribute the marinade, without the mess.
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Post by karitx on May 30, 2015 18:57:11 GMT -5
Karitx - Did you get a manual with your Excalibur? If not, I can scan mine. If I remember right it's mainly recipes and general dehydrating techniques but I haven't looked at it for quite awhile. No, I didn't. If you have time to scan it, that would be great!
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Post by mach12 on May 31, 2015 16:04:31 GMT -5
Karitx - I finally found the manual. Is yours an older model with manual controls or is it a newer digital one? Mine is a late 70's or early 80's model (can't remember just when we bought it) so mine is for manual controls. Is that the one you need? They have the newer ones for download at: Excalibur Manuals. I'll get mine scanned in later today or in the morning.
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Post by karitx on May 31, 2015 17:09:06 GMT -5
Mine is older, with the manual controls. I would guess by the colorful decals that it is from the early 80s.
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