There’s never enough jerky
Since I was young, I’ve never been able to fully satisfy my beef-jerky cravings. I remember as a kid watching my mom or one of my best friend’s moms make it. The dehydrator always took too long. Hours? Yes hours. More than one, in fact. More like, “a day”. It might as well have been a week. And when it was done, it seemed like there was never enough. In economic terms, demand was high and supply was low. And that’s a bad combination for someone who wants something.
The flavors, though. And there’s something about finishing off a piece of jerky, that no other food really gives you. Give me a gallon-sized baggie of beef jerky, and I’ll be happy all day long. Or at least as long as it lasts. Don’t get me wrong. My happiness isn’t solely rooted in jerky, but I do think jerky can make any day of my life a little bit better.
Jerky in my twenties, twenty years ago…
As a teen, I never made it myself. For something so good, it was just too much work for me. Also, what teenagers out there go to the store and buy meat? I wasn’t one, and I certainly don’t know any now.
But in my early twenties, I was married, with a kid or two, and at one point convinced my wife to invest in a dehydrator. Of course it all starts with big dreams of grandeur, making all sorts of dried fruits, home-made roll-ups, Jerky and more. And for once I could make as much of it as I’d like, with the only limitations being time and money.
It turns out, with kids, there seems to be a deficit of both time and money. So the visions of grandeur turned into only making Jerky a few times a year, and again, never seeming like I made enough.
Jerky lately – a health snack
Last April I had a bit of a health moment, with blood sugars at mortal levels, literally. I had a decision to make. Either go to the doctor, which is what Google told me to do. More specifically, Google told me to go to the nearest emergency room, immediately. Risk of coma, stroke and cardiac arrest were just a few of the things I needed to worry about based on my blood sugar levels. Or I could stop eating sugars and start running, literally for my life.
I chose the second option. I think too often people look to medicine to alleviate the symptoms, when the right solution is self-discipline and determination. So my diet switched from eating anything I wanted, to eating a short list of no/low-sugar foods, unprocessed, and for the most part, 100% natural. I spent the first 2-4 months eating peanuts, cashews, and sugar-free jerky and/or meat sticks.
After about 3 months, my sugar had returned to normal levels, and my vision issues cleared up. Yes, vision issues. It turns out high blood sugar levels can cause major eye problems. My other symptoms went away in the first 2 weeks. I also started running immediately, and completed my first marathon just six months later. My oldest son did it with me, which was an incredible experience.
Going back to food, though, I slowly added in healthy popcorn, fruits and vegetables. I haven’t had fast food in over a year, or a regular soda. My mom gives me a hard time because I do drink the diet and zero-sugar stuff. I like it. And as much as she and others would like to convince me it will kill me some day, I’ll take my chances – especially considering all of the other things I’ve given up.
Wow, this turned into a health discussion fast. Sorry about that. Back to Jerky.
Here’s the zero-sugar meat sticks I like, Chomps. Not cheap, but really good, and they have multiple flavors as well.
So my wife, Rachel, knowing how much we were spending on Chomps and other meats, decided to get me a dehydrator for Christmas. The one we bought in my twenties was long gone. This one is amazing, and I highly recommend it.
Here’s a picture and a link to the one I have: Amazon.com: Septree Commercial 10 Trays Food Dehydrator machine for jerky and beet, Usable Area up to 17ft² and 195℉ Temperature, 1000W Detachable Stainless Steel Dryer,for Meat, Fruit, Beef, Herbs, Pet Food: Home & Kitchen
I’m a bit more financially stable than I was in my twenties, and can afford to buy a lot more meat. Time is a still a limiting factor, but I’ve found ways to work around it.
Another limiting factor is my 4 kids. It doesn’t matter if I make 2 pounds of it, or 8, it’s gone in just a couple of days. So I still don’t quite get as much as I want, but after 42 years, I can live with that.
Beef jerky recipes
So let’s jump into my go-to jerky recipes. Because of the aforementioned sugar issues, you won’t find brown sugar, sugar, or sugar-related ingredients. That’s made it pretty hard to find good recipes, but here they are.
The following is for 1-2 pounds of meat, and I typically double it for every 4 pounds of meat.
Indian Jerky
I really enjoy Indian food and spices, but I admit it feels a little weird making beef jerky with Indian spices, given the Indian culture’s reverence for cows. It works well together though, and I think you’ll like the flavor.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of any steak will do. I go with the cheapest I can find which is usually a round steak or a ball tip steak.
- 2 Teaspoons of salt.
- 1-2 Tablespoons of coconut aminos – it kind of looks like soy sauce but has a sweet/salty flavor.
- 2 Tablespoons of Rani Meat Masala seasoning.
Preparation:
- Mix all the ingredients together and then mix with the steak in a Ziploc baggie.
- Let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.
Dehydration:
- Place the meat spread out on as many trays as you need.
- Set the dehydrator for 150 degrees.
- Let cook for 7-9 hours – test for preferred consistency. I like my jerky a little soft, and as I mentioned before, it’s usually gone in a day or two. If you want to store it long-term, you’ll probably want to go the full 9 hours to get all the moisture out, and maybe a little bit more.
I store mine in Ziploc baggies in the refrigerator, and enjoy it until it’s gone. My kids absolutely destroy my stash. I have to ration it for them.
Pepper Jerky
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of any steak will do. I go with the cheapest I can find which is usually a round steak or a ball tip steak.
- 1 Tablespoon of salt.
- 1/2 Tablespoon of black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon of garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon of chili powder
- 1-2 Tablespoons of coconut aminos – it kind of looks like soy sauce but has a sweet/salty flavor.
Preparation:
- Mix all the ingredients together and then mix with the steak in a Ziploc baggie.
- Let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.
Dehydration:
- Place the meat spread out on as many trays as you need.
- Set the dehydrator for 150 degrees.
- Let cook for 7-9 hours – test for preferred consistency. I like my jerky a little soft, and as I mentioned before, it’s usually gone in a day or two. If you want to store it long-term, you’ll probably want to go the full 9 hours to get all the moisture out, and maybe a little bit more.
Spicy Pepper Jerky
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of any steak will do. I go with the cheapest I can find which is usually a round steak or a ball tip steak.
- 1 Tablespoon of salt.
- 1/2 Tablespoon of black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon of garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon of chili powder
- 1 Teaspoon of cayenne Pepper (more or less depending on the desired spice)
- 2 Teaspoons of red pepper flakes (more or less depending on the desired spice)
- 1-2 Tablespoons of coconut aminos – it kind of looks like soy sauce but has a sweet/salty flavor.
Preparation:
- Mix all the ingredients together and then mix with the steak in a Ziploc baggie.
- Let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.
Dehydration:
- Place the meat spread out on as many trays as you need.
- Set the dehydrator for 150 degrees.
- Let cook for 7-9 hours – test for preferred consistency. I like my jerky a little soft, and as I mentioned before, it’s usually gone in a day or two. If you want to store it long-term, you’ll probably want to go the full 9 hours to get all the moisture out, and maybe a little bit more.
Dad tip: For Spicy Pepper Jerky, add more spice to keep the kids away. 🙂 You can even drop a few into the regular pepper jerky as decoys to make the kids second guess if they want to risk accidentally getting a spicy stick. 🙂
Jerky up-next
I’ve never used my dehydrator to the fullest capacity. 4 or 5 pounds of meat is the most I’ve ever done. I think my dehydrator can handle 9-10 pounds of meat, so that’s on my bucket list. I’d probably do 3 pounds of meat for each of the pepper and spicy flavors, and then maybe 4 pounds for the Indian flavor to make a solid 10 pounds.
I’ve done apples, and other fruits as well. As a runner now, that’s really piqued my interest. Having nutrition when I’m running long distances is a must-have, and dehydrated fruit is much tastier, marginally cheaper, and so much healthier than the packaged gels and Gu’s on the market.
Anyhow, if you see me in person sometime, and/or just want to talk Jerky, I’m always up for a chat. I’ll let you know about my latest batch, and whine a little about how fast my kids mow through it.
Cheers!
Josh
