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The way my roommates make beef jerky/dehydrated beef : mildlyinfuriating
Main Post: The way my roommates make beef jerky/dehydrated beef : mildlyinfuriating
WHERE DID I GO WRONG WITH MY FIRST BATCH OF BEEF JERKY ?
Main Post:
Hey guys hope you can help me ,
I purchased my first dehydrator last week and made my first batch yesterday and I was mot happy with the results
My dehydrator just for reference is the : Excalibur 4948CDB 9-Tray Dehydrator with Digital timer and adjustable Thermostat .
This was my recipe
2 pounds of eye of round 1/2 Cup ( 8 table spoons I think ) low-sodium soy sauce 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoons coarsely-ground black pepper 1 teaspoon liquid smoke 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon seasoned salt 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- cut the strips now I think I cut with grain ) bear This in mind ) they were not all even but they were not completely out of shape some were a litter thicker than the other
- Marination - I left to marinate for about 20 hours , the thing I done wrong is I put it in a vacuum sealed air bag and sucked all the air out and it all got bunched together so don’t know if that was right or not .
- Pre heated the dehydrator to 165 for 10 mins ) don’t know even if that does anything )
- opened the vacuumed bag of marinated jerky patted down excess marinade with paper towel and put in dehydrator with enough space between them for ventilation , it took up 3 trays out of 9
For the first HOUR I dehydrated at 165 after I came back they looked pretty much like what beef jerky is supposed to look like I was kind of surprised that it browned so quick but thought it was normal , I then dehydrated at 130 degrees Celsius for the remainder of the time which was 4 hours so in total i dehydrated all in all for 5 hours , I checked on jerky ever 30 mins after 4 hours to check on it
The end result a lot of the jerky was still pink in the inside , when you would take a bit out of the jerky that had cooked it was SO HARD TO EVEN rip and chew , the Black pepper I used completely took over every single spice and basically more than half of the jerky went to waste as it was just too pink on the inside And the other half is barley edible because of these spice as you get a ferocious kick of black pepper and taste nothing else plus as I said it was So so so hard to rip off like leather
Now what I think ?
- I’m pretty sure I cut with the grain was that my first mistake ?? It was so hard to rip off an chew
- Did I put too much black pepper ?? I know it’s up to preference but I followed a pretty generic recipe ?
- The vacuumed bag I used to marinate the beef left no space for the strips to breathe and in return the spices just bunched up to a few more than the others?
- Because I started at 165 degrees Fahrenheit is it possible that I cooked it too high that the outside because cooked leaving the inside raw when I switched to 130 ? What should I of done in regards to temperature ? ( just want to make sure as much bacteria is eliminated which is why I put it to 165 for a hour btw )
Please I’d love to know your thoughts
Thank you and sorry it was so long , motivated and annoyed first time jerky maker here
Top Comment:
I make jerky pretty often, I actually have a bit of a local following and make 25 pounds at a time, and I can tell you the vacuum seal bags aren’t causing you problems. I marinate my jerky in vac bags for 24-48 hours, it’s never been a problem in the past as long as I mix it up in the marinade prior to bagging, and then jostling the bag around occasionally during the marinade process
I also have an Excalibur, and I dry it at the meat/jerky setting, which I believe is 155-165. The things I know you and I have done differently:
- you likely cut with the grain, which will affect your texture the most.
- You also want to cut relatively thin and consistently, or your jerky will dry at different rates. Some will be damn near crunchy while others are still raw in the middle. If I don’t use a meat slicer and cut every piece the same, then I have to painstakingly check the jerky way too often and take the pieces out one-by-one as they finish. Keep in mind that the thicker the slice, the tougher the finished product will be to chew.
- I don’t dry off my jerky or soak up any excess marinade. In fact, I brush extra on before I start dehydrating it. It adds extra time to the drying process but the extra flavor is worth it in my mind
- I don’t see much salt listed in your ingredients, which could be a huge reason your jerky is tough — lack of salt and with-grain slicing seem to be the quickest routes to tough jerky. I actually lay out my beef slices on sheet trays as I slice it, and salt them on both sides before it even hits the marinade bags.
Hopefully that helps!
Could anyone recommend a good place to buy beef jerky?
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Edit: not just beef jerky, any kind of jerky.
~
I'm getting tired of the stuff you find in the grocery store and I know jerky is a go to for a lot of folks, so I'm just looking for a place online to buy good jerky.
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I'd recommend you buy a dehydrator and make your own. It's great and you can make all sorts of varieties.
What is the best beef jerkey you've had?
Main Post: What is the best beef jerkey you've had?
Top Comment:
Buc-ees Bohemian Garlic
The worst one I've seen so far- normally 2.5 Oz for $8.59, now 2.0 Oz. Who would pay almost $9 for that small amount of Jerky???
Main Post: The worst one I've seen so far- normally 2.5 Oz for $8.59, now 2.0 Oz. Who would pay almost $9 for that small amount of Jerky???
Top Comment:
I stopped buying jerky long ago because the prices keep increasing and the quantity decreasing. I can't justify paying that much for literally a handful of jerky. Makes me wonder who's still buying jerky to justify the company's to keep producing it.
Save yourself a large amount of money, don't let the curiosity get the better of you. If you see that beef Jerky in asda or tesco, go home, cut an old leather belt up, sprinkle various spices on it, chew that.
Main Post: Save yourself a large amount of money, don't let the curiosity get the better of you. If you see that beef Jerky in asda or tesco, go home, cut an old leather belt up, sprinkle various spices on it, chew that.
Top Comment:
I saw vegan jerky in Tesco.Half empty bag was £5.00 Works out at 50 per kilo.If I was a vegan I’d say stuff that.
Seems like a waste….
Main Post: Seems like a waste....
Top Comment:
When making jerky, you want the leanest cuts possible. This is either a lie, or not a great jerky.
Beef Jerky brands
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We want to incorporate beef jerky as a high protein snack but have no idea which brand is actually good (and have never actually had beef jerky before so don't want to hate it simply because we purchased the wrong one). Anything that has bits of obvious fat when chewing definitely won't be enjoyed. Anything too tough also won't be enjoyed. In store or online purchasing are both fine for us so please let me know if you have an opinion on this. Also, please let me know if there's a high protein snack other than jerky that you prefer. Thanks!
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Check used marketplace for a dehydrator and make your own. Even the most basic/inexpensive models will work great. Store bought jerky is crazy expensive and the cost of the appliance will be offset in no time. Plus you get the benefit of being able to make whatever flavors you want with less sugar added
Who are the people still paying for beef jerky right now?
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I want to know who's paying overinflated prices for tiny bags of ever-dwindling quantities of beef jerky. I had the craving for some the other day and thought I'd check out a few brands. These bags are upwards of $7 and there was hardly anything in the bag. Even the store brand jerky was out of my range and I remember buying it all the time years ago. Surely, somebody out there still thinks it's worth it, but how many really? There can't possibly be that many people craving beef jerky that badly.
Top Comment:
You can make a ton of jerky at home with a relatively inexpensive (~$10 for 3lbs where I live) cut of beef roast, a good sauce, and some cheap wire racks for a baking dish. Definitely better than paying like $5 for 6oz
https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/the-best-homemade-beef-jerky-recipe.html
NB: this doesn't have the same preservatives commercial products do, so you can't expect it to last nearly as long if just stored at ambient temp