Jerking Meat

[Black_Fly]

Anyone have a good marinade? Also, I could smoke it but have always used a dehydrator. My marinades aren't that good, I don't think.

 

[yknpdlr]

Many marinade recipes are heavy with soy sauce as a primary ingredient, which I find to be too salty. I cut soy sauce with at least half grapefruit juice, which also serves as acid to tenderize the meat and in the end is not nearly so salty. Be sure to remove any fat from the meat first.

 

[Canotrouge]

Funny you ask, I'm just soaking about 4pounds of it with now to be put in the dehydrator tomorrow... 1/2 cup of soy source ( we use Braggs), 3 Tsp of maple syrup, 2 Tsp of fresh ginger, 2 large garlic cloves, 1/4 tsp of black pepper... that is good for about 2 pounds of meat. I place the meat(moose usually) with the marinade in a large ziplock back take all the air out and in the fridge it goes for 16 to 24 hrs, then into he dehydrator over night(+- 8 hrs)

 

[Black_Fly]

I’ll give it a shot. Thanks.

 

[Iskweo]

That sounds tasty Canot.....I have to make some and may try that one. Montreal steak spice works pretty good too

 

[Black_Fly]

Do you slice before marinating?

 

[Canotrouge]

Do you slice before marinating?

I did, prep all the meat and try to remove as much "membrane" as possible! I us moose flanks, the part that cover the ribs, it is usually about inch thick I split that so it makes a strips about inch an half to 2 inches wide by 1/4 thick.

 

[Black_Fly]

Ok, 2.5 lbs in Canotroupes recipe with 1/2 the soy sauce replaced in grapefruit juice like yknpddlr does. Truly a community effort.

 

[yknpdlr]

Slice when meat is partially frozen enough to be semi-solid and firm. Much easier to get thin even slices that way.

 

[latremorej]

Yup, like Yknpdlr does, I cut the soy 50/50 with water and add a couple cups of lemon juice. Also 50/50 with some worchestersir sauce. About a cup of Light brown sugar, maybe a couple tablespoons of liquid hickory smoke. Slice it thin, put in marinade over night (the longer the better) I lay the strips on the trays, then sprinkle with black pepper and garlic powder. Then into the dehydrator. I have also used fresh pressed garlic and cracked pepper directly in the marinade, i find that the flavor is more pronounced when i shake it on after i lay it out.

good luck!

Jason

oh, I have also used kikomans lower sodium soy sauce, also 50/50 with water... didn't notice any difference in the end... but man! It's more expensive!

 

[dougd]

Like Yknpdlr and Jason I go light on the soy, I do not enjoy overly salty foods which is why I don't like a lot of freeze dried foods. I add some barbeque sauce, worchestersire sauce, sometimes liquid smoke, a lot of garlic and pepper and brown sugar. I had never thought about adding lemon or grapefruit to help with the marinade. I also put it in the freezer to get "firm" before I cut it thin. Let it soak for overnight at least and then lightly drain it in a colander before putting it in the dehydrator. In this next of the woods it's hard finding good cuts of meat without a lot of fat in them. Anyone also try fruits? I do like apples dried but have had very little luck with banana's.

dougd

 

[PaddlingPitt]

Doug,

Kathleen has dried bananas, and they worked fine. She doesn’t remember doing anything special. She says she just slices them, soaks them in lemon juice to prevent browning, and the puts them in the dehydrator. We have just replaced this old dehydrator, which didn’t have a fan or a thermometer. So I guess she just left them in until they seemed done.

My favourite dried fruit is pineapple rings. A great, chewy snack!

 

[Holmes375]

I like to jerk antelope meat. Lots o' small cuts and bits from those critters after butchering that make for good jerky pulls and dog snacks. Very lean meat.

My recipe is similar to those posted but I add some Jack Daniels to the marinade for my people jerky. The dog snack jerky is done rather more au naturel

 

[yknpdlr]

ahh, fruits. if you briefly slice bananas into a mixture of pineapple and lemon juice before dehydrating, and be sure to take them out while still leathery and a little flexible yet, not crispy dry. They are much improved over store bought hard dry overly sugared banana chips. Watermelon (make sure it is a sweet-ripe one first) dehydrates into almost candy consistency. Kiwi and strawberries (sliced thin) are great. Their natural flavor is intensified. Fruit roll-ups. Most commercial versions are mostly apple sauce (which is cheap and makes it leathery), which is fine and you can easily do too. But for more flavor, puree any fruit of your choice with minimal apple sauce added. Apples - slice into a bowl (I use a 12 segment corer/slicer) and coat with lemon juice and brown sugar for 10-15 minutes before dehydrating.

For something really different, try pickle slices from a jar. You have to let them rehydrate slowly in your mouth, but are quite tasty though a little salty. For some reason other people may have a hard time identifying what they are.

 

[Black_Fly]

I'd like to try watermelon. I've never found anything good to use prairie goat for except chorizo. Then, you still have to put a bunch of pork in it to get it right. Not a fan.

 

[dougd]

I like to jerk antelope meat. Lots o' small cuts and bits from those critters after butchering that make for good jerky pulls and dog snacks. Very lean meat.

My recipe is similar to those posted but I add some Jack Daniels to the marinade for my people jerky. The dog snack jerky is done rather more au naturel

I like the JD added to the mix. I always have Rum on hand, I wonder how that would work?

 

[Zac]

I'd like to try watermelon. I've never found anything good to use prairie goat for except chorizo. Then, you still have to put a bunch of pork in it to get it right. Not a fan.

I love Speedgoat! The right animal, harvested humanely and cleaned/cooled immediately is important. Mature, heavily rutting specimens of any species are not 'prime' eating in my experience. The American Pronghorn happens to have some very large adrenaline glands in addition to a hide and scent glands that all have the ability to taint the meat. I've also found that any wild game harvested off of an irrigated alfalfa field tends to make better table fare than one with nothing to eat but sage.

I do not make jerky. I have wasted too much good meat making jerky with poor results. I would like to experiment again someday but I think I'll start with cheap beef roasts instead of the big game that I treasure so much. I do grind the quarters on mature rutting males to blend with pork/pork fat/bacon and spices into various types of sausage.

 

[Holmes375]

A rum addition might just be tasty, Doug. You should try a small batch and guinea pig it for us )

Agree with Zac on the importance of careful harvest and field dressing protocols for pronghorn. I annually harvest one buck and then 2 or 3 does on surplus tags. A lot of the meat, especially on the smaller does, goes to burger as I use a lot of that through the year in various dishes.

 

[latremorej]

Fruit, yes!

ever had those green jolly rancher candies?

use barely ripe green granny Smith apples, dip them in lime juice instead of lemon...

wow!

Jason

 

[Canotrouge]

We do all kind of dehydrating, banana, apple, mango, lasagna, soup, chilli, curry, Dahl, peppers, onions, kale..... And the list goes on. Fruit and veggies we don't do anything to them just plain and it works awesome.