Making Beef Jerky

I have been making beef jerky for several years. I started back in the early 1990's with a "Ronco" food dehydrator. I can't remember where the recipe I use came from whether it was supplied in the recipe book with the machine, or we acquired it somewhere else. Regardless, it has been a recipe I have been using for a long time, with a few minor adjustments now and then.

I know many people make beef jerky using a jerky press, hamburger and spices. I can't seem to grasp the concept of jerky being made out of hamburger. To me that just seems wrong. I prefer to use sirloin steak cut into strips approximately 1/4" in size.

I no longer have the Ronco. I gave it up to someone that thought they needed it more than I did. I now have a much better dehydrator that I love and use for many things. My husband was very gracious and gave it to me for Christmas one year along with a Cuisinart Mixer. I was a very good girl that year apparently!

As I mentioned, I alter the recipe on occasion. I switch teriyaki sauce for the soy sauce and will sometimes vary it by adding 1 cup of each. Teriyaki will give the jerky a little sweeter taste. You can also add ground pepper to the recipe if you like peppered jerky.

I normally cut up three sirloin steaks at a time for the following recipe. You can cut the recipe back to make less, but once you start making it, you realize how fast the jerky will disappear when your family tastes it!

Beef Jerky Marinate
½ cup liquid smoke
2 cups soy sauce
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
½ pound brown sugar

This recipe makes quite a bit of liquid, so you can cut it in half if you are only doing one steak, or save the extra and place in the freezer for another batch.

Never save the used marinate to use again later. You need to discard it once you have marinated the meat for food safety reasons.

Also, be sure to use a glass bowl with a cover. I use a glass casserole dish. If you use plastic it will absorb the odors of the ingredients. Just make sure to cover the dish you use, even if it is with plastic wrap to contain the odors in your refrigerator while you marinate it.

I have found over time, the longer you marinate the steak, the better the jerky is. I have left it to marinate for as many as 3-4 days in the refrigerator.

Once you have marinated the meat, pour it onto a strainer and let all of the marinate drain away. Place the meat strips onto your dehydrator trays once they are no longer dripping. Be sure not to crowd them too much.

This isn’t a project you can start and let the dehydrator run over night. The jerky will become too dry and brittle.

The directions I follow are from the book Making and Using Dried Foods, by Phyllis Hobson.
http://www.amazon.com/Making-Using-Dried-Phyllis-Hobson/dp/0882666150

If you have a dehydrator, this book is a must. It is the most complete and informative dehydrating book I have found. If you don’t have one, the book also includes directions how to dehydrate things using your oven.

These instructions are taken directly from the book.
Dehydrate at 140 degrees for 4 hours. Turn strips and rotate trays. Dry for another 6-8 hours. Well dried jerky should be dark and fibrous looking and brittle enough to splinter when bent in half.

Once the jerky is finished, removed the strips and place on paper towels and blot to remove and fatty oils that may be sitting on the surface. Depending on the fat content of the meat you are using, you may want to dab the strips with a paper towel before rotating them. I always trim the steaks to remove any fat before marinating.

Jerky can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer for up to 6 months. If I want to store if for a long period of time I will vacuum seal it and place it in the freezer. If I know we will be eating it right away I place it in a Ziploc baggie.

I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as mine does! I can’t ever seem to be able to save any of it for very long.

Dehydrator Oatmeal Cookies

I’m going to share a recipe I got from a friend, Nicole. These cookies are not only good, they are healthy for you. The best part is they are made with a food dehydrator! You can make these in the summer when you don’t want to heat up your house because it’s too already warm. When I initially started to make these my son’s response was “I’m not going to eat that”. As I was mixing the ingredients, the aroma started to entice him. I gave him a spoon full of the “batter” and had him try it. He immediately asked how soon until they are ready. I said one hour. The smell that fills your house while these are dehydrating is amazing.  As soon as they were complete he tested them and gave them his approval.

The recipe consists of ingredients you most likely have on hand. If not, they are simple to obtain. I love the fact I can use my food dehydrator to make them. It’s another reason for me to put my dehydrator to use. If you don’t have a food dehydrator you could use your oven. Just turn it to warm for a few minutes and then shut it off. Having a thermometer inside your oven would be helpful.

The recipe doesn’t make a large batch of cookies, so if you want to try a test batch the recipe as listed is great.

Dehydrator Oatmeal Cookies

4 T. Almond butter (I would think natural peanut butter or sun butter would work and taste similar)
4 T. Honey
4 T. water
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cup quick oats
1/4 cup raisins

Mix first 3 ingredients, and then remainder. Drop by teaspoonfuls on dehydrator tray at 115 for 1 hour. (I used a cookie scoop to measure and drop them onto the dehydrator tray and then pressed them flat with my hands).

When I make them I use Skippy Organic Creamy peanut butter but may try crunchy next time. I use Really Raw Honey with the top scraped off. I don’t care for all of the wax it has in it so I scoop off the top and throw it away.

You could alter this recipe by adding flax seed or changing the raisins to cherries.  The next time I make them I’m going to try cherries and see how they turn out.