CIGARBUM Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Has anyone had any experience in making this stuff, specifically the type or kind of Food Dehydrater. I don't want to go crazy here but get a decent dehydrater that will last a while. Appreciate your input CigarBum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksonbart Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 My experiance is limited to Seven11 stops and Slim Jims. They can kinda hurt on the way out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebes Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Elton Brown (Good Eats) on the Food Channel had a great episode on this. He used a regular room fan and a furnace filter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ace168516 Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 I like jerky. On a serious note, I have seen the episode the thebes istalking about...it involves a box fan and several furnace filtersbungeed to it with jerkey between the furnace filters to dry it out. I would ask someone that hunts as deer hunters make venison jerky that is good...perhaps one of our carolina buddies like winchester could chime in here on what is the best process/equiptment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblio Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 I've made decent jerky with a dehydrator, thin sliced beef from the butcher and commercial seasoning mix in a box. Much cheaper than off the shelf and just as good, but different. Need to do it again now that i've dug out the dehydrator for fresh herbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CIGARBUM Posted November 23, 2009 Author Share Posted November 23, 2009 I do have a few friends have hunt A LOT, so far they have given me two deer, I chose not to shoot Bambi, but don't have a problem with anyone who does. I could shoot all the deer, bear, boar or turkey sitting on my front porch. Anyway, you be amazed how little actual jerky youy get from a deer, most up here dress out at between 75 and 125 lbs. The last one I picked up from the deer cooler (processing place) I only got about 3 lbs of jerky and about 9 lbs of what they call summer meat, it's real good. I'm not sure they don't keep a little for themselves. So when Bambi runs out I'll go to the local mear store and get a roast or what ever is recommended and dehydrate myself. So if anyone has purchased on of these things, please let me know. Thanks CB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNRET Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Bob, I love jerky and we bought a great dehrydrator a few months back. I'll get the make and model when I get home tonight but we bought it from Amazon. I have tried beef, chilled to enable thin slicing and hamburger (the absolute leanest you can find) using the included mixes and the optional meat gun. This little apparatus looks like a chaulking gun with a wide tip, works great. We bought additional trays with it. The fan is a little noisey for night time operation in a quite house but other than that, I'd give it a 9. Note to self, order more jerky seasoning. We bought this one: http://www.nesco.com/category_449f7f01f1ea/subcategory_39febe0b9343/product_d633d5c130a1/session_04ae9890bd3d/ From: http://www.amazon.com/Nesco-FD-75PR-700-Watt-Food-Dehydrator/dp/B000FFVJ3C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1259034538&sr=1-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winchester21 Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 If you are suspicious of the amout you got from the processors something may be up. I have caught the processors stealing the prime parts of the deer on numerous occasions. I always remove the top loin(backstrap) and the small inner loins located in the middle of the back hear the spine before I turn the animal over to the processors. One guy got mad and asked my son why they were removed which tells me that they intended to steal them. I have never made jerky personally so I would refer you to internet sources or some of the other guys here. I highly reccomend giving the neck and front shoulders(very tough) to Hunters for the hungry and keeping only the hind quarters to.have this processsed into cube steak and burger- Wonderful stuff. The prime loin portions that were removed earlier should be treated as lean steak- Use an olive oil marinate and wrap steaks with bacon to prevent drying out the meat. Do not over cook steaklike portions. When cooked properly- IMHO - this is much better than beef. I would think that the hindquarters would make excellent jerky as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnatnoop Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 My experiance is limited to Seven11 stops and Slim Jims. They can kinda hurt on the way out. Bottom Notch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigStewMan Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 My experiance is limited to Seven11 stops and Slim Jims. They can kinda hurt on the way out. Maybe an ultra-slim jim would be more comfortable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted November 26, 2009 Share Posted November 26, 2009 I have made beef jerky once in an oven.... it's not too hard if you can slice the meat at a consistent thickness. I used a beef roast that had very little marbling and a recipe for marinade off the 'net. Slicing the meat is a bit easier if you chuck it in the freezer for a bit just up to the point where it gets stiff, then remove it for slicing. Between 1/8th and 1/4" is good for thickness. Depending on your jerky preference, you may want to cut across or with the grain. One more thing: an oven thermometer is a must for setting the oven temperature. Too hot or too cold is not good. Done right, an oven works well. Also, some dehydrators don't get up to a high enough temperature : with wild game, you could potentially end up sick. There is a lot of information if you google it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted November 26, 2009 Share Posted November 26, 2009 The oven trick is "tricky". the temp setting for one tray is not the same as two trays, etc. You need agood quality meat thermometer to make sure it stays at the correct emperature. I made a batch once that was way too dry and once where it was, well sorta's like medium rare and still moist. No problem, ate that tray right away. I've found that the easiest to start with is a top round "roast", cut across grain, strips about 4" long by about 2" wide. Marinades are a whole "science"!!! But once you find the right one for your palate... Heaven!!! My favorite is cup of vinegar, 6 ounces of honey, an 8 ounce bottle of teriyaki sauce and about 1/4 pound of coarse ground pepper, some garlic and some salt (to taste...). Cut strips and put in freezer bag, in fridge for 24 hours. Got good results with about a consistent 160-170 degrees (as ow as the oven will go. How long? Keep checking and do the taste test after about 4 hours.... Not too "chewy" as the commercial stuff, but very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picky Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 I've made a lot of jerky and "Squaw Candy" in my cheap, little Luhr Jensen Little Chief electric smoker. I paid about $48 bucks for it 15 years ago. I've made both beef (out of sliced sirloin from Sam's Club) and venison jerky. I have also had the type of jerky made in a food dehydrator, which is my son's chosen method. I have also had the type of jerky you form by pressing the meat out of a special food gun in rows. I absolutely prefer the real-sliced, wood smoker method over the dehydration or pressed method. This is simply my personal opinion. -Glenn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 My experiance is limited to Seven11 stops and Slim Jims. They can kinda hurt on the way out. Maybe an ultra-slim jim would be more comfortable? My suggestion would be to first chew them...but then...that would require dentures..... [:|] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 All things that go in certainly require a review of the "deployment scheme" and the "exit strategy"..... [H] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted November 28, 2009 Moderators Share Posted November 28, 2009 My suggestion would be to first chew them That's funny........also removing the plastic wrapper helps with the exit plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 dtel: Ever do "Nutria" jerky? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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