Since Pat started hunting, we’ve had pretty ample supplies of various cuts of meat. When you’ve got meat, you gotta make jerky. Smoky, salty, chewy, all-around delicious little morsels that store well, and make for easy lunch additions. Finding the right recipe was actually easier than finding a store-bought mix without the ingredients that are crap. ingredients that are crap: -MSG -Nitrates -preservatives -mystery chemicals -glutenous fillers.
Here is a simple recipe for the yummiest no-crap jerky using stuff you’ve probably already got at home. There are only two components that you may not have yet, but can be borrowed:
a jerky “gun”
a dehydrator
The “gun” is basically a plastic calking jobby that pushes out your ground meat mixture in a flat strip. After you’ve made a big batch of jerky, you’ll be buying one of your own, because…have you ever had an unlimited supply of jerky before? Reaching your hand in the bag without reservation? Remorseless portions that don’t cost a two dollars per piece? The feeling is that of pure bounty, friends.
This recipe is for 1 lb of lean ground meat and can be doubled up accordingly. Usually i use healthy wild deer, but you can use any local grass fed beef. Sure, it’s a little more expensive in dollars, but think of all the money you’ll save on jerky! And remember that food is energy from the sun somewhere down the line, and the closer-to-the-sun energy you can give your body, the happier you will be. You can store this jerky for up to 6 months. The main thing is to make sure it’s lean lean lean because the only part that would go rancid is the fat. But i doubt your batch will last long enough for that to happen.
Jerky time!!
1 pound lean ground meat
1/2 cup soy sauce (I used grain free organic tamari. Most soy that is not organic is actually GMO.)
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon organic onion powder
1/2 teaspoon organic garlic powder (or use 1 teaspoon chopped/minced garlic)
1 teaspoon salt (I prefer sea salt)
Mix it all up REALLY WELL in a big bowl, cover, and let marinade in the fridge overnight.
Next morning, pack the gun and squeeze out the strips onto your dehydrator racks! My dehydrator has 5 racks, and can hold a 3 lb batch. Set at highest temperature, and dehydrate for 6-9 hours. You may have to dab off some grease halfway through. Bask in the aroma of delciousness wafting through your home all day. Store in a big ziploc bag!
Boom. JERKY 4 LYFE