Making Your Own Jerky

Jerky should be made from lean cuts if possible. For making jerky beef or, deer is ideal. After trimming the fat, sinew and membranes from the meat, marinate it overnight. Use one of these recipes I have included here. They all work well. Or, you can experiment with your own.

Slice the trimmed meat into long strips about 1/4 inch thick. If you work with slightly frozen meat it will be easier to slice. Slice the meat along the grain or, along the muscle fiber to make chewy jerky. Cut across the grain, or, across the muscles, to end up with more tender jerky. I prefer the cross grain slices.

Easy Jerky Marinade
1 cup of pickling salt
1 gallon of water

Mix the brine well and allow the strips to soak for about 24 hours. Pat them dry and place in your dryer at 155 (if you have a thermostat).

Jerky Marinade

1/2 cup of soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground hot pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. hickory smoke-flavored salt

Cajun Marinade

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. Cajun spice

The longer you allow the meat to soak, the stronger the flavors.
To test for doneness;
Take a piece out of the dryer and allow it to cool.
Then just break the piece in two. It should not snap in two.
Rather it should bend and splinter and break, much like a green stick will do.
There you have it.... jerky made your way without the weird stuff they put in the store bought jerky.
You can bag and place in the freezer but, you don't really need to. But, it does add storage life to the jerky.
In this house, it doesn't last that long!