My husband's culinary appetite doesn't quite need the quenching that I need. He is a simple eater. Meat and potatoes, nothing with "cream of anything soup" in it, and some good "man snacks", and he is quite happy. Dave does like to eat and we enjoy eating a variety of foods together, but he won't go out of his way for a good bagel, for instance (I won't mention who demanded we walk 7-8 blocks from our hotel in NYC to get one...) Is that too much to ask??
Anyways, I say all this because Dave does like BEEF JERKY! His mom used to make it for him (yes, homemade) regularly while he was growing up. In fact the first time I went to his house when we first met, he had a stash in a ziploc in his dresser. After we got married, I know he longed for that homemade beef jerky again. So I searched and searched for recipes, and talked to my mother-in-law, whose painstaking process including laying out each individual piece onto the oven racks, and cooking it on low for hours on end. Laying it out isn't as painstaking as washing the oven racks, I might add.
I was going to go for it, after all, my husband was (and still is) worth it! Even if it took me all day, I was going to make some of my own beef jerky. Well, I think the first batch turned out well, and put me on a course of searching for the ultimate beef jerky recipe. I have since tried out probably half a dozen recipes, and I am still trying to nail it down. Sometimes it comes out too salty, sometimes not salty enough, too spicy, not spicy enough.....Never has it not gotten scarfed down within the first few hours of it's completion, however.
I have since upgraded a couple of years ago to a food dehydrator. Something that makes jerky making a lot easier, I must say. It has about 8 circular "shelves" to place the meat on, and it's much more manageable to wash. I have not made jerky in a long while, as I have been lazy and just bought it. But there is really nothing like the taste of that homemade jerky like you get at a roadside stand (for the price of gold). So today is a jerky making day! I decided to make a batch for Dave for Fathers' Day. He is worthy of every effort. It takes a long time to cut the meat, marinate, and then cook. But in the end you have a big beautiful batch of unbelievable jerky. Happy Father's Day to Dave, and to all the Fathers in my life!
So here's how you do it, for you adventurous at heart:
Start with your meat. I have previously used london broil, and beef brisket. Today I used an eye of round roast. It's all good. Partially freeze your meat to make it easier to slice. Slice it along the grain into 1/8 inch-1/4 inch slices (whatever you like).
There are many ways to marinate your meat. I have used soy and worchestershire based sauces with added spices, as well as bottled teriyaki sauce. You really can't go wrong. Find a recipe with ingredients you like, and go for it! There are two schools of thought for marinating. One is to marinate it overnight. The other is just to briefly marinate (10 minutes or so). It really depends on if you prefer that saturated flavor, or a more natural meat flavor.
Now, if you don't have a food dehydrator, just use your oven. First you will want to lay out some foil on the bottom of the oven to catch drippings from the marinade. Then, lay out the meat in a single layer onto your oven racks. You will want to cook it at the lowest oven temperature, and leave the door cracked open just a tad. After an hour of cooking, flip your meat. From here on out, just check your meat ever hour, pulling out pieces that are done cooking. To test for doneness, bend the meat slightly. It should bend a bit, but not break. It should look dry, as well. Don't worry, it will continue to dry out after it is removed from the oven as well. The process can take anywhere from 3-4 hours for the smaller and thinner pieces, up to 8-10 hours, possibly even longer. Just try to be patient. You will be rewarded at the end with your very own delicious beef jerky. Give it try, it's well worth the wait!
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