Real food
Are you looking for a nutrient-dense, high protein, grain-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, low carb, preservative-free snack or the perfect food for quick meals on the go? Forget protein bars and powdered shake mixes. There’s a better, more wholesome option available that won’t leave you with an unpleastant aftertaste.
Traditional food
Drying is the oldest means of preserving food. Prior to refrigerators and modern freezers, drying made meat available during lean times and for travel. Today dried meat still makes a convenient snack at home, at work, at school, or on the road. Whether you’re hiking, backpacking, or cycling, traveling, catching a flight out of town, or heading out for an afternoon full of errands, or an all day workshop, jerky makes a great, lightweight snack or mini-meal. You can pair it with an apple, a pear, or a cup or two of grapes, and a handful of toasted or soaked, Crispy Nuts or with a crisp green salad or raw or blanched veggies with a side of guacamole or some other dip for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Choose wisely
Although commercial jerky is widely available, it’s usually made from factory-farmed beef (that’s actually the most innocuous part of it) and it’s cured with one or more forms of sugar, an excessive amount of salt, then laced with MSG, artificial colorings and flavorings, and hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fat, which undermine your health. If you make it yourself you choose hormone free, locally grown, or 100% grassfed meat, depending upon your budget.
Do it yourself
If you want the jerky done right, you may have to make it yourself. It’s easy to do if you have a food dehydrator, a large cutting board, and a good, sharp knife. Although you can make jerky in the oven with meat racks, it’s messier this way, you’ll need a lot of baking trays with racks to elevate the meat to allow for air circulation, and the process will have your oven running for 12 to 16 hours. A dehydrator uses less energy than your oven and allows for more efficient drying because of the built-in fan.
Buying a dehydrator
If you don’t already have a dehydrator, I recommend looking for one with adjustable temperature settings so you can control how hot the food gets while it’s drying. Twenty years ago I started out with a Snackmaster Dehydrator. I got it when I had a regular column, called The Dieter’s Workshop, in a magazine called Fit, which has since gone out of business. I reviewed products and offered diet tips and the company sent me a demo model to test and write about. The appliance lasted for 10 years, then it started coming apart at the seams along the bottom. I got another one from the company and that one lasted almost as long. American Harvest has since improved the design of their deshydrators, so they're even more durable and efficient. Here's the latest Snackmaster.
Equipment upgrade
About two and a half years ago I got an Excaliber Dehydrator, which has much larger trays that are square, rather than round, allowing for more efficient use of space. This sturdy machine can dry more food at one time. It has temperature settings ranging from 95 to 155 degrees F. Rather than take it out and put it away, since it’s bulky, I leave out, ready for use. If you don’t have room in the kitchen, consider parking it a spare bedroom, laundry, room, or garage, or a corner of your living room or dining room, as a last resort. I have the Excalibur model with 9 trays but Excalibur also make a 5 tray model.
Dry ahead
You can make jerky in large batches once a month, once every two or three months, or once or twice a year, depending upon the size of your dehydrator, how many people you’re cooking for, and your level of ambition with the project. When I lived in the midwest, I would sometimes make several batches of jerky per week, several weeks in a row, and store the bulk in the freezer (I had a chest freezer in the basement then so freezer space was a non-issue). That allowed me to make once or twice year and have enough to give as gifts over the holidays one year.
Last weekend I dried 6 pounds of meat. Hands-on time was less than 1 hour. That yielded 3 quarts of jerky. I could have dried twice as much, I had so much room in my Excalibur Dehydrator. Next week I might try making salmon jerky from salmon bellies I got from my friends Kenny & Brenna Aschbacher, The FishHuggers,in Phoenix. They sell wild Alaskan salmon, 100% grassfed beef, lamb, and other fabulous foods at farmers' markets and to restaurants around the valley. Kenny sold jerky last year. If he finds someone to make it for him commercially, he'll do it again.
Jerky will travel
Properly dried jerky will keep at room temperature for 1 to 2 months. In the absence of preservatives, or if improperly dried, jerky can start to spoil or turn moldy, particularly in hot or damp weather. When traveling in warm or muggy weather, keep jerky in a cooler or near an ice bag. Refrigerated jerky will last for a year, easily. Frozen jerky will last for several years, if tightly packed to prevent freezer burn. Unrefrigerated jerky will be fine out of the fridge on short trips.
Change it up
You can vary the kind of meat (from beef to bison and from venison to deer, or elk, bear, or emu). You can vary the herbs, spices, and salty seasonings (sea salt, tamari soy sauce, or even Thai fish sauce) or omit the seasonings and salt altogether. You can use meat cut as steak, roast, or even ground beef. For recipes, seasoning tips, and more, pick up a copy of my book, The Garden of Eating: A Produce Dominated Diet & Cookbook (Planetary Press, 2004). The material above and below was loosely excerpted from this book.
Give the gift of jerky
Jerky makes a great gift any time of year: for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, Chanukah, graduation, housewarming, Valentines’ Day, a wedding or baby shower gift, or to say “thank you,” to someone. It may be one of the most remembered gifts given.
Junk-free jerky, can you buy it?
Yes, you can. If you don't have a food dehydrator and you don't see one in your immediate future, you can buy good, clean, junk-free jerky made from 100% grassfed beef on line from U.S. Wellness Meats. (It will cost more than homemade, though, and you won't be able to find as many flavor options this way.) You can read more about it on their web site. Tell them Chef Rachel sent you.
Basic Beef, Bison & Venison Jerky Strips
Prep: 30 minutes/ Drying: 10 to 16 hours/Yield: 8 ounces/1 quart
The flavor and nutritional value of homemade jerky surpasses anything you can buy in stores. Invest in a food dehydrator if you plant to make jerky regularly. A dehydrator uses less energy than an oven and allows you to try more meat at one time. Two pounds of fresh meat will shrink down to half a pound when dried.
Variations:
Are you looking for a nutrient-dense, high protein, grain-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, low carb, preservative-free snack or the perfect food for quick meals on the go? Forget protein bars and powdered shake mixes. There’s a better, more wholesome option available that won’t leave you with an unpleastant aftertaste.
Drying is the oldest means of preserving food. Prior to refrigerators and modern freezers, drying made meat available during lean times and for travel. Today dried meat still makes a convenient snack at home, at work, at school, or on the road. Whether you’re hiking, backpacking, or cycling, traveling, catching a flight out of town, or heading out for an afternoon full of errands, or an all day workshop, jerky makes a great, lightweight snack or mini-meal. You can pair it with an apple, a pear, or a cup or two of grapes, and a handful of toasted or soaked, Crispy Nuts or with a crisp green salad or raw or blanched veggies with a side of guacamole or some other dip for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Choose wisely
Although commercial jerky is widely available, it’s usually made from factory-farmed beef (that’s actually the most innocuous part of it) and it’s cured with one or more forms of sugar, an excessive amount of salt, then laced with MSG, artificial colorings and flavorings, and hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fat, which undermine your health. If you make it yourself you choose hormone free, locally grown, or 100% grassfed meat, depending upon your budget.
If you want the jerky done right, you may have to make it yourself. It’s easy to do if you have a food dehydrator, a large cutting board, and a good, sharp knife. Although you can make jerky in the oven with meat racks, it’s messier this way, you’ll need a lot of baking trays with racks to elevate the meat to allow for air circulation, and the process will have your oven running for 12 to 16 hours. A dehydrator uses less energy than your oven and allows for more efficient drying because of the built-in fan.
Buying a dehydrator
If you don’t already have a dehydrator, I recommend looking for one with adjustable temperature settings so you can control how hot the food gets while it’s drying. Twenty years ago I started out with a Snackmaster Dehydrator. I got it when I had a regular column, called The Dieter’s Workshop, in a magazine called Fit, which has since gone out of business. I reviewed products and offered diet tips and the company sent me a demo model to test and write about. The appliance lasted for 10 years, then it started coming apart at the seams along the bottom. I got another one from the company and that one lasted almost as long. American Harvest has since improved the design of their deshydrators, so they're even more durable and efficient. Here's the latest Snackmaster.
Equipment upgrade
About two and a half years ago I got an Excaliber Dehydrator, which has much larger trays that are square, rather than round, allowing for more efficient use of space. This sturdy machine can dry more food at one time. It has temperature settings ranging from 95 to 155 degrees F. Rather than take it out and put it away, since it’s bulky, I leave out, ready for use. If you don’t have room in the kitchen, consider parking it a spare bedroom, laundry, room, or garage, or a corner of your living room or dining room, as a last resort. I have the Excalibur model with 9 trays but Excalibur also make a 5 tray model.
You can make jerky in large batches once a month, once every two or three months, or once or twice a year, depending upon the size of your dehydrator, how many people you’re cooking for, and your level of ambition with the project. When I lived in the midwest, I would sometimes make several batches of jerky per week, several weeks in a row, and store the bulk in the freezer (I had a chest freezer in the basement then so freezer space was a non-issue). That allowed me to make once or twice year and have enough to give as gifts over the holidays one year.
Last weekend I dried 6 pounds of meat. Hands-on time was less than 1 hour. That yielded 3 quarts of jerky. I could have dried twice as much, I had so much room in my Excalibur Dehydrator. Next week I might try making salmon jerky from salmon bellies I got from my friends Kenny & Brenna Aschbacher, The FishHuggers,in Phoenix. They sell wild Alaskan salmon, 100% grassfed beef, lamb, and other fabulous foods at farmers' markets and to restaurants around the valley. Kenny sold jerky last year. If he finds someone to make it for him commercially, he'll do it again.
Jerky will travel
Properly dried jerky will keep at room temperature for 1 to 2 months. In the absence of preservatives, or if improperly dried, jerky can start to spoil or turn moldy, particularly in hot or damp weather. When traveling in warm or muggy weather, keep jerky in a cooler or near an ice bag. Refrigerated jerky will last for a year, easily. Frozen jerky will last for several years, if tightly packed to prevent freezer burn. Unrefrigerated jerky will be fine out of the fridge on short trips.
Change it up
You can vary the kind of meat (from beef to bison and from venison to deer, or elk, bear, or emu). You can vary the herbs, spices, and salty seasonings (sea salt, tamari soy sauce, or even Thai fish sauce) or omit the seasonings and salt altogether. You can use meat cut as steak, roast, or even ground beef. For recipes, seasoning tips, and more, pick up a copy of my book, The Garden of Eating: A Produce Dominated Diet & Cookbook (Planetary Press, 2004). The material above and below was loosely excerpted from this book.
Give the gift of jerky
Jerky makes a great gift any time of year: for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, Chanukah, graduation, housewarming, Valentines’ Day, a wedding or baby shower gift, or to say “thank you,” to someone. It may be one of the most remembered gifts given.
Junk-free jerky, can you buy it?
Yes, you can. If you don't have a food dehydrator and you don't see one in your immediate future, you can buy good, clean, junk-free jerky made from 100% grassfed beef on line from U.S. Wellness Meats. (It will cost more than homemade, though, and you won't be able to find as many flavor options this way.) You can read more about it on their web site. Tell them Chef Rachel sent you.
Basic Beef, Bison & Venison Jerky Strips
Prep: 30 minutes/ Drying: 10 to 16 hours/Yield: 8 ounces/1 quart
The flavor and nutritional value of homemade jerky surpasses anything you can buy in stores. Invest in a food dehydrator if you plant to make jerky regularly. A dehydrator uses less energy than an oven and allows you to try more meat at one time. Two pounds of fresh meat will shrink down to half a pound when dried.
Note: For efficiency, you can ask your butcher to cut steaks or boneless round or loin roasts into paper-thin slices. Freeze venison or other wild game meats at 0˚ F for at least 30 days before drying to kill any potential parasites. Make a double or triple batch if space and time permit.
* Note:
You don’t absolutely have to trim off the visible fat. Particularly if
you’re using grassfed meat, you may want to leave the fat on the meat
(it’s a great source of antioxidants and tasty too), then plan to
refrigerate or consume the fattier pieces more quickly than the leaner
ones.
- 2 pounds boneless beef, bison or venison steak or roast, trimmed of visible fat*: eye of round, strip steak, round tip, tenderloin, sirloin, flank, or sandwich steak
- 2 teaspoons lemon pepper or 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotlé
- 1/2 to 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme, sage, or finely ground rosemary, optional
- 1 teaspoon finely ground unrefined sea salt or 2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce, optional
- Meat is easiest to slice when partially frozen. If using fresh or toally thawed meat, place in the freezer for 1 to 3 hours before slicing. Using a sharp knife, cut meat across the grain into 1/4- to 3/8-inch thick slices. (Cut a boneless roast into 1/2- to 1-inch wide pieces, then cut into thinner strips.) Thinner slices yield crunchier jerky; thicker slices produce chewier jerky.
- Arrange meat in a single layer on pie plates, platters, or an oblong glass pan. Mix seasonings, sprinkle over meat, and toss to coat. If time permits, cover meat with parchment paper or another pie plate and refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours to allow flavors to penetrate. This step is optional.
- Oven drying: Preheat oven to 140˚ F. Line 2 to 4 cookie sheets or roasting pans with aluminum foil folded up at the corners to catch drips and top with a roasting rack. Arrange meat without overlapping. Hold oven door ajar with a wooden spoon. Dry for 10 to 14 hours or until a test piece is slightly brittle when bent. Turn meat after the first 6 to 8 hours. For crispier jerky, dry until a test piece splinters when bent.
- Food dehydrator: Arrange meat without overlapping, on as many trays as needed. Dry at 145˚ F for 10 to 14 hours. Paleo purists may wish to dry the meat for a longer period of time at a lower temperature.
- Pat off beads of oil with unbleached paper towel. Cool and store in sealed jars, cellulose or wax paper bags, or heavy zip-locking freezer bags. Label and date. This will keep for at least 1 to 2 months at room temperature, 3 or more months in the refrigerator, and indefinitely in the freezer.
Variations:
- You'll find other flavoring options for jerky, including recipes for making ground beef jerky, in The Garden of Eating: A Produce-Dominated Diet & Cookbook.
Rachel, thanks for making this so easy! I made liver treats for my dogs in my Excalibur unit all the time but nothing for Jon and me, LOL! I will have to take some time to try this. If not before I move to the farm, then once I retire! Or if I get snowed in this week!
Cathy
Posted by: Cathy Payne | February 14, 2010 at 05:19 AM
Chef Rachel, I loved this post! My sister-in-law and I used to make jerky when we were hiking more but its been awhile. I want to try your recipe. Thanks!
Another excellent snack I make in the dehydrator is my "Backpack Pizza." The AZ Republic printed the recipe a few years ago as one of about four from their readers on story about backpacking food. It is very easy. Cut tomatoes into 1/4" thick slices. Season with minced garlic, dried oregano, sea salt or an Italian seasoning blend of spices and a small sprinkle of dried crushed red chili peppers if you like that kick. Dry until the tomato slices are pliable. This can be a gluten-free, dairy free, sugar free tasty snack, too. We ate 'Backpacker Pizzas' with crackers and soy cheese on a hike in the Tetons in Wyoming along with dried organic peaches and a sesame pumpkin seed snack made in the dehydrator.
Lee Ann
Posted by: Lee Ann Aronson | February 16, 2010 at 09:08 AM
Hi Lee Ann,
That sounds so delicious! I want to make it! What kind of tomatoes do you suggest I use?
Posted by: Chef Rachel | February 16, 2010 at 10:57 AM
HI Cathy,
You and Jon will love the jerky. You can make so many different flavors with herbs and spices. The Garden of Eating (book) also details how to make ground beef jerky, which is more economical than jerky made from steak and you can mix in some delicious seasonings that way too.
Thanks for reading and posting on my blog. Hope you're staying warm!
Posted by: Chef Rachel | February 16, 2010 at 10:59 AM
Re: What tomatoes to use for Backpack Pizza Snack
Larger size tomatoes are nice for the dehydrated backpack pizzas. Heirloom tomatoes tend to have more "meat" in the center (less open space around the membranes) and more flavor than regular grocery store tomatoes.
However, any tomato will do as the slow drying time concentrates the flavor as you dry them in the dehydrator so that even just so-so tomatoes taste great with the "pizza" toppings on them.
The trick is to use at least 1/4" thick slice so that you have a sturdy pliable "pizza" when it is done drying. If you slice them too thin it may stick and tear. You will need to let one side dry awhile before turning them. They are done when flexible but not too crisp.
Posted by: Lee Ann Aronson | February 16, 2010 at 02:30 PM