Continued, Jerky

Making your own jerky and dried meats is an extremely rewarding process. With a minimal capital expenditure and a little bit of time, you can generate a wealth of meaty treats suited to your taste.

Making the best jerky is simple. Use good-quality meat and all-natural seasonings and the result will be the best, freshest, and most wholesome jerky. Forget the mystery meat you find in stores. One of the best things about making your own jerky and other dried meats is that you can choose your raw ingredients and how to prepare them. You can make the choices that resonate with your personal food philosophy. You can source your meat from your favorite farmer or trusted butcher; seek out meat that is pastured, humanely raised, or grass-fed; or use wild game and season it with natural spices and fresh herbs to create a delicious, protein-rich, anytime treat that you feel good about eating. If you are going to make the effort to DIY, you might as well go with the good stuff.

Jerky can be made from almost any cut of any animal, but there are a few general principles we adhere to when selecting meat for jerky.

Most of the recipes in this book call for meat to be prepared in “strips”—stick-like lengths of a fairly uniform diameter—or “slices”—wide, flat pieces. There are a number of ways to trim and slice meat into strips or slices for drying, but here are a few simple tips to keep in mind.

WITH IT OR AGAINST IT?

In meat speak, “the grain” refers to the direction in which the muscle fibers align. If you cut parallel to the long muscle fibers, you are cutting “with the grain.” If you are cut across or perpendicular to the muscle fibers, you are slicing “against the grain.” Generally speaking, cutting meat against the grain makes it meat easier to chew because you are slicing through the muscle fibers, thereby shortening them and making less work for your teeth. For some cuts of meat, cutting with or against the grain doesn’t make a significant difference. For example, a boneless pork loin is extremely tender and will remain so no matter how it is sliced. But more exercised muscles, such as leg cuts, have longer fibers, and you will want to cut across them. To determine the direction of the grain, look closely at the cut of meat and you will usually see a subtle striation. To cut against the grain, hold your knife perpendicular to the lines and slice across.

Beef and bison have a similar muscular structure and are interchangeable for the purposes of jerky making. However, bison, also referred to as buffalo, is naturally leaner and higher in protein than most beef. It also has a somewhat nuttier and sweeter flavor than beef, which we find to be more unctuous and savory. Both make excellent jerky.

Located in the hindquarter of beef and bison, the round is comprised of the top round, bottom round, and eye of round. This well-used muscle group makes for tough and lean yet flavorful cuts that are perfect for drying.

The eye of round is the cylindrical muscle that resembles a plump tenderloin. A whole eye of round weighs between 3 and 5 pounds (1.4 and 2.3 kg), requires minimal trimming, and has very little intramuscular fat. It is best sliced thinly against the grain or dried whole as in the recipe for Brési (this page).

Top round is a little more marbled and will require a bit of trimming. It is also larger than the eye of round and the top round, usually weighing 8 to 10 pounds (3.6 to 4.5 kg). Split it in half lengthwise before cutting slices or strips for jerky.

The bottom round has a little more intermuscular and intramuscular fat than the eye of round but less than top round. A whole bottom round usually weighs 6 to 8 pounds (2.7 to 3.6 kg) and will require some trimming. To make slicing easier, cut the whole muscle in half crosswise before cutting strips or slices.

The brisket comes from the breast area of beef and bison, between the forelegs. A whole brisket is fairly large, weighing 10 to 12 pounds (4.5 to 5.4 kg), and consists of the well-marbled “point” end and the “flat” end. Briskets vary greatly in their intramuscular fat, or marbling, as well as in their intermuscular fat, or the amount of fat on the outside of the muscle. For the purposes of making jerky, you will want to stick with the brisket flat, which is more uniform in shape and leaner than the point. It can be purchased separately or easily cut away from the whole. You may need to trim the brisket further so that the exterior fat cap is less than ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.

Brisket breaks from the conventional notion that meats for drying need to be hyperlean. Although its fat content can increase the time it takes to dry and slightly decrease its shelf life, it makes for a texturally interesting and quite delicious jerky. We like to use brisket in recipes such as Pocket Pastrami (this page), because its fat is a good foil for the bold pastrami spicing, and in Carne Seca (this page) because its texture makes it easy to shred into strands for Machaca (this page).

Ground beef and bison can also be used for some types of jerky. You will want to use ground beef or bison that is at least 85 percent lean and finely ground twice. To ensure the correct grind, we recommend working with your butcher or buying whole cuts and grinding them yourself. That said, most commercially available ground beef has been twice-ground. Before seasoning, chop the ground meat further using a cleaver or chef’s knife to achieve a uniform consistency.

Pork and wild boar share a similar muscle structure, but their flavor and fat can be vastly different. Farm-raised pork is less chewy than many other meats, and its mild flavor is a versatile canvas for a variety of seasonings. It’s a popular jerky option, especially for coppiette in Italy and for a variety of different dried meats throughout Asia. Its softer texture can make it a little tricky to slice, so chilling or partially freezing the meat before slicing is recommended. It is also usually a bit fattier than most meats, so it will require a little more trimming.

Wild boar, the ancestor of most domestic pork, has a more assertive and nutty flavor than its farmyard cousin. This shy, surly beast boasts meat that is darker in color, leaner, and sometimes tougher than pork because its muscles receive plenty of exercise roaming in the wild and foraging for its supper. It also tends to be firmer than pork, so it is a little easier to slice and takes less time to dry.

The hind leg of the pig and boar is referred to as the “ham” or “fresh ham,” not to be confused with cured, smoked, or cooked ham that is ready to eat. The ham can be divided into the shank end or lower end and the sirloin or top part. The shank end tends to be sinewy, so if used for jerky, it requires a bit of trimming. The sirloin, which weighs roughly 3 to 4 pounds (1.4 to 1.8 kg), is composed of several smaller muscles, all of which are fairly lean with minimal sinew and intramuscular fat, making them excellent candidates for cutting into slices or strips for drying.

Boneless loin of pork, though more expensive than pork leg cuts, makes for very lean, elegant, and easy-to-slice meat for drying. A whole boneless center-cut loin weighs between 4 and 6 pounds (1.8 and 2.7 kg) and is 12 to 15 inches (30 to 38 cm) long. Its length makes it perfect for cutting long strips for coppiette. It can also be sliced crosswise into rounds. Boar loin is similarly lean and tender but can vary in size more greatly than pork.

Ground pork and boar, when rolled out into thin sheets, make excellent jerky. You will need pork that is at least 85 percent lean, ideally from the leg. It should be ground finely and then chopped using a cleaver or chef’s knife to achieve a uniform consistency.

Smaller ruminants, such as goat, lamb, deer, and even antelope, are used throughout the world to make a diverse assortment of dried-meat delicacies. Although they vary in size and flavor, they share many similar characteristics, including basic muscular structure. They are naturally lean and usually require minimum trimming. Their meat tends to be robustly flavored and is a good match for bold seasonings and spices.

Boneless leg cuts are very lean with little intramuscular fat, making them good choices for drying. Just trim away any sinew from the shank end before cutting into strips or slices.

Lean loin requires almost no trimming and can be cut lengthwise into strips or sliced crosswise into rounds.

BASIC JERKY FORMULA

At its most basic, jerky is just meat that is salted and dried. You can use this basic jerky formula to create recipes using whatever flavorings you like. Just keep in mind that if you are using soy sauce, fish sauce, or other seasonings that contain or mimic saltiness, you will need to adjust the amount of salt.

2 pounds (910 g) trimmed meat, sliced ⅛ to ¼ inch (3 to 6 mm) thick against the grain or cut into strips ½ inch (12 mm) in diameter

+ 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt

= about 1 pound (450 g) jerky

In addition to enhancing the meat’s savoriness, salt is crucial for preservation. Salt creates a hostile environment for harmful microorganisms because it dehydrates bacterial cells and thereby inhibits the growth of bacteria that can cause spoilage.

We recommend fine sea salt for making jerky because it easily disperses over the surface of the meat, is readily absorbed, and has a pleasant, natural flavor. If you prefer to use kosher salt or another type of coarse salt, you may need to use slightly more salt than called for in the recipes in this book.

When air-drying some larger, whole cuts of meat, we recommend also using curing salt #2, which contains a small percentage of sodium nitrate. Sodium nitrate is an extremely effective antimicrobial agent and antioxidant that prevents the growth of the most harmful bacteria, including those that can cause botulism.

Spices captivate our senses with their alluring fragrance, trigger our taste memories, and are the heart and soul of many traditional regional styles of jerky. We generally recommend starting with whole spices (which stay fresh far longer than preground), then toasting and grinding them as needed for each recipe. Lightly toasting spices releases their essential oils and intensifies their flavors. We either toast spices in a dry skillet over low heat or on a baking sheet in 325˚F (165˚C) oven for 3 to 5 minutes, until they give off an aroma. Allow the spices to cool, then grind them in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.

JERKY FLAVOR

When seasoning meat to make jerky, we like to think in terms of savory, spicy, sweet, herbaceous, and tangy flavors. Some of our favorite jerky recipes find a way to combine and balance all of these elements.

There is a glut of gadgets and gizmos available for making jerky. If you are a gearhead, there is no end to the number of contraptions you can put on your wish list, from jerky cannons to special jerky slicers. If you are a minimalist, you probably already have everything you need. But there are a few things we recommend to make jerky making simpler and more enjoyable.

When it comes to drying meat, there are many roads that more or less lead to the same destination. The goal is to preserve the meat by removing about 85 percent of its water content. When the meat is depleted of moisture, the harmful bacteria that can cause spoilage cannot grow. A dehydrator is the simplest and most reliable way to make most types of jerky, and, unless otherwise noted, it is the method we used to test the recipes in this book. If you don’t have a dehydrator, however, you could use sun-drying (see below) or oven-drying methods (see this page). Or, if you prefer jerky with a smokier flavor, try drying your jerky over embers (see this page). A little experimentation is part of the fun of making jerky, and often yields delicious results.

Go back, way back, in time and connect with your primordial self by employing solar energy to dry your meat. Sun-drying was likely the first method employed to preserve meat, and it is still an effective preservation method used in many parts of the world. You may wonder, is it safe to leave raw meat sitting in the sun? Most likely, the USDA would not approve of this method. However, we have dried jerky this way and lived to tell the tale.

When sun-drying, choose a day or a succession of days when it is hot, dry, and preferably breezy and a location that receives direct, overhead sunlight for at least a few hours per day. We have had the best results with this method when the thermometer crept above 90˚F (32˚C), the sky was bright blue, and there were gentle winds blowing.

You will need to protect your meat from pests. The best way to do this is to use a hanging mesh dehydrating basket made expressly for the purpose of sun-drying plants, fruits, and meat. They are cheap and readily available on the Internet, so there is little reason to mess with less effective substitutes if you are interested in sun-drying. These baskets allow air to flow freely through ventilation holes while keeping the contents out of the reach of hungry critters.

Space the meat in the basket so that no meat is overlapping. Check the meat for dryness every 8 hours or so. The finished jerky will be uniform in color, leathery, and firm but still somewhat pliable. Drying times vary greatly with the weather conditions, but generally jerky will dry in 24 to 48 hours.

A little patience can produce very fine results with air-drying. Unlike sun-drying, air-drying is done at a much lower temperature and can be done indoors. This method is best suited for drying thicker or larger cuts of meat, such as in the recipes for Tasajo con Pimentón (this page) and Spiced Duck Breasts (this page), rather than thin slices or strips. To air-dry, hang the meat in a dry, well-ventilated location with a relatively stable temperature, ideally between 50˚F and 60˚F (10˚C and 16˚C). Depending on the size and thickness of the cut as well as the drying conditions, air-drying can take anywhere from a few days to a year or more.

Ah, the romance of making jerky the old-fashioned way over the glowing embers of a dying fire! Although less precise than dehydrating and requiring a little more attention than smoking (see this page), this primitive method has a certain flair and flavor all its own. Jerky slowly dried over embers has a subtle smokiness. You can use this method to impart just a hint of smoke, as you would with cold smoking, or you can dry the jerky start to finish with the fire’s residual heat.

This is best done outdoors in a fire pit or indoors in a fireplace. We like to start with a delicately aromatic wood, such as almond, alder, cherry or apple. Light a fire and let it burn down to glowing coals. Lay the meat on a rack or drape it over poles. Position the meat near enough to the coals to benefit from the heat and smoke but not so close that it cooks. Timing will vary, so be prepared to experiment and monitor the jerky’s progress. It may also be necessary to stoke the fire from time to time—but what better way to spend an afternoon?

A home oven set to the lowest possible temperature is a perfectly simple and easy way to dry jerky. If your oven runs hot or the thermometer registers higher than 160˚F (71˚C), leave the oven door slightly ajar during the drying process to achieve a temperature between 140˚F and 160˚F (60˚C and 71˚C). Lay the slices of meat on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet or arrange them on a jerky hanger, making sure the meat is not overlapping or touching. Place the pan in the warm oven. Rotate the pan midway through the drying process (the exact timing will depend on the type and thickness of the jerky) to ensure even drying.

One can forgive the lack of nostalgia with this most reliable and convenient method of drying. Dehydrators are fairly simple machines, usually just a heavy plastic or metal box fitted with racks and equipped with a low-temperature heating element, an adjustable thermostat, and a fan to circulate the warm air. There is a range of good dehydrators on the market. Ideally you want something that is large enough to fit at least a couple pounds of meat but not so bulky that it won’t fit on your countertop.

To use a dehydrator, simply set the temperature to 145˚F (63˚C). Lay the slices or strips of meat on the dehydrator racks, making sure that no pieces are overlapping. Place the racks into the dehydrator, leaving as much space as possible between them. Rotate the racks midway through the drying process to ensure even drying.

Smoking is another method for drying, preserving, and flavoring jerky. Wood smoke imparts a deep, rich flavor to the meat while also depositing hundreds of compounds on the surface of the meat that naturally slow the growth of harmful, spoilage-causing organisms.

Cold smoking is the addition of smoke without the addition of heat. It is mostly intended to impart a delicate smoky flavor to the meat, not cook it, and must be used in conjunction with another drying method, such as air-drying or dehydrator-drying, to fully dry the meat. For cold smoking, the meat is placed over a very low or indirect smoldering fire or in an unheated chamber into which smoke is funneled from an adjacent firebox. There are several ways to cold smoke, depending on the type of smoker. If you are using a grill or a more traditional wood-burning smoker, let your fire burn down to coals and then add soaked wood chips or a small soaked log that will smolder at a very low temperature. Electric smokers are usually equipped with a pellet- or chip-burning firebox and a heating element that can be temperature regulated.

No matter how you cold smoke, you want to try to keep the temperature of the smoker between 60°F and 80°F (16˚C and 27˚C). How long you cold smoke your jerky depends on how smoky you like it. Even just 20 minutes of cold smoking can infuse the meat with plenty of smoky flavor.

Hot smoking jerky fully dries the jerky at a normal drying temperature (somewhere between 140˚F and 160˚F [60˚C and 71˚C]) but with the addition of fragrant smoke. You can hot smoke jerky using any type of wood-fired or electric smoker and on most traditional wood or charcoal burning grills. We generally prefer to avoid the use of natural gas or propane smokers and grills, as gas and propane contain chemical compounds that can produce unwanted and unpleasant flavors in the finished jerky.

To hot smoke jerky, begin by lighting a wood or charcoal fire in your smoker or grill. Let the fire burn down to glowing coals. Bank the coals to produce a deep coal bed. (If you are using an electric smoker you will skip this step and just turn the smoker on.) If you are using a smaller type grill you will want to push the coals to one side of your grill so that you can smoke the jerky over indirect heat. To the coals, add chips or chunks of wood that have been thoroughly soaked in water—they should smolder rather than catch fire. When your smoker or grill reaches the correct temperature (between 140˚F and 160˚F [60˚C and 71˚C]), place the meat on the smoking racks or on a jerky hanger (see photo, this page) in a manner that allows the smoke to circulate. Monitor the temperature and adjust the coals as needed.

Waiting for your jerky to be ready to eat is the hardest part of jerky making. The water and fat content of the meat, the thickness of the strips or slices, the method and equipment you choose for drying, along with a variety of environmental factors, all impact drying times. The drying process will reduce the overall weight of the jerky by 50 to 75 percent. Finished jerky can vary from lightly dried to almost brittle, and the level of dryness you achieve is a matter of personal taste and the amount of time you plan to keep your jerky. We usually look for our finished jerky to be pliable and chewy but still tender enough to tear easily with your teeth. As you are trying new recipes and methods, it’s a good idea to try small tastes of partially dried jerky so you can get a feel for doneness.

While most jerky and dried meat is relatively shelf stable at room temperature, fluctuations in humidity, exposure to light, and temperature variation can negatively affect the quality. Dried meats need to be stored in a clean, dry container, ideally with a little bit of airflow. A cookie jar, tin, or storage container with a lid that fits securely but isn’t airtight is ideal. Make sure there is a little breathing room between the pieces of jerky. If the jerky is too tightly packed or overlapping, mold can occur. Be wary of zipper-lock bags, even for transport. They seal too tightly to allow airflow and can encourage mold—as we learned the hard way on a trip to the humid Florida coast. If you plan on keeping your jerky for longer than a week or two, we also encourage the use of food-safe desiccant packets. One or two packets inside the storage container with the jerky will help control the humidity level and discourage the growth of mold.