Breedy
Busted
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2007
- Messages
- 2,121
Well its been a couple of months and I finally got around to making another batch.
Let me give credit to Alton Brown and his show "Good Eats", this is a variation of the method I saw on the show. AB has some really good recipes and information and aside from his turkey frying derrick most of his gadgets are practical and work well.
I've never been one for recipes so I deviate some from the one he uses Alton's recipe
Mine is as follows (for the most part)
2-2.5 lbs flank steak, trimmed of all visible fat
1/2 cup Worcester sauce
1/2 cup beef stock (from base, made extra beefy)
2/3 cups Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Hot Sauce (Frank's or your favorite)
5 cloves fresh minced garlic
From here everything is to taste
3 Tbsp Fresh Ground black pepper
2 Tbsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
2 Tbsp Chipotle Chili Powder
2 Tbsp Onion Powder
1 Tbsp Dried Oregano
1 Tbsp Dried Parsley
1 Tbsp Agave Nector
If you clicked the link to AB recipe it will explain the equipment you need, I modified it slightly.
Equipment
Box fan: Don't cheap out and buy the lowest priced one, you want one that moves a decent amount of air
Sliding Window Screens: You will need 2 sets of sliding window screens, which are at any home improvement store. They replace the paper filters and are easier to find and cheaper insofar as they are reusable. They come 2 screens to a set, just disconnect them to get 4 total screens.
Ratcheting Bar Clamps: Harbor Freight has the 12inch on sale for 1.99 a piece, you will need 2. You could use bungees, but the first time I made the jerky I found these first
4 cans/wood blocks: These allow air to flow into the backside of the fan as I dry with the fan and screens horizontal for stability
Preparation:
I tend to make make beef jerky when I find Flank Steak on sale. If you have a Sam's club or Costco in your area watch for when it needs to be sold quickly as you can get it a very reduce price.
Trim it of all visible fat and lay it flat on a sheet tray and place in the freezer to firm it up and make it easier to slice thin. Pull it out and cut in long, thin strip going with the grain of the meat.
Next place the meat in a bag and add your marinade. Make sure it seals tightly, removing as much air as possible and let it sit in the fridge for approximately 12 hours. Make sure everything is well coated and toss the mixture up if you pass by the fridge (place in a shallow dish to avoid any mishaps in the fridge).
Remove after 12 hours and drain
Place on a cookie sheet and pat dry with paper towels.
If you desire a hotter jerky now is the time to sprinkle on more Chipolte Powder/Cayenne pepper.
Put your first screen on top of the fan and lay the strips in straight lines. Place the next screen on and layer in a perpendicular pattern to the first layer. Continue with the next screen. It doesn't have to be perfect, but you don't want to crowd the screen and impede the air flow
The 4th (last screen) is your lid to keep bugs and other things off your meat. Secure all the screens with bar clamps or bungees to the fan.
Place your rig on top of the four cans or blocks and turn it on medium and let it go for 10-12 hours depending on your fan. I like to rotate the screen positions, as I feel this gives a more even drying effect. Dry until meat is like jerky,
You can stop there if you wish, but occasionally I like to end the drying at 8 hours or so and put it in my electric smoker. I usually do it a 150 degrees for no more than 45 minutes. You need to keep the temperature low or the meat will really dry out and get crispy. I like to put the jerky in when the smoker is cold, in my experience MES have a hard time producing enough smoke at lower temps in the summer time due to the way the temperature controls work (or you can leave the chip loader half out to achieve the same effect if the smoker is at temp).
From there store in an air tight, cool place and enjoy for weeks, if it lasts that long.
Let me give credit to Alton Brown and his show "Good Eats", this is a variation of the method I saw on the show. AB has some really good recipes and information and aside from his turkey frying derrick most of his gadgets are practical and work well.
I've never been one for recipes so I deviate some from the one he uses Alton's recipe
Mine is as follows (for the most part)
2-2.5 lbs flank steak, trimmed of all visible fat
1/2 cup Worcester sauce
1/2 cup beef stock (from base, made extra beefy)
2/3 cups Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Hot Sauce (Frank's or your favorite)
5 cloves fresh minced garlic
From here everything is to taste
3 Tbsp Fresh Ground black pepper
2 Tbsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
2 Tbsp Chipotle Chili Powder
2 Tbsp Onion Powder
1 Tbsp Dried Oregano
1 Tbsp Dried Parsley
1 Tbsp Agave Nector
If you clicked the link to AB recipe it will explain the equipment you need, I modified it slightly.
Equipment
Box fan: Don't cheap out and buy the lowest priced one, you want one that moves a decent amount of air
Sliding Window Screens: You will need 2 sets of sliding window screens, which are at any home improvement store. They replace the paper filters and are easier to find and cheaper insofar as they are reusable. They come 2 screens to a set, just disconnect them to get 4 total screens.
Ratcheting Bar Clamps: Harbor Freight has the 12inch on sale for 1.99 a piece, you will need 2. You could use bungees, but the first time I made the jerky I found these first
4 cans/wood blocks: These allow air to flow into the backside of the fan as I dry with the fan and screens horizontal for stability
Preparation:
I tend to make make beef jerky when I find Flank Steak on sale. If you have a Sam's club or Costco in your area watch for when it needs to be sold quickly as you can get it a very reduce price.
Trim it of all visible fat and lay it flat on a sheet tray and place in the freezer to firm it up and make it easier to slice thin. Pull it out and cut in long, thin strip going with the grain of the meat.
Next place the meat in a bag and add your marinade. Make sure it seals tightly, removing as much air as possible and let it sit in the fridge for approximately 12 hours. Make sure everything is well coated and toss the mixture up if you pass by the fridge (place in a shallow dish to avoid any mishaps in the fridge).
Remove after 12 hours and drain
Place on a cookie sheet and pat dry with paper towels.
If you desire a hotter jerky now is the time to sprinkle on more Chipolte Powder/Cayenne pepper.
Put your first screen on top of the fan and lay the strips in straight lines. Place the next screen on and layer in a perpendicular pattern to the first layer. Continue with the next screen. It doesn't have to be perfect, but you don't want to crowd the screen and impede the air flow
The 4th (last screen) is your lid to keep bugs and other things off your meat. Secure all the screens with bar clamps or bungees to the fan.
Place your rig on top of the four cans or blocks and turn it on medium and let it go for 10-12 hours depending on your fan. I like to rotate the screen positions, as I feel this gives a more even drying effect. Dry until meat is like jerky,
You can stop there if you wish, but occasionally I like to end the drying at 8 hours or so and put it in my electric smoker. I usually do it a 150 degrees for no more than 45 minutes. You need to keep the temperature low or the meat will really dry out and get crispy. I like to put the jerky in when the smoker is cold, in my experience MES have a hard time producing enough smoke at lower temps in the summer time due to the way the temperature controls work (or you can leave the chip loader half out to achieve the same effect if the smoker is at temp).
From there store in an air tight, cool place and enjoy for weeks, if it lasts that long.
