There are many Wonderful Jerky recipes here on Zaar!
Wild Game Jerky
All Jerky Recipes
What is Jerky?
Jerky is meat which has been cut into strips with the fat trimmed off, marinated in a spiced, salty or sweet liquid for a desired flavor, then dried with low heat or occasionally salted and sun-dried. The result is a strip of salty, semi-sweet snack, which can be stored for long periods of time without refrigeration.
Where did Jerky Originate?
The word
jerky itself comes from the Incan term
Charqui which means dried meat.
Throughout human history and culture, drying meat has been a common method employed to preserve it. By drying thinly sliced meat in the sun and wind next to a smoky fire, the meat was protected from insects which would lay eggs in the raw meat. These prehistoric methods to preserve meat for storage have been used by the Inca and many other ancient peoples, who prepared jerky from the animals they hunted or raised as an essential matter of need.
How is Jerky Made?
Beef is by far the most common meat used for jerky, but meat from other animals, such as wild game, venison and elk is also commonly used. Recently, other meats have become more common, such as turkey, ostrich, salmon, alligator, and tuna. The meat must be dried quickly, to limit bacterial growth during the critical period where the meat is not yet dry. To do this, the meat is thinly sliced, or pressed thinly, in the case of ground meat. Drying is performed at low temperatures, to avoid cooking or overdrying the meat and making it brittle, with good jerky being flexible and somewhat tough.
In present-day factories jerky ovens are made of insulated panels. Inside these large ovens are many heater elements and fans with exhaust ports to remove moisture-laden air. The combination of fast moving air and low heat quickly dries the meat to the desired moisture content usually within a few hours. The raw marinated jerky strips are placed on racks of nylon screens which have been sprayed with a light vegetable oil for separation. The screen trays are placed closely in layers on rolling carts which are then put in the drying oven.
At home, jerky is easily made. Three common methods are drying in a dehydrator, in the sun, or in on oven. The most convenient is oven drying.
In addition to dehydration, usually some other form of preservative is used in the preparation of jerky. Smoking was the traditional method, as it both preserved and dried the meat. Salting is the most common method used today, as it both provides seasoning to improve the flavor as well as preserve the meat. While some methods involve applying the seasonings with a marinade, this can increase the drying time by adding moisture to the meat, so methods that use a dry rub are generally faster.
Is there any Nutritional Value to Jerky?
Because of the necessary low fat and moisture content, jerky is high in protein. A 30 g (about 1 oz) portion of lean beef, for example, contains about 7 g of protein. By removing 15 g of water from the beef, the protein ratio is doubled to nearly 15 g of protein per 30 g portion. In some low moisture varieties, a 30 g serving will contain 21 grams of protein, and only one gram of fat. This leads to the high price of such brands of jerky, as it takes 90 g of 99% lean meat to generate that 30 gram serving.
There are many products in the marketplace which are sold as jerky which consist of highly processed, chopped and formed meat, rather than traditional sliced, whole-muscle meat. These artificial products, with their far higher fat and water content, often include chemical preservatives to prevent spoilage.
Are there Any Food Safety Issues Associated with Jerky?
Homemade jerky may contain bacteria that can cause severe illness or death. The USDA currently recommends that meat be heated to 160 degrees F before the dehydrating process in order to destroy pathogenic microorganisms.
There are special considerations when making homemade jerky from venison or other wild game. Venison can become heavily contaminated with fecal bacteria, depending upon the skill of the hunter in dressing the animal and location of the wound. Fresh beef carcasses are usually rapidly chilled, but deer carcasses are often held at temperatures that could potentially allow bacteria to multiply.
To reduce your risk for foodborne illness, there are some general guidelines:
· Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water before beginning to work and after changing tasks or after doing anything that could contaminate your hands, such as sneezing or using the bathroom.
· Start with clean equipment and clean it thoroughly after using. Be sure all surfaces that come into contact with meat are clean.
· Sanitize surfaces with a solution of 1 tablespoon chlorine bleach per gallon of water. Allow to air dry.
· If using frozen meat, thaw it in a refrigerator (at 40 oF or below) on the lowest shelf to avoid dripping of juices on ready-to-eat foods. Never thaw meat on the kitchen counter.
· Use refrigerated ground meat within two days or whole red meats within three to five days.
· Keep raw meat separate from other foods.
· Marinate raw meat in the refrigerator.
· Dry meats in a food dehydrator that has an adjustable temperature dial and will maintain a safe temperature for drying. Don't rely on the dial settings when using a food dehydrator. Measure the temperature of the dehydrator during processing with a calibrated thermometer; place the metal stem of a dial thermometer between dehydrator trays or create an opening for the stem by drilling a hole through the side of the tray.
How does Jerky Differ in Other Countries?
It seems that while the methods may vary slightly, some form of dried meat can be found in all regions of the world.
Pemmican is a concentrated food consisiting of dried pulverized meat, dried berries and rendered fat. It was invented by the native people of North America. The specific ingredients used in it were usually whatever was available. The meat was often bison, moose, elk or deer. Fruits such as cranberries and saskatoon berries were common as well as cherries, currants, chokecherries, anc blueberries.
Saskatoon Pemmican
Fruit Pemmican
Vegetarian Pemmican Bars
On the Go Moose Pemmican
Dried Pemmican With Juniper and Currant Berries
Biltong is a South African dried meat, usually made from beef, wild game or ostrich. Typically, it is made from raw fillets of meat cut into strips which follow the grain of the muscle or flat pieces sliced across the grain. The meat is marinated with rock salt, coarse black pepper, coarse ground coriander, a little saltpeter to improve the color and vinegar and then it is air-dried. It is similar to jerky in that they are both spiced dired meats, but differs significantly in typical ingredients, taste and production process.
photo by Bokenpop
Biltong
Beef Jerky Biltong Flavouring
Bakkwa is a Chinese dried meat product that is salty and sweet and flat in form. Although it is usually made of pork, it may also be prepared using beef or chicken. Commercially abailable bakkwa is sometimes also labeled as 'barbecued pork', 'dried pork', or 'pork jerky'. Traditionally, bakkwa was made using leftover meats from festivals and banquets. They were preserved with sugar and salt and then kept for later consumption. The meat from these celebrations is trimmed of fat, sliced, marinated, and then smoked.
Pastirma is a highly seasoned, air-dried cured beef usually considered a Turkish or Armenian dish although it is produced and consumed in may countries from Eastern Europe and Middle East. Beef is the most common meat used today, other meats such as camel, lamb, goat, and water buffalo may also be used. It is prepared by pressing the meat to squeeze out any water, then covering it with a cumin paste called cemen and air drying it.
