Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
There are good jerkies at places like trader joes, some health food stores or natural grocers, and a few places online; just look for 'grass-fed' when you search online because these producers tend to have the highest standards. Of course check the ingredients and even call the place and ask questions if you feel the need to verify. It shouldn't have any nitrates added beyond that in the natural salt used for processing. And natural spice names, not chemical names.
Many store 'jerkies' are frightening, I agree, certainly not something to survive upon.
Making one's own jerky is not that difficult - or so I've been told, haha. That's a project for another year
Jerky is perhaps the easiest thing to make.
You can use a dehydrator, or a gas stove with the pilot light lit, or an old stove or fridge or freezer with a metal plate on the bottom to build a small smoky fire on, or an old outdoor smoker or even a closed grill. You can use whatever spices make you happy; from soy, teriyaki, worchestershire sauce, to rub-on spices from the garden (I like to pound mine into the meat strips). Just avoid fatty or gristly strips.
The hardest thing about jerky is slicing it thin enough to 'jerk' evenly, especially in humid conditions. The drier the outside air, the better the jerky.
I love to make it, especially deer jerky - the only problem is that I rarely get to eat it. DH can eat a pound at a sitting!
The hardest thing about jerky is slicing it thin enough to 'jerk' evenly, especially in humid conditions. The drier the outside air, the better the jerky.
I love to make it, especially deer jerky - the only problem is that I rarely get to eat it. DH can eat a pound at a sitting!
If you cool the meat down just at freezing temperature but not quite frozen it can be cut thin a lot easier. Cut it into small enough pieces that you can slice it in less than a minute, cool it down and then go one at a time from the freezer.
Also, many good cooks have no idea how to get a knife edge really sharp. A carbon steel blade properly sharpened is a must for jerky.
I've been told you can't store meat jerky without using preservatives. How long does natural jerky keep safely? The companies that sell grass-fed natural beef jerky say you have to eat it within one month, is that correct?
Thanks
I've been told you can't store meat jerky without using preservatives. How long does natural jerky keep safely? The companies that sell grass-fed natural beef jerky say you have to eat it within one month, is that correct?
Thanks
It will last a good deal longer as long as it isn't handled with bare hands after drying. If handled it will mold at room temperature, but it will take a while. My son's jerky never gets mold on it and has no preservatives. He made a really really hot one for me at Xmas and its still here. A bit crumbly but no mold.
Missing is it so cold there you get stuck inside in winter? I don't think so, since you lived in the wall tent, so you could get needles fresh anytime right? I have white spruce here but not black. That's a little to my north still.
On the mountians there is Labrador tea, but it's not very plentifull.
Seasonings like pepper can help jerky last a fair amount of time, also salt and sugars if you can stand sweet meats.
Go check out peppered smoked hams, the real expensive ones. In taht case the pepper is mostly to keep off flies, and the salt/smoking is the meat preservitive.
Good to hear, but how long then does it last without preservatives?
Thanks
The salt serves as a natural preservative of the meat. Oils and proteins from handling are subject to the molds.
I have had homemade jerky around for a year. We had some fish jerky that no one ate around for longer than that.
I am sure you have seen dried cod. I think it lasts years.
I like beef jerky that has a little visible fat on it. Cut from something other than a top round. And no liquid smoke. Its way over used.
Why not make your own economical vegetarian meals from scratch rather than relying on an expensive, commerically pre-packaged version? Dried brown lentils take 20 minutes to cook in a covered saucepan with a little water (cooking instructions on the plastic bag) and do not need to be soaked first. Other varieties of dried beans and peas take longer to cook and usually need soaking time before cooking. White rice takes 20 minutes to cook in a covered saucepan with a little water (cooking instructions on the bag or box) and most people do not have food allergies to white rice. Brown rice takes about twice as long to cook as white rice and is often more expensive and does not store as long as white rice. Rice + a legume (peas, lentils, dried beans) make a complete vegetable protein with lots of dietary fiber and this combination is a great choice if you do body-building and can't afford to buy lots of meat. If you add a little salt, a little vegetable oil, perhaps some canned tomatoes or other favorful vegetables to your cooked lentils and serve over cooked rice, you will have a tasty and nearly nutritionally complete meal for pennies per serving. If serving this to non-vegetarians, I would add some crumbed cooked bacon or some diced up Spam to the cooked lentils and maybe a dash of hot sauce or soy sauce. The only other thing I would add to this meal would be to serve it with a glass of organge-flavored Tang drink mix so that I would have a cheap form of vitamin C. Tang drink has the same amount of Vitamin C as fresh squeezed orange juice with half the sugar of orange juice and a jar of Tang is cheap and will store well for a long time in a pantry. Both raw rice and dried lentils store well for months/years in food safe air-tight containers. Oh yeah, I would also make sure I get 30 minutes of daylight each day so my body can make its own Vitamin D.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
