Where to get real beef jerky?

[WRM20]

Originally Posted by terracore

2nd Day Air (UPS): $61.73
Next Day Air (UPS): $71.56

That's the UPS charges. The shipper doesn't make any money on those. Not a lot you can do about that. I looked at the UPS site, and that looks like the correct rates. Now, there's no point in using next day air, since 2 day gets there just as fast to Hawaii.

[roadrat]

Just make your own, it's incredibly easy and a lot cheaper. You can also make Jerky out of pork, chicken, and turkey.
the brine soak can be as simple as just soaking in soy sauce. Lay the thin strips in a dehydrator for about 18 to 24 hours and it's done.
For years I have used a cheap Ronco dehydrator I modified with a computer fan.

[galaxyhi]

Originally Posted by Submariner

Jerky is something you have to make yourself.

A few times I have tried store-bought jerky, it is as you have described.

Cut meat into thin strips, soak them overnight in a brine [recipes for brine can be found online], lay the strips out in a dehydrator. And in a week, you should have wonderful jerky.

I second this emotion.

I make my own in my dehydrator.

I have false teeth, and sooner than later (unless the S really HTF, spouse will need them too.

For me, store bought is just to tough for my fake teeth (even with some rehydration).

I can leave a bit of moisture (like 5%) and add a moisture absorber (and O2 absorber) in the seal a meal bag.

I get better results, can add my own spice blend or bribe as noted). If you want smokey flavor add liquid smoke.

I haven't tried lightly grilling then finish and dehydrate.

Even when I had my own teeth, I never cared for the flavor of store bought.

It's like banana chips...waaay to sweet for me store bought.
Ditto strawberry chips if treated with sugar water.

Best

[Sand&Salt]

I made good jerky with hamburger. Then it's never tough and you can flavor it how you like. Press into strips and use the dehydrator. I never buy jerky. We had lots of it and dried fruit on our long-term camping trips.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Many years ago, there was a custom butcher in my area who made really good jerky. So you could try the custom butchers in your area (the guys who come out to your farm and kill and process your animals for you).


Other than that, you are probably going to have to make your own.


I like the commercial jerky OK. But it sure isn't what jerky used to be and it isn't the same as homemade jerky.


The other thing that has changed into something completely different is dried fruit. If you buy dried fruit now, it is a sticky gummy mess.


Wait a minute: I think I've seen some good looking jerky in the meat counter at one of my local grocery stores. Big sheets of dried meat with visible flecks of black pepper on them. Very expensive.

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by MTSilvertip

I know you said you have tried but can't make it work, try again. Making your own isn't hard, just brine overnight and if you don't have a dehydrator you can use your oven. Just set it on about 150 and crack the oven door a little so the heat doesn't build up.

You can use those little chief smokers or other cheap smokers too, and if you don't want smoke just use the heating element. It's basically a dehydrator.

Cutting the meat slices thinner and drying them longer removes more moisture for crunchier jerky.

In the old days you wanted to get rid of the moisture to preserve the meat. Now it's more about the flavor and it's packed in plastic to keep it fresh, so it's softer. Just about any homemade jerky is going to be a lot harder and dryer than production stuff.

Some of the gas stations around here sell bulk jerky out of bins on the counter. Some of it is really hard, but I usually get it as a treat for my dog in part because it's too hard for me to eat after sitting on a counter for who knows how long, and you can buy a piece or 2 at a time for under a dollar.

I love true old fashioned jerky! My father and I used to give each other our fave food treats every year for Christmas. We never had to dream up new gift ideas. His was a particular type of black licorice, mine was Hickory Farms jerky. For a kid growing up in suburbia way back when, such a treat to walk into one of their stores and select your own delicious strips out of a countertop jar. Modern day commercial jerky is garbage...never found any that wasn't basically a variation on the same over-flavored cardboard. No, slathering even more pepper or teriyaki on the cardboard doesn't make it better.

I've experimented making my own using dehydrators, the oven, DIY, and assembled smoker kits. The smokers did the best job. Problem was, the smokers lived outside. I've lived in rural AK for a very long time. Keeping big critters from ripping those enticing aromatic food containers apart is a continual problem.

[terracore]

Originally Posted by WRM20

That's the UPS charges. The shipper doesn't make any money on those. Not a lot you can do about that. I looked at the UPS site, and that looks like the correct rates. Now, there's no point in using next day air, since 2 day gets there just as fast to Hawaii.

Yeah I get that, but it could get here for about $5 in a first class envelope. It would take a couple extra days to arrive, but it would be worth it to save $60.

I understand they don't want the overhead of offering an additional service, but UPS also offers a product called Surepost that is about the same as USPS rates because the USPS does the final mile delivery, which to Hawaii means almost the entire trip. It might be as easy as clicking a button in their shopping cart software to offer it.