Homemade Beef Jerky

mprat210

I am thinking about making my own beef jerky. I really like it but am concerned about the sodium in it. I have found some good looking recipes on here but I was wondering how you store it. Store bought beef jerky is just in a zip lock bag but do you have to store homemade jerky differently?

jaygreen55

In order for Jerky to be preserved it has to be brined with some combination of salt and sugar solution. I use soy or teryaki sauce along with some worcestershire sauce and some maple syrup. You can either cold smoke it in a smoker or dry it in your oven at 150 degrees for 16-24 hours. I keep mine on a sealed glass jar with some raw rice in the bottom to absorb moisture. A couple of packets of silica gel will also work

The key to it not spoiling is to trim all visible fat before you dry it as it will become rancid and to make sure it is sufficiently dry without being dessicated otherwise it will get moldy after a few days. Unlike store bought there are no nitrites or other preservatives so it won't last forever. It will theoretically for yp to 2 weeks but mine is usually long gone before then

mprat210

Thank you!

NaurielR

I make my own turkey jerky in the oven. I use ground meat, combine it with seasonings, form them into flat sticks, and then bake it in a 170 degree convection oven (that's the lowest my oven goes. The lower the temp, the better. An actual dehydrator is ideal though). I also open the oven door every half hour or so to allow more Ir circulation.

It takes about four to five hours. They should feel leathery, but softer than regular jerky, because they will toughen up as they cool. I stored my first batch in an open glass jar on the counter. They lasted a week, but then after that I found some mold on one of the sticks. In later batches, I stored them in an open plastic bag in the fridge. They lasted two weeks (and would have lasted longer of I hadn't ate them all).