Homemade jerky

bumb... i love jerky but have never made it

Darn, I was hoping you were posting a jerky recipe. lol

me too haha

I only use Turkey Jerky...

The mild flavor of turkey makes a perfect starting point for your favorite flavors in this turkey jerky recipe. It is also lower in fat than beef jerky. Feel free to adjust the spices to suit your own tastes. If you do not own a dehydrator, you can use your oven on the lowest setting and leave the oven door slightly ajar for air circulation.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 hours
Total Time: 12 hours, 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon liquid smoke
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or to taste
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 teaspoons mesquite flavoring liquid
2 teaspoons light brown sugar, packed
1 Tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound turkey meat, sliced thin
Preparation:
Combine liquid smoke, soy sauce, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mesquite flavoring, onion powder, garlic powder, and kosher salt in a large zip-top bag.

Add turkey strips to the marinade, seal, and squish to coat all the meat. Re-open the bag, squeeze out all the air, re-seal, and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours.

Remove turkey strips from marinade and gently pat off excess moisture with a paper towel. Place strips in a single layer, with space in between, on dehydrator racks. Dehydrate until turkey jerky is leathery and chewy but not crisp enough to snap when bent.

Store jerky in sealed bags in the refrigerator.

I've been making jerky for years now. A dehydrator is worth it, but you can make one out of a cardboard box and a lightbulb. These aren't my instructions. I simply googled. http://www.willowglyn.com/heather/jerkydrierinstructions.pdf

I've put all kinds of stuff on my jerky, but over a year ago I started making it super simple and now I prefer it plain. I get it very dry and toss it in bags. Always some in my purse. It's easier and faster to make and then I also don't get my taste buds activated and the grazing beast awakened. I love having jerky around. Fast easy protein (I never use powered protein) and it can be made to be crisp and crunchy.

By Alton Brown on the Food Network. I have used the same recipe for venison jerky. It seems weird to dry it on furnace filters, but if you watch the episode, he mentions that food dehydrators actually cook the meat, and aren't as effective.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/beef-jerky-recipe/index.html

Ingredients
1 1/2 to 2 pounds flank steak
2/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Special Equipment: 1 box fan, 4 paper air-conditioning filters, and 2 bungee cords
Directions
Trim the flank steak of any excess fat, place in a zip-top bag, and place it in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours in order to firm up.

Remove the steak from the freezer and thinly slice the meat with the grain, into long strips.

Place the strips of meat along with all of the remaining ingredients into a large, 1-gallon plastic zip-top bag and move around to evenly distribute all of the ingredients. Place the bag into the refrigerator for 3 to 6 hours.

Remove the meat from the brine and pat dry. Evenly distribute the strips of meat onto 3 of the air filters, laying them in the grooves and then stacking the filters on top of one another. Top these with 1 empty filter. Next, lay the box fan on its side and lay the filters on top of it. Strap the filters to the fan with 2 bungee cords. Stand the fan upright, plug in and set to medium. Allow the meat dry for 8 to 12 hours. If using a commercial dehydrator, follow the manufacturer's directions.

Once dry, store in a cool dry place, in an airtight container for 2 to 3 months.