MoDon and others...
I am experamenting with jerky and just don't seem to have the right mixture yet...I know that there are other discussions on this subject but I am not very good at finding things through the "search".  Any input would be appriciated. I would like to make some turkey jerkey as well for my A kids and friends. Thank you.

yeah Don is an expert in jerky! )
here s what I ve got from his recipes, until he comes along and adjusts if necesary.....

Quoted Text

Beef Jerky (makes approximately 50-60 4-5 inch long pieces)
Ingredients:
1 kg (2 lbs) ground beef
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:
1) Mix spices together.
2) Add to meat and mix thoroughly.
3) Load meat into jerky gun and extrude onto dehydrator trays in strips.
4) Dry at 155 degrees F for 1 or 2 hours, then blot with a paper towel to remove oil.
5) Turn strips over and continue drying for about 2-3 more hours, blotting as needed.
6) Strips are done when they splinter when bent, but don’t quite break.
7) Store in Ziploc bag in fridge for about 1 to 2 weeks.

Wow - I didn't realize you could make jerky from ground beef - my hubby would love that.  That probably means you could make it from any kind of ground meat correct?  That makes it much more affordable to make.  I think we might have to drag out our dehydrator.  What if we don't have a jerky gun?  can you just pat the ground meat into really thin strips?  

Many thanks again Lola! You are wonderful!

Missy,
I believe that works fine, also.

you could roll it out with a pin, in between two serane wraps, like you would pastry......
then either cut into strips or small squares.....

NOW jerky is not a part of my background - but my american stephdad ( O) keeps talking about it...
BUT
1)is it safe to use ground meat or turkey- do the drying kill the bacterias ?
- or should one use a whole piece of beef and maybe grind it youself to keep the ammount of bacterias low ?- less bacteria in a whole piece of meat.

Quoted from lola

yeah Don is an expert in jerky! )
here s what I ve got from his recipes, until he comes along and adjusts if necesary.....

That information and recipe did not come from me and it is not the recipe that I use.

MoDon, will you please share the recipe that you use? Also, do you do turky jerky?

oh ok,
it s someone elses recipe then.......
works just the same........at least for me!

The concern about the previous recipe is the very small amount of salt. From what I have read the only required ingredient is 1 tsp. of salt per lb of meat. It is important for the safety of the final product.

I have made the ground beef jerky several ways:
Mexican salsa
BBQ sauce
Sort of a teriyaki, pineapple, tamari, ginger (this is the family favorite)
Experimented with mostly fruit juice, but never come up with something that I thought was as good as the others.

For the Mexican salsa and the BBQ:
1/4 cup salsa or BBQ sauce
1/4 cup water
1 tsp sea salt
¼ tsp rounded red pepper
1lb of ground beef

For the teriyaki:
1/2 cup of tamari and pineapple juice (you can experiment with the ratio; I use about 1/4 to 3/4 or 1/3 to 2/3, respectively)
1 tsp ground ginger heaping
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp crushed garlic
½ tsp hickory smoke flavoring (optional)
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper (optional)
1 tsp sea salt
¼ tsp rounded red pepper
1lb of ground beef

This is all from memory, but I think I remembered everything. I probably vary the recipe in some way every time I make it, so don't worry about the exact ingredients. Experiment however you want.

Quoted from Henriette_Bsec

1)is it safe to use ground meat or turkey- do the drying kill the bacterias ?
- or should one use a whole piece of beef and maybe grind it youself to keep the ammount of bacterias low ?- less bacteria in a whole piece of meat.

Here are some sources of information about Food Safety of Jerky
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/jerky_and_food_safety/index.asp
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/foods/458-501/458-501.html

Quoted from debi

Also, do you do turky jerky?

I have not used anything but ground beef so far.

I would like to try ground bison jerky since I have an available source of ground bison. The book I have has a recipe for it.

As a type O I really have no interest in chicken or turkey jerky since they really are not very fulfilling or satisfying compared to red meat.

MoDon...thank you

Don, Do you preheat your jerky before putting in the dehydrator or oven?

No, I don't preheat the meat before putting it on the dehydrator. I have not figured anyway of achieving the 90 percent relative humidity during the heating stages to an instantaneous internal temperature of 160°F that is talked about.

I just try to be careful in every other respect in how I make it and the source of the meat.

I am not to too into the ground meat varieties of "jerky" - like thin strips of real meat. I am sure Bison would work as that is where Jerky comes from.
I have used Elk, and Deer myself.

My latest discovery is Biltong.

Just thinking about the above mention of steaming - you could try placing the meat in a turkey Roasting Bag...

By reverse though; if you used a vacumn pump to freeze dry it - it wouldn't even need heating.

Quoted from ironwood55

Here are some sources of information about Food Safety of Jerky
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/jerky_and_food_safety/index.asp
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/foods/458-501/458-501.html

Thank you
I think I´ll do the thin strips of real meat

And Don, do you have one of the more expensive types of dehydrators that allow you to control temperature?  Ours is a one-temperature only, that we use to make dried fruit and fruit leather.  I am wondering now about the safety of using it for drying meat.

Another question for you, Oh Resident Jerky Consultant:  :-)
Some of the websites talk about "curing salt".  I have wondered if their products contain things other than salt.

My inexpensive ($39.95) Nesco brand dehydrator that I bought at Wal-Mart has a variable temperature control. I set it to the maximum 155 degree setting for beef jerky and lower for other things.

I use sea salt. Curing salt refers to salt blended with sodium nitrate, which I don't use.

I had a feeling it would not be good to order anything pre-packaged that said "Curing Salt" on the label.  Thanks for the benefit of your experiece.