Homemade Jerky- Just One More Reason to Fill the Freezer
Author: Eileen Clarke - Rifles and Recipes
Homemade Jerky- Just One More Reason to Fill the Freezer
Eileen Clarke
Rifles and Recipes
Before we start on this jerky recipe, there are two important things to talk about. The first is the cayenne pepper. I used fresh cayenne. Cayenne loses potency over time, and with exposure to heat and light. So if you want the same results, use fresh.
Second, mix the brown sugar, cayenne, liquid smoke and salt together (before adding it to the meat) with the back of a spoon or spatula, and mixing the cayenne pepper and liquid smoke well into the mixture. You don’t want a little lump of cayenne--or smoke--lurking in a stick of jerky. This combo will roll around on your tongue, the roof of your mouth, and cheeks, hitting all the bases, rather than sending you screaming for water.
How ‘bout that temperature? 160°F. Friends who’ve cooked jerky at lower temps all day long report they get much tastier jerky at this higher temperature for a shorter time. I’ve always found that to be true, plus you don’t have to babysit it so long.
Finally, this combination of spices will work for any big game animal, including bear, even if their flavor is just a bit gamy. Cayenne and liquid smoke may not cure everything, but they hide a lot.
Sweet & Spicy Smoke Jerky
For 1 pound of ground meat
Ingredients
1 pound ground red meat
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons Liquid Smoke
2 teaspoons salt
Preparation
Mix the ingredients together well, and place in a tightly sealed plastic bag or storage container. Let it sit overnight in the refrigerator to let the flavor develop. To taste test: cook a 1-inch ball of mix for 15-20 seconds in the microwave. (A coffee cup is the perfect holder, as the sides are high enough to contain the splatters--and mess.)
Cooking
1. Shape the jerky with a jerky gun and arrange the jerky strips on grids over foil-lined drip pans. Preheat the oven to 160°F* and cook about 3 hours. Since bear has more fat than other big game, especially this time of year, you may see drops of fat rise to the top of the jerky when cooking. You can wipe it off with paper towels, or just leave it there. Good bear fat is good eating. (Just ask the people who use it for pie crusts.) It is not a sign that the jerky is not fully cooked. To gauge doneness, see step 2.
2. Before turning off the oven, check that the jerky is done. It should be moist enough to not crack when you bend it but also dry enough to easily tear off a bite, and there’s no pink in the middle.
3. Let the jerky cool and air dry in the turned-off oven or on the counter, for 6-8 hours, then store in resealable plastic bags. You can store your jerky in the fridge for 2-3 weeks, or in the freezer up to 3 months.
*Before you start, check your oven temperature. Oven thermometers are cheap and make it easier to time anything cooked in the oven.
Also, some newer ovens don’t go as low as 160F on the ‘regular’ oven settings but will if you use the ‘keep warm’ setting.
Eileen’s Stalking the Wild Jerky cookbook has 101 easy-to-follow recipes with traditional and not-so-traditional recipes for both sliced and ground meat—from waterfowl and turkey to big game. It’s available at https://www.riflesandrecipes.com/406-521-0273 Reading Leaves bookshop and the Goose Bay Handblown Glass shop.
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PhotoCredit: Eileen Clarke
Image 1 Caption: My smiling elk
Photo Credits: Eileen Clarke
