The Essentials of – Breaking Down the Basics
Eating healthy meals and snacks is the new trend. Anyone thinking of jerky immediately thinks about the savory leathery pieces torn by their teeth when chewing. Chewing through the jerky muscle fibers brings forth an easy to swallow substance. Ground beef jerky is ideal for those opting for a quicker method as no marinating time is required yet the result is a chewier, snack stick texture. And while one can find many artisan brands out there that make beef jerky, making your own is easy and fun.
Some of the ingredients needed are garlic powder, onion powder, table salt, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and silverside. Silverside is the recommendable peace of meat for the preparation of jerky as it contains little fat. Jerky prepared using silverside is less likely to spoil. You do not have to worry about spending a fortune on silverside as it is very affordable. Slicing should be against the grain to ensure that the meat used for jerky preparation is in one piece.
Jerky preparation requires some specialized tools such as meat slicer, jerky gun and meat slicers while some are common such as knives and smokers. If you do not have smoker, you can use an oven or an air fryer. You can easily make jerky with a knife, but if you are preparing large quantities of jerky, you will need a quality meat slicer. The jerky gun makes uniform jerky pieces into flat strips or round sticks. Alternatively, you can wrap your ground meat in plastic wraps before transferring to the wire rack.
Now that you have all the tools and ingredients in one place, get your creative juices flowing as you mix up your jerky marinade. Pepper, salt, and garlic are perfect marination ingredients. You can start cooking after the meat is well marinated. Cooking is done through an oven or a desiccator. However, drying in the oven is easier and the most convenient method. Someone can also use air fryers which are alternative cooking methods. Air fryers are supercharged convection ovens that facilitate faster cooking using hot air. An air fryer makes the jerky crisp, much like deep frying.
Once cooked, use a smoker to dry the meat. However, ensure the temperature is well set before use. The advantage of drying using a smoker is not only will the meat be delicious, but it will also be tender. However, ensure drying has been carried out for more than four hours for a better taste. Store your jerky once it is completely dry. Properly dried jerky should not be crisp but firm. Transfer the dried jerky into a dark and dry place.