I recently (as in the past year) started experimenting with jerky recipes. I've tried the following ground meats with a jerky gun: beef, bison, lamb
As for muscle meats, I've tried beef, turkey, salmon, and cod.
The cod and lamb were not very good. Cod just doesn't have enough flavor on its own and lamb (as much as I love it as a burger or a chop) has too much fat (jerky is best with very lean meats). Everything else depended on the seasoning, but mostly very good.
It seems that with ground meats, you are limited to powdered seasoning and cure. This is not my preference because you have less control over the sodium content. With muscle meats, I have had better success with liquid marinades and you can more easily control sodium content.
I usually use this meat because it's already the perfect thickness. Just need to cut to length and width:
https://www.walmart.com/search?q=sizzle steak
I've also tried this:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Beef-Cho...ray/1888939985?classType=REGULAR&from=/search
And it works well too. It's a little too thin and narrow, but it's much easier to use because there's zero prep work for cutting. Because it's so thin, it also dries faster. It may be done after 90 minutes as opposed to 2-2.5 hours for the thicker "sizzle steak" meat.
As for marinades, I have settled on a favorite. This works for around a pound of meat. Adjust qtys as needed.
1/4 cup liquid aminos or lite soy sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
For some heat, add 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper. For some variety, substitute 1 teaspoon Sriracha or Tapatio. This will increase sodium content.
This marinade works equally well with beef, turkey or salmon.
Basically, put your meat in a gallon ziplock bag. Mix the marinade ingredients until fully dissolved. Heat on stove if needed to help dissolve. Then pour (after cooled) marinade in ziplock bag, mix well til all meat is coated, flatten the bag and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, flipping the bag occasionally. When ready to cook, lay each piece of meat over paper towels, then lay another sheet of paper towels over the top and press down to absorb all the liquid away. Now you can cook your meat how you want.
I crack pepper over the raw meat just before it goes into dehydrator/air fryer/oven. This way the pepper sticks to the meat after it's done.
I don't have a dehydrator (yet) so I use either the air fryer (165 degrees for 2-3 hours) or oven (200 degrees with door cracked open) for 2-3 hours.
Since I use low sodium ingredients and do not add curing salt, the jerky will not stay fresh as long. As long as you refrigerate the jerky when not eating and finish it within a week, it should be fine.
Don't knock the turkey or salmon. Both are very tasty as jerky with this marinade! Just partially freeze the meat so that it is easier to slice thinly. You definitely want thin meat or it will take too long to dehydrate. Use boneless, skinless turkey breast, and any fresh salmon with or without skin (your preference).
Please share your jerky recipes below!
As for muscle meats, I've tried beef, turkey, salmon, and cod.
The cod and lamb were not very good. Cod just doesn't have enough flavor on its own and lamb (as much as I love it as a burger or a chop) has too much fat (jerky is best with very lean meats). Everything else depended on the seasoning, but mostly very good.
It seems that with ground meats, you are limited to powdered seasoning and cure. This is not my preference because you have less control over the sodium content. With muscle meats, I have had better success with liquid marinades and you can more easily control sodium content.
I usually use this meat because it's already the perfect thickness. Just need to cut to length and width:
https://www.walmart.com/search?q=sizzle steak
I've also tried this:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Beef-Cho...ray/1888939985?classType=REGULAR&from=/search
And it works well too. It's a little too thin and narrow, but it's much easier to use because there's zero prep work for cutting. Because it's so thin, it also dries faster. It may be done after 90 minutes as opposed to 2-2.5 hours for the thicker "sizzle steak" meat.
As for marinades, I have settled on a favorite. This works for around a pound of meat. Adjust qtys as needed.
1/4 cup liquid aminos or lite soy sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
For some heat, add 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper. For some variety, substitute 1 teaspoon Sriracha or Tapatio. This will increase sodium content.
This marinade works equally well with beef, turkey or salmon.
Basically, put your meat in a gallon ziplock bag. Mix the marinade ingredients until fully dissolved. Heat on stove if needed to help dissolve. Then pour (after cooled) marinade in ziplock bag, mix well til all meat is coated, flatten the bag and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, flipping the bag occasionally. When ready to cook, lay each piece of meat over paper towels, then lay another sheet of paper towels over the top and press down to absorb all the liquid away. Now you can cook your meat how you want.
I crack pepper over the raw meat just before it goes into dehydrator/air fryer/oven. This way the pepper sticks to the meat after it's done.
I don't have a dehydrator (yet) so I use either the air fryer (165 degrees for 2-3 hours) or oven (200 degrees with door cracked open) for 2-3 hours.
Since I use low sodium ingredients and do not add curing salt, the jerky will not stay fresh as long. As long as you refrigerate the jerky when not eating and finish it within a week, it should be fine.
Don't knock the turkey or salmon. Both are very tasty as jerky with this marinade! Just partially freeze the meat so that it is easier to slice thinly. You definitely want thin meat or it will take too long to dehydrate. Use boneless, skinless turkey breast, and any fresh salmon with or without skin (your preference).
Please share your jerky recipes below!
