Next time. Going to Costco this weekend...
Any jerky makers here?
- Thread starter himemsys
- Start date
I can see the flame go out when I open the door. Unless it comes back on but I doubt it.
Would you buy the same dehydrator? I should get one. I would like to make jerky and dried fruit and dog treats. I continually buy less commercial food so this would end that many more.
I have the next size larger COSORI, the $160 size, and it's great. Two pounds of meat will fill it up. If you plan to limit size to 1 lb. then the cheaper, smaller, unit will be okay.
I'd buy it again, yes. I was deciding between this one and the next size up. I was afraid this one wouldn't make enough in one batch, but for my needs, it ended up working well. i can fit a total of 2.5-3 pounds of meat on the 5 trays this one has. If the meat is cut thicker, than I can fit over 3 lbs. Super thin sliced meat I may only be able to fit 2 lbs in one batch.
In the most recent batch (pics above), I was able to fit 1.5 lbs of chicken and 1.1 lbs of salmon with almost no room to spare. If you think you'd cook more than 3 lbs at a time, then get the next size up.
Interesting. Are you spacing the pieces further apart than I am? Or using thinner cuts? See my comments above.
I don't pack mine as tightly as you do. Not saying you are wrong, just saying what I do.
My opinion, for 2+ lb batches, I'd go up a size.
Costco Butterball ground turkey, 93/7, 1.75 lb, $3.08/lb.
One of these days I'll measure, but not today. Used low sodium soy sauce, some teraki sauce, Meat Church Holy Voodoo BBQ rub seasoning, Red pepper flakes, small shot of bread crumbs, mixed, and into the refrig until tomorrow afternoon.
One of these days I'll measure, but not today. Used low sodium soy sauce, some teraki sauce, Meat Church Holy Voodoo BBQ rub seasoning, Red pepper flakes, small shot of bread crumbs, mixed, and into the refrig until tomorrow afternoon.
I'm backpedaling on my machine size recommendation. Just put in a batch of ground turkey, and I had two full trays empty, and I didn't pack the others particularly tight either.
Okay, so it's been almost a year since I started this thread. In that time, I have tried making jerky from everything from beef, to lamb, to deer, chicken, turkey, and various fish such as salmon, ahi tuna, and catfish. There have only been a few I did not like in dehydrated form. I believe cod was the worst. It's texture became too rubbery, but flavor was still good.
Today, I am trying for the first time...shrimp!
I just sampled a piece that is still cooking and I think it's going to be really good! It's not quite done yet, so I'm going to give it another 45 minutes or so.
I'm also dehydrating chicken again. Chicken is what I make most because it is inexpensive and always very tasty. It absorbs the marinade flavor much more than beef. Here is the current batch cooking with the shrimp:
Overall, if cost was no object, I'd say these are my rankings for jerky meats:
1. Atlantic Salmon
2. Ahi Tuna
3. Turkey
4. Chicken
5. Catfish
6. Tilapia
7. Deer
8. Lamb
9. Beef
10. Cod
90% of the time I'm making chicken. Great bang for the buck. Cheap and tastes great. My local Walmart will often mark down seafood on Saturday mornings if they are approaching their use-by date. If I can nab some salmon or ahi for $5-7/lb, that's when I do it.
For some reason, beef does not absorb as much flavor, and at >$10/lb, it's just not worth it. I typically marinade for 18-24 hours. Perhaps if I marinated the beef for 36-48 hours, it would come out better. But still, it's so expensive now, almost never worth it.
Today, I am trying for the first time...shrimp!
I just sampled a piece that is still cooking and I think it's going to be really good! It's not quite done yet, so I'm going to give it another 45 minutes or so.
I'm also dehydrating chicken again. Chicken is what I make most because it is inexpensive and always very tasty. It absorbs the marinade flavor much more than beef. Here is the current batch cooking with the shrimp:
Overall, if cost was no object, I'd say these are my rankings for jerky meats:
1. Atlantic Salmon
2. Ahi Tuna
3. Turkey
4. Chicken
5. Catfish
6. Tilapia
7. Deer
8. Lamb
9. Beef
10. Cod
90% of the time I'm making chicken. Great bang for the buck. Cheap and tastes great. My local Walmart will often mark down seafood on Saturday mornings if they are approaching their use-by date. If I can nab some salmon or ahi for $5-7/lb, that's when I do it.
For some reason, beef does not absorb as much flavor, and at >$10/lb, it's just not worth it. I typically marinade for 18-24 hours. Perhaps if I marinated the beef for 36-48 hours, it would come out better. But still, it's so expensive now, almost never worth it.
Yes. The dehydrator operates at 165F. Depending on the meat and how thick it is cut, it could take anywhere from 2-4 hours to fully cook the jerky. Obviously, thinner cuts (which Jerky almost always is) will cook through faster. You can bend the jerky to check doneness. If you want the jerky to last for weeks, you dehydrate it longer. It will be tougher because it's more dehydrated, but that helps it last longer. If you like more tender jerky, you can cook it less but it won't last as long. I finish eating my jerky batches within a week, so I cook them so they are just starting to dehydrate. They are softer, more tender and easier to chew.
By the way, the shrimp jerky was amazing. Everyone who tried it was surprised at how good it was. Tasted reminiscent of grilled shrimp skewers you'd get in a restaurant. Texture was somewhere between jerky and normally cooked shrimp. It really absorbed the flavor of the marinade...more so than I expected. Next time a little less marinade will go further.
Tomorrow morning I'll be dehydrating another batch of shrimp, and some chicken. 2lb of shrimp, half will be Tennessee Bourbon and the other half Teriyaki. The chicken will be Tennessee Bourbon. All will have a healthy dose of coarse black pepper and red pepper flakes. Photos pending.
I have been making jerky for a very long time. Probably 30 years ago my parents gave me a dehydrator that they bought and used for several years. I used to do jerky in it. But after buying a pellet grill/smoker several years ago, I started doing jerky on it instead. I love the results and retired the dehydrator.
About that time I did a search for all kinds of jerky marinade recipes, and found five or six that were highly rated. So I made up small batches of all of them and did a taste test with the family. The overall favorite is something that I make often, and is a big hit with everyone. It very similar to what @himemsys describes in post #20.
Here is what I use:
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 pineapple juice
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste, as preferred. Optional)
Except for amounts, it looks like the only real difference is that my recipe includes pineapple juice and balsamic vinegar. The I believe the vinegar helps tenderize the meat.
My preference is beef. I'm no longer much of a big chicken fan. I love salmon, but I like to smoke a full fillet. So I buy a thinly sliced meat that I find at Costco, but I have also had the local butcher slice me up a sirloin tip.
The recipe originally called for 1/2 tablespoon of liquid smoke, but I don't add it, since I dehydrate my jerky on a smoker. I smoke it at 150 - 160° f for about 3-4 hours. My wood of choice is mesquite, but have also used hickory and pecan, and like both of them also. I'll have to add some pictures next time I do a batch.
About that time I did a search for all kinds of jerky marinade recipes, and found five or six that were highly rated. So I made up small batches of all of them and did a taste test with the family. The overall favorite is something that I make often, and is a big hit with everyone. It very similar to what @himemsys describes in post #20.
Here is what I use:
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 pineapple juice
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste, as preferred. Optional)
Except for amounts, it looks like the only real difference is that my recipe includes pineapple juice and balsamic vinegar. The I believe the vinegar helps tenderize the meat.
My preference is beef. I'm no longer much of a big chicken fan. I love salmon, but I like to smoke a full fillet. So I buy a thinly sliced meat that I find at Costco, but I have also had the local butcher slice me up a sirloin tip.
The recipe originally called for 1/2 tablespoon of liquid smoke, but I don't add it, since I dehydrate my jerky on a smoker. I smoke it at 150 - 160° f for about 3-4 hours. My wood of choice is mesquite, but have also used hickory and pecan, and like both of them also. I'll have to add some pictures next time I do a batch.
Thank you for sharing your recipe. I actually have used balsamic vinegar before! It's not a regular ingredient, though. I found that it goes better with recipes that are not intended to be sweet. When I tried with teriyaki or brown sugar, it tended to reduce the sweetness of those flavors. But I need to remember to use it the next time I make beef jerky.
The pineapple is an intriguing ingredient. You've inspired me to try it in the future!
I recently discovered some premade marinades at Walmart that are very good and inexpensive. I think they might be cheaper than making my own.
https://www.walmart.com/search?q=allegro+marinade
I have tried the original, hickory, and Tennessee Whiskey. All three are good. Original and Hickory Smoke are identical other than the liquid smoke. Tennessee Whiskey has a nice tangy, peppery sweet flavor. I tend to add things to them, especially coarse black pepper and red pepper flakes, but they all make a nice base marinade that you can work off of.
I'm usually a homemade type of guy, but I looked at the ingredients of the Original, and it looks pretty good. The lime juice caught my eye. I might have to try this. I'm like you, though. I'll be sprinkling on black pepper and red pepper flakes.
