Who put the jerk in jerky?
I didn’t have any tough moose in the freezer like Kevin, but this recipe on his blog sounded worth trying. Utilizing common pantry ingredients and fresh garlic it sounded like an easy experiment. I can’t begin to count how many recipes people have given me that contain liquid smoke or other chemical laced ingredients. This just contains salt, sugar, soy sauce, pepper(s), garlic, and meat. I used Tamari (wheat free) soy sauce, Rapidura, our Music garlic, and our own dried cayenne and paprika peppers. If hot isn’t in your vocabulary, don’t use the cayenne 
I marinated it for one day and put it on a rack in the warming oven of the cookstove until it was dry. We joked around about hanging it on the sock (corn) drying rack above the stove, but decided that since Trace likes to get dirty socks out of the laundry, jerky scented socks may be too much of a temptation! Plus, who wants unsightly jerky buildup on their socks? Although that may be good for meter readers and mailmen… .
About half way through the process we started nibbling on a piece here and there – and it was delicious while it was still a little pliable, and even better when fully dried.
What I liked about the recipe was that it was for a pound of meat, making it easy to try with a package of bottom round steak or something of that nature. I thawed my steaks and partially refroze them, and after slicing I weighed the meat and adjusted the recipe. I did get little lazy and didn’t mince my garlic very fine, but the dried marinated garlic chunks are good too. Just gives me an excuse to make some more.
Not really a zero mile snack due to the spices etc., but definitely a keeper. This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday series. Lots of gluten free and nutrient dense food discussions going on over there – check it out!
Food Renegade
Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op
OOOO, I have some venison in the freezer that’s calling to be used with this recipe!!!
Susy, you won’t be disappointed – it’s good.
wooo thank you for sharing it with us, I LOVE jerky!
CompactUK, you’re welcome!
We make our own jerky too, and the recipe sounds very similar to the one I use.
Kay, it’s nice a have a good recipe – finally. I wasn’t really looking for one, so this one found me, I guess.
We make a bit of jerky every year. I’ll have to try this one because the one that I make is FULL of msg, and liquid smoke…….not exactly what I like to be eatin’! Thanks for the recipe link!
Sarah, this is a pretty good one, and open to a little fudging here and there. With good ingredients, who needs the MSG and other stuff anyway. The test for me was if my joints and/or feet ached the next day after eating some. Not a whisper of creakiness…well, maybe a little.
Sometimes when my friends complain about getting old, and feeling old, I think about their SAD diets are more of a contributor than they would like to think.
i’d be more concerned with sock scented jerkey than jerkey scented socks.
Mousedude, LOL, that’s why I hang the socks by the top, so depending on the length of the sock, maybe jerky scented shins only?
Is the “Jerk in Jerky” anything to do with the “Hick in Hickory”? I think he could use some jerky-scented socks…
CommaQueen, I had forgotten about that, but now that you mention it, I think maybe a jerky carrier in their socks would be on the agenda. Kinda like heating up your soup on the manifold…
I’m game to try it….Maybe not on a sock dryer though.
Linda, the sock dryer was beckoning but, the warming oven was much easier
Didn’t Jamaicans put the jerk in jerky? Like jerk chicken, and all that?
Dunno about the hick in hickory…
Who put the ape in apricot?
As in, what makes the Hottentots so hot? Who put the ape in apricot? Whadda they got that I ain’t got? Courage!
okay- I’ll stop now…
Yum, I LOVE jerky. So going to try, thanks for sharing!
Looks very good!
Mmmmmm! There was a little old chinese lady that worked at the post office with me. She used to make loads of jerky and sell them to us at work. I always tried to snag me a bag or two when she had them available.
I’ll definitely try this!! Although, between me, the husband and the kids, I don’t know how long it’ll last!