Where to buy good beef jerky?

dholly · Mar 28, 2005

( At $8.99/lb I've made a few hudred dollars of jerky. )

Well, I'm still trying to figure out just how 'expensive' $8.99/lb delivered is vs. homemade. Here's my breakdown:

For 1 pound of dry-weight jerky, you need about 3 pounds of meat (you lose a bunch of meat to trimming, then another bunch of weight to drying). At an average of $2.00 per pound of beef, that's $6.00 right there.

Then, figure in your spices. You can use a TON of spices and sauces in jerky... soy sauce, Worcestershire, steak sauce, hot sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, pepper, cure, etc... anything exotic and that'll eat another $4.00 out of your budget.

Then you gotta smoke/dry it. Fuel... leaving your gas or electric range open for hours? Smoker wood chips? Electric dehydrators run cheap, but if you're not using one, add another $3.00-$4.00 and your total is running about $14 for a pound of homemade jerky. And that's your COST, not including YOUR TIME. If you'd rather be playing on the tractor or something, well, you have to factor that in too...

Ok, maybe that's a bit high. It's probably closer to say... $8.99/lb! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

BTW, my order with World Kitchens was painless and error free. Very easy, and not one, but two, email confirmations including tracking number and link along with a personal "Thank you". Good business impression, hope the product stacks up.

fishman · Mar 28, 2005

I'll definitely be interested in a report after you sample it. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Chuck52 · Mar 28, 2005

Well, dholly, you're talking with one of the world's great cheapskates. When I'm going to make jerky, I look for the best buy I can find on the meat. I rarely spend more than $2.00 per pound. I also buy store brand soy or terriyaki sauce, and the spices I use are also fairly inexpensive. I have my own dried cayennes which I use sometimes, but since my grandkids are a major part of my audience, I have to go light on the heat anyway. And I do use a dehydrator. I've never figured it out carefully, but I'd be surprised if my finished jerky cost me anywhere near $8.99 per pound, not counting my time. If I figured in my time at my usual $150 per hour, I suppose I could buy the jerky cheaper, but I bet it wouldn't taste as good!

Chuck

dholly · Mar 31, 2005

( I'll definitely be interested in a report after you sample it. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif )

Well, the 'experts' in my house have made their decision and it's unanimous. Three thumbs up! You're gonna need that extra thumb to wipe the sweat off your brow because the amount of red pepper flake on the 'Hot and Spicy' would bring a tear to Satan'e eye. The 'Old Fashioned' has just the right amount of black pepper and garlic, but 'Teriyaki' is a bit too sweet for my taste. Of course the kids like it best. My fav is the 'Peppered', very good, fresh taste and just the proper moisture content, i.e., no shoeleather. Came in 1lb bags just as pictured on their website, securely double-boxed. No problems whatsoever and I would not hesitate to reorder. If you're inclined to buy, you might want to give them a try.

fishman · Mar 31, 2005

Thanks Mr. dholly. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif I'm going to order some right now.

Ozarker · Mar 31, 2005

I asked her and she wrote down the following:

3 pounds beef (steak, flank, or brisket)
1 tsp seasoning salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp pepper
4 tsps Liquid Smoke
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup Worcestershire Sauce

I would use flank if using any of the above meat. Trim off all fat, slice meat with grain about 1/4 inch, or thinner.

I am able to buy Bulgoggi or Rouladen meat in the commissary which is beef cut very thinly. Then I just have to slice into one inch slices.

Place meat in shallow pan. Combine other ingredients and pour over meat. Marinate in refrigerator overnight.

Preheat oven to 125 degrees. Lay strips on cookie sheets. Bake 8-12 hours. Leave oven door open a crack - put cook-spoon in it to hold it open. Turn meat over after 3-4 hours to ensure other side is cooked. My oven doesn't go this low, so it only takes about 8 hours for the jerky to get done.

I double the recipe and double the amount of meat used because 3 pounds doesn't make very much. (Recipe above is NOT doubled)

stevenf · Apr 1, 2005

Eddie, We've got an american harvest dehydrator we bought at Walmart 4 or 5 years ago not sure they still carry them but it works great. Make sure and get the extra trays I believe we got about 12 total 1 or 2 come with the dehydrator the rest are sold seperate in boxes of 2 or 3. We have made jerky out of everything chicken, turkey, venison, wild hog etc etc its super simple you just slice the meat as thin as you want the thinner the faster it dehydrates and spice it up with some of the marinade recipes from this thread as they all sound similiar to what we've done except usually I'll make some of it spicy with jalapeno spice made by fiesta I think. If you get tired of jerky slice up a batch of fruit and dehydrate it, its a pretty tasty treat as well. I do have to admit that many times I'll throw the meat in one of my smokers whole at very low heat for 3 or 4 hours then cool it down, slice and dehydrate it to give it a smoky flavor as making jerky completely in a smoker is pretty tough unless you have a real smoke house with the barrel and pipe leading to the house and just let it stay in the smoke house for a few days. I haven't built one at the ranch yet I had a good one in town up until last year with a brick smoke house and clay pipe fed by a 3' iron smoke box. I had to let it go with the house as it was quite attached and a selling point to the folks we sold to.
Steve

Rch · Apr 1, 2005

Hewitt's Meat Processing Inc.
8300 CTH V
Lindsey WI 54449
715 676 3654
They have beef and pork, full muscle or formed.
Full muscle is the best

I too love jerky and this is the BEST. They have won all sorts of awards /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

dholly · Apr 1, 2005

Please thank the chef for her recipe, looks a lot like the one we used to use (see below). One thing though - do you simply place right on cookie sheets without using wire racks? I know this isn't an exact science but I thought that was a no-no. Probably doesn't hurt anything, just takes a bit longer to dry is all I suspect?

A GOOD BASIC MARINADE RECIPE (from "Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing" By Rytek Kutas)

5 lbs. lean beef such as round or brisket
1 Cup water
1 Cup Worcestershire
3/4 cup Soy Sauce
3/4 cup Teriyaki Sauce
3 teaspoons onion powder
3 teaspoons garlic powder
3 teaspoons coarse black pepper

Optional: (For 5 lbs. of meat)

Add 1 level teaspoon Cure (if you will process at temperatures under 160° F).
Add 5 oz. liquid smoke (if you do not have a smokehouse) to the seasonings and mix with the meat.
For sweetness add either: 4 oz. dark corn syrup or 3 tablespoons brown sugar.
For heat add 1-2 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper and/or sprinkle to taste with additional coarse black pepper after removing from marinade just before placing in dehydrator.

Ozarker · Apr 2, 2005

Up to now we just placed them on cookie sheets. But just last week I bought a set of wire racks for doing jerkey in the oven. Haven't tried them yet.

I have a dehydrator but my wife thinks it is just a lot easier to do it in the oven. I don't complain because she is the one doing all the work. I just have to wait for it to get done and eat it.

Of course I didn't get any of the last batch she made. She sent it all to my son in the Air Force.