Beef jerky is awesome. Unfortunately it suffers from what I like to call “mozzarella stick syndrome”. Mozzarella sticks tend to be RIDICULOUSLY overpriced in most restaurants, charging $1 or more a piece for a wad of relatively inexpensive fried cheese. All the links in here seem like the same deal. $25.99 for a pound of beef jerky? Seriously?
No, it’s really not the same situation. Jerky is usually made from fairly nice cuts of beef, and it takes a TON of meat to make a decent amount of jerky. You are getting what you pay for, but if it’s not worth that to you I totally get it.
Edit: decided to look it up, and apparently 4:1 is about standard. So that’s still a bit of a markup, but not quite as ridiculous as it may look.
Do they really use that fancy of meat? I thought half the reason the jerky-ification process started was to tenderize and preserve lesser cuts of meat?
I’m confused about what you’re referring to with the 4:1 ratio. It sounds like mark-up but I don’t think that’s right.
My understanding is that most beef jerky is a 2:1 to 3:1 ratio of fresh to dried beef ratio. Given beef prices for standard jerky cuts like top round, you’d probably need to sell at $10-$12 a pound just to break even on material costs (beef + spices, energy). Double that is not unreasonable, given the labor and distribution costs. I don’t think most jerky goes for a 4:1 markup (e.g., $40 a pound).
What does the purpose of the jerkification process have anything to do with the evaluation and purchase of quality beef jerky? One has nothing to do with the other. If I want some good beef jerky, I don’t care about what the original reason for making it was. I want good beef jerky. Good beef jerky is generally not cheap.
— Alan
Yeah, where I am it’s like 3.5 ounces for $5.00 or so. That seems to be the base price. Anywhere from 3 to 4 ounces for about $5 to $5.50.
I usually take flank steak (any cut will do, but I think the best are ones with less fat) slice it up into thin slices (the thinner the better), then pound the crap out of it with a meat tenderizer. I soak it in a combination of: Dale’s seasoning or soy, Worcestershire, pepper, salt, brown sugar and/or molasses, cayenne pepper and/or your fav hot sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, red wine vinegar, and liquid smoke (I do whatever tickles my fancy, but make sure it includes something that actually tenderizes the meat). Marinate it for about 24 hours, take the thin slices out and let dry out a little on paper towels (to get excess liquid off), coat with whatever dry seasoning suits your fancy (I loves the black pepper), then throw those bad boys on a mini grill rack set on a cookie sheet (so the juice doesn’t run to the bottom of the stove), throw that in any regular oven, crack the door about an inch (it’s important that air can escape to, um, dehydrate the meat, it’s also important that the meat itself is on something like a grill rack or the oven rack itself so that air can circulate over the meat), on about 180 degrees (I think that is about as low as most ovens go, if not, whatever lowest setting will do).
Depending how thin the slices are, it usually takes about 4 to 8 hours (possibly longer). You can tell when it’s done when you check the meat. When you bend a slice it’s tender but not too dry. Basically the meat cracks, if it is too tender, wet, and doesn’t crack at all then it needs more time. The dehydrators (I like them, a little more convenient than ovens) work very well, but if you don’t have one, then the oven works just as good. By the way, other than grilled back strap, venison jerky is about the only way I’ll eat a deer.
Oh, one more thing … whatever you decide to do(and I think the experts that give recipes will tell ya this) make sure to trim as much fat off as you can. Jerky that has too much fat tastes and feels like you are eating rubber, however the important reason to take fat off is that the fat on jerky is what can make the meat go rancid. Jerky is supposed to last a long time, the more fat on it, the less time it keeps.
Anyway, good luck!
There’s a good eats episodeabout making home-made jerky. As is his wont, he recommends a weird jury-rigged contraption involving air filters and a box fan. The idea is that you’re dehydrating it, not cooking it, and even a low oven is doing too much of the latter. I haven’t tried it though.
http://shop.jacklinks.com/default.aspx
Tender and full of flavor. My personal favorite is the peppered, also comes in steak nugget form wich is even more tender than the jerky.
My favorite beef jerky is from childhood. Very dry and stringy; you could suck on it forever to make it soft. Unfortunately, I can never find anything like it anymore. All the supermarket jerky is chewy and tender.
Has anyone had tuna jerky? I’ve just been introduced to it and was definitely wowed
I’m not partial to the tender stuff either. I really like the types that you need to work the flavor out a bit. I would recommend looking at jar jerkies, which seem to be much dryer, from my experience, and often more flavorful. For brand names I really like wild bills jerky, and they make a type that’s “from the jar”.
Fish jerky of any kind is usually, almost always, tender. It has to do with the way that the muscle mass in a fish is laid out. Even the toughest fish is more tender than the toughest jerky from a fowl or a land animal.
I find that jerky from fowl is tougher, in general. Mainly because the meat has long strings of muscle fiber. Beef or pork has more fat as well. And when the fat and even the connective tissue, breaks down… there is the tenderness. Most fowl has fat on the outside. But not in the actual muscle fiber.
Had some jack links original, still not a fan of jerky. It just tastes like blood clot to me. I WANT TO LOVE IT BUT I CAN"T!
I had some kind of smoked fish in Hawaii last time I was out there… Not sure if it could really be called jerky though. It wasn’t really that chewy.
It was good though. It actually reminded me of smoked phesant.
My favorite has been the Enjoy brand beef jerky. Seems like it’s been phased out of supermarkets near me in favor of Jack Links and their ilk. It’s definitely not the most natural beef jerky, but it’s always packed with flavor. And it’s thin and chewy like jerky should be.
Big John’s Beef Jerky is my go-to when it comes to getting the fancy pantsy stuff, although it’s very reasonably priced. You can get the normal slabs of meat, or you can get thin strips with are great and easier to eat (I think). There’s the normal jerky flavors, but it’s just really, really well seasoned and delicious.
I’ve also had Blue Ox jerky, but despite the funny website, wasn’t overly impressed. I thought their hunter sausages and deep fried cajun peanuts were quite good, though.
I’m pretty sure Jack Links is to jerky what Budweiser is to beer. Get thee to gourmet.
A friend hipped me to this beef jerky
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0176REM9E
and my god it is incredibly delicious. Dry and salty, not like those crappy convenience store brands, all disgustingly nasty and soft and (barf) sweet.
↑ ↑ ↑ WHAT HE SAID MY FRIENDS!
If you’re into the whole jerky thing, get this one, try it, and tell me it isn’t frickin’ amazing. It is like “I’ve tasted the body of Jesus” level good. Really. I swear.
Go to a Catholic church for that. The have the real shit.
@wumpus, I will have to give that a try.
I was sitting in Trinidad and Tobago one night listening to some business folks nearby talk about their jobs. Somehow they started talking about beef jerky, and their very favorite brand, which also happens to be mine—Woody’s Smokehouse! http://woodys-smokehouse.com/ It’s the best, but so expensive.
Almost tied with that (different type of jerky, though) is Jackson Hole Buffalo Meat Co. I used to get their local discount, but I no longer have a place in Jackson…blast. I will still order it for long backpacking trips. Their elk jerky is also very delicious.