Recently my sister in law and I tasted someone’s home made jerky and that was it, we bought a second hand dehydrator so we could make our own. The idea is to share the dehydrator but I have to admit it hasn’t left my house yet! It’s fantastic for making beef jerky which disappears at a rate of knots in our house and if any is left makes a great lunchbox filler. It also freezes well for later, or would do if it wasn’t eaten so quickly. I’ve also dried apples, pears and strawberries which are delicious snacks. The banana, oranges and mandarins didn’t go so well, will have to have another go at those sometime and try for a better batch. I’m looking forward to the summer when there will (hopefully) be an glut of tomatoes and the sun drying can start…mmm… This is the recipe for the non spicy Hawaiian Jerky made for the non chilli heads in my family.
Hawaiian Jerky
Ingredients
-1 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1 tsp ground ginger
-1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
-1 garlic clove, crushed
-1/4 cup pineapple juice
-1/4 cup soy sauce
-1 kg beef, sliced into 0.5cm strips (I used a “round” joint from the butcher)
Directions
-In a sealable container combine all the ingredients except the meat. Stir to mix well. Slice meat and place into marinade. Mix well so meat is covered in marinade. Cover tightly and leave for 6-12 hours in the fridge.
-Drain marinade and place the meat slices onto the dehydrator sheets in a single layer. Dehydrate at 60C (High on the Snackmaker) for 6-8 hours, turning the meat after 4 hours.
-Allow to cool and then test by bending. Jerky should crack when bent but not break and there should be no moist spots.
-Keep in an airtight container or freeze and enjoy!
and about that... 