Snatch a snack from the good 'ole jerky jar

By Mike Marsh
Published in Sports on October 17, 2008 1:46 PM

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According to statistics compiled by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, about 55 percent of hunters take one deer per season. A very tiny percent take more than one.

The average deer yields less than half its body weight in meat after bones have been removed. Nevertheless, one deer is all the top half of a kitchen-sized refrigerator freezer will hold once it's been butchered, boned and wrapped if the venison shares space with an icemaker and frozen vegetables.

It's therefore no surprise the typical hunter doesn't harvest more deer.

For those with limited freezer capacity, there is an answer to storage space that has been around ever since man has been hunting. Long before preserving meat by freezing became a standard practice, hunters dried meat to preserve it. By making jerky from venison, an entire deer can be stored indefinitely inside a large pickle jar. Put the pickle jar on the counter, though, and the jerky will vanish quickly.

Snatching a snack from a jerky jar is irresistible.

Dried meat has been called many names. But American pioneers called it "jerky" because the best way to make it was to pull or jerk the meat off the bones to stretch and tear the fibers to tenderize it. Today, hunters can still jerk meat, but the more efficient practices of slicing or grinding meat for jerky are more commonly used.

Buying jerky will cost you plenty, with as little as four ounces costing as much as $7. The high price is justified because making a pound of jerky can require 10 pounds of meat. Making it yourself is many times cheaper if you use venison, yet the protein is still there making jerky a healthful, low-carbohydrate snack or hunting meal that is so lightweight it can be carried in a shirt pocket.

However, anyone watching their salt intake should reconsider eating jerky because the drying and preserving process requires lots of salt.

Several companies sell jerky making kits. But you can mix your own ingredients with salt, pepper, soy sauce and seasonings. However, the addition of "cure" chemicals included in most kits makes the process safer for consumption without freezing and also produces jerky that is moist. If jerky that is not cured is allowed to attract moisture, it can grow some serious mold cultures. Therefore, uncured jerky is best kept in a freezer vacuum bag.

Besides venison, jerky can be made of any meat, even meat that has been in the freezer for years. Duck, goose, venison and beef all make excellent jerky. A freezer burn is merely a patch of overly dried meat and that's exactly what jerky is. Simply thaw out the old stuff before you stick in this year's venison, slice or grind it, and begin.

Making jerky from a kit

(using whole muscle meat)

1. Cut the meat into strips of desired lengths and widths, slicing with the grain. Weigh the meat to determine how much seasoning to use. If not using a cure kit or making your own mixture trim out connective tissue and fat, which turn rancid if not cured.

2. Mix spices and cure.

3. Lay strips flat and pat dry.

4. Apply to seasoning mix using a sprinkler bottle.

5. Sprinkle one side of meat with half the mix, then turn and sprinkle the rest on the other side. Put strips into mixing bowl and tumble by hand to distribute mix evenly

6. Stack tightly in non-metallic container or zipper bag and refrigerate at least 24 hours. One seasoning kit made my Hi Mountain is designed to penetrate one-quarter inch per 24 hours. If you have thicker pieces of meat, penetration takes longer.

7. If using an oven, place foil or a pan on bottom to catch drippings. Lay strips on oven racks, making sure they do not touch or use a Hi Mountain Jerky Screen. Place in oven 60 to 75 minutes at 200 degrees F with the oven door cracked open. Taste jerky frequently. When cooked to satisfaction, remove from oven. Jerky made with a cure doesn't have to be completely dry.

8. If using a smoker, try experimenting with time. Don't smoke more than 3 hours before tasting.

9. If using a food dehydrator, follow dehydrator instructions. Test often while meat is dehydrating.

Jerky from ground meat

1. Use 1 to 3 pounds of meat.

2. Mix cure/seasoning.

3. Add 1/2 cup of ice water per pound of meat. Mix meat, water and seasoning for 5 minutes or until sticky.

4. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

5. Lay the seasoned meat between two sheets of wax paper. Roll meat with rolling pin into rectangular patty 1/4-inch thick.

6. Cut into 1-inch or wider strips with wet knife. Remove from wax paper and cook at 200 degrees for 1 hour, 20 minutes or a longer time for dryer jerky.

Sources for jerky making kits and other meat processing supplies -- Hi Mountain (www.himtnjerky.com) or The Sausage Maker Inc. (www.sausagemaker.com).