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Recipes for Jerky and dried Hamburger

JERKY

  • 1 kg lean beef (sirloin tip roast, round steak)
  • 5 Tbs. soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
  • 1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder (or 1 chopped fresh garlic)

Remove all the fat from the beef then cut it into strips about 10 cm long, 1cm wide and .5cm thick. Cut with the grain of the meat for chewier jerky, cut across the grain for softer. Mix the remainder of the ingredients in a glass bowl and then add the meat. Stir the combination to ensure all the meat is thoroughly coated, cover the bowl and then let it sit 6-8 hours in the refrigerator. Stir occasionally if possible.

Remove the oven racks from the oven and preheat oven to the lowest possible setting. (turn the temperature dial slowly until the oven light just comes on) This is usually around 150 degrees Fahrenheit or about 65 degrees Celsius. 125F is ideal but very few ovens can be set this low. Drain the meat and pat dry with paper towel. Then drape it over the oven racks making sure the pieces do not overlap. Put the racks in the oven on the upper tracks. Prop the oven door open about 2-3cm with something the heat will not affect (The broiling position of the oven door is too open). Leave the meat in the oven 8-10 hours or until it is dark and dry both outside and inside.

Let the meat cool and then package it in serving sizes in airtight containers (zipper bags inside plastic or glass jars). Put it in the freezer until you need it. The jerky will last unrefrigerated for the duration of most trips but will not keep on the shelf for extended periods.

 

DRIED HAMBURGER

Fry top quality, lean hamburger until all the moisture has boiled off (it starts to crackle in the frying pan) and the hamburger is thoroughly cooked. During the cooking process break the meat into as small chunks as possible (DO NOT ADD SEASONING). Spoon off any grease. Put the cooked meat onto several layers (5-6) of paper towels about 1/2 cup at a time, fold the towelling over top, and add several more layers of towelling. Squeeze out as much fat as possible (alternatively, put the cooked meat in a sieve and run hot water over it to wash the grease away). Spread the meat thinly on a cookie sheet and repeat the process until all the meat has been squeezed and spread. Do not put more than .5kg on one cookie sheet.

Repeat the drying process that was used for the jerky (oven 150F, 8-10 hours, until hard and black). Divide the dried meat into serving sizes, package, and freeze (see jerky). Remember, if you started with 1kg of fresh meat you still have that much meat, only the moisture has been removed. If your recipe calls for .5kg of meat you will only need 1/2 of the dried meat even though it now weighs much less.

To reconstitute the meat, add it to an equal amount (by volume) of boiling water and let the stand for 15-20 minutes. If you add the dried meat directly to sauce remember to added the extra water the meat will take up and give the meat at least 15 minutes of cooking/standing time to reconstitute.