[pct-l] jerky

[mgeis@yahoo.com (Matt Geis)]

Ok, I'm now obliged to give a plug for a jerky maker. 
A few weeks ago, I started thinking about getting a
bunch of jerky for the trip, and ran across the
potential dangers of consuming a lot of store-bought
jerky.  So, I looked into making my own (never having
done this before).

I ran across the Mother's 2-hour Jerky Maker.  It's
great!  I live in the Bay Area, so rather than
ordering it online I happened to be near the guy who
invented it and sells them, so I met him when I bought
mine.  Sean (aforementioned jerky enthusiast) is a
super nice guy, really excited about his product, and
equally excited about jerky!

I was suprised when I used it -- for only $20, it's
everything it claims to be!  It makes cooking a snap,
and the cleanup is VERY easy.

My recommendations from use:
1.  Clean it after every batch of jerky.  I've done
two in a row, then cleaned, but the cleaning actually
takes time, rather than taking almost no effort (what
I do is soak it in soapy water immediately after a
batch for an hour or so).

2.  The two-hour name applies if you manage to cut
1/8" slices of meat.  Thicker, and you're looking at
more time, obviously.  To get a thin slice, use a
long, sharp knife and freeze the meat some before
cutting.  Cutting it that thin is pretty difficult.

3.  Beef:  London Broil works well.  Inexpensive (it'd
be absurd to use something like filet mignon). 
Turkey:  Works well.  Chicken:  Hard to work with,
doesn't retain the flavor of the marinade.  Tuna: 
Easy to work with, tastes great.

4.  Costco and Trader Joe's are great places to pick
up meats for jerky.  Costco has very inexpensive beef,
and Trader Joe's generally carries frozen ahi steaks
and chicken breasts (got my ahi for about $3.60/lb as
opposed to around $14/lb fresh, and chicken for $4 for
2.5 lbs of boneless, skinless breasts).

5.  Trim as much of the fat as you can from the meat!!
 Fat can go rancid, while dried, fatless meat can keep
for a long time.

6.  Oh yeah, the website. 
http://www.mothersjerky.com/

Matt

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