INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Like other dried foods, meat jerky--tough, leathery strips of dried
meat--was a staple for pioneers and "mountain men" in times past. Today,
beef jerky is still a favorite among backpackers, skiers and campers--and a
popular snack for armchair sports fans, too. Modern jerky is prepared in an
electric dehydrator or oven; sun drying, the technique favored in pioneer
days, presents too great a risk of spoilage or contamination.
Turkey-breast jerky compared to jerky made with trimmed beef flank steak,
it has less fat.  It also has a more brittle texture, since poultry is
fairly fibrous.
If you like, you can prepared beef jerky with game instead--but it you do,
freeze the meat before drying for at least 30 days or at zero degrees as a
precaution against disease.
The leaner the meat you use for jerky, the better:  a lower fat content
means a longer shelf life.  As a first step for any jerky, trim and discard
all visible fat and connective tissue from the meat; partially freeze it
(to make slicing easier), then cut it into thin (1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick)
strips about 1 inch wide. Cut with the grain if you like a chewy jerky,
across the grain if you prefer a more tender, brittle product.
Properly dried beef or game jerky should crack, but not break, when bent;
turkey jerky, however, will crack and break.
Once the jerky has been dried, let it cool; then pack it in a rigid freezer
container or plastic freezer bag and freeze for 72 hours at zero degrees.
Then store it in an airtight, insectproof container for up to 3 weeks in a
cool, dark, dry place.  Or, to maintain flavor and prolong shelf life,
refrigerate or freeze.
Source:  Sunset Home Canning
Posted to MM-Recipes Digest  by "Deborah Kühnen"
<DEBKUHNEN@classic.msn.com> on Feb 13, 98

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