New Dehydrator recipes?

[Kayak Jack]

I enjoy peppers with the ingredients you stuff into them, but I don't take the time to do the stuffing. I simply stack the things all together and eat it that way. Faster, get more to eat, have to drink more beer to wash it down. That's the method to my madness.

Recipes from different regions are (almost) always fun to try. I have drawn the line a couple of times. Usually, slimy stuff isn't all that appealing to me. (Eye-tal-yun spaghetti notwithstanding). Things containing fermented fish, baked worms, etc. are too damned difficult to eat and keep down. Beef steak seems to work better in these cases, I've found.

Could I/ would I eat it if I had to? Yep. Fortunately, starving is not one of my problems. Au contraire!

 

[Ozark]

http://www.nesco.com/
I don't know much about them. I got mine for Christmas from my sister and her family. I loaded all four racks with fruit and left overnight all but those grapefruit were dried the next morning. I know there are better ones but for now this will be fine for me.

 

[Kayak Jack]

The "dehydrated" bananas that you buy are actually deep fat fried. If you try drying a banana, dip it in Fruit Fresh or some similar anti-browning solution. Or, dip it into water and lemon juice.

Buy some ground beef - the leanest you can get (usually 90% lean). Fry it brown, drain it, and blot it on paper towels.

Place it in a colander or sieve, and run hot water over it to wash off the grease. Blot dry again on paper towels. Dehydrate it until it looks like Grape Nuts cereal. Pack in a Ziploc bag and store it in the freezer. Take it camping (no refrigeration required for a few weeks), add some hot water to the bag and let rehydrate 20-30 minutes, and use it in recipes like chili or spaghetti.

You can do the same thing with ground chicken or turkey. If you have an Aldi's grocery store in your neighborhood, get the ground turkey (90% lean) for less than a dollar a pound.

Get boneless skinless chicken breasts. Partially freeze so it cuts easier. Slice across the grain into 1/4" thick slices. Place in a paper bag with non-iodized salt (kosher or sea or paling non-iodized salt all samo samo). Shake it up. Dehydrate until leathery or a bit dryer.

 

[islandpiper]

Here's a picture of my dehydrator about five minutes ago with a load of 2 1/2 pounds (before drying) of venison jerky almost done.

I seldom get big chunks of meat, but usuallly get scraps and cut offs and strange parts......I grind 'em up and make ground meat jerky.......the best kind.

Piper

 

[Ozark]

I was wondering if anyone had done any ground meat jerky? Do you use your own spice recipe or store bought?

 

[Kayak Jack]

I have some stuff from Gander Mountain that can be used. There's almost no end of recipes for a simple thing like jerky.

 

[islandpiper]

Yup, the simplest things can be complicated beyond measure if you try.

salt
sugar
soy sauce
liquid smoke
BBQ sauce
cajun seasoning
taco seasoning


any or all of the above in any combination. Basically you want a Tbs. of salt per pound of meat. Anything else is just for fun.



piper

 

[Ozark]

Looks like just what tastes good right?

 

[islandpiper]

yup, just keep in mind that what ever you put is in concentrated when the meat shrinks.

piper

 

[islandpiper]

I just divided the jerky I made yesterday and on one half of it brushed a thin coat of good BBQ sauce on both sides of each piece, then back into the dehydrator. Makes it just a little sticky, but the inconvenience is worth it. Besides, if you are eating a piece while you drive, it's harder to drop.

I'll do my best to protect some of it till the Rendezvous.....no promises.

piper

 

[Ozark]

Jerky will be my next attempt at dehydrating. Any precautions to watch out for?

 

[islandpiper]

Yes, friends, neighbors, children of any size, people you work with, etc.


Dry it, but not so dry that is is dessicated.......tought leather stage and maybe a little bit beyone.
piper

 

[Ozark]

Well I think I'll go up to Bass Pro and get one of those jerky guns they got. I need to spend some of my BPS gift cards.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Oz, the jerky gun will lay a better bead, but all they are is a putty gun with a different aperture. You can mold the flat strip or patty in your hands.

Keep remembering, stone age man did it - so can you.

 

[Ozark]

Toys Jack Toys

 

[Kayak Jack]

TOYS!!! (as Mick says) going outside now, giving myself two, swift uppercuts. THERE! I feel much better now.

If you use whole muscle meat, you can do it as simply as:
1. lay out meat on waxed paper, and brush on liquid smoke (optional)
2. mix some NON-iodized slat and cayenne pepper in a CLEAN, large paper bag (MEASURE & go easy on cayenne - walk it in)
3. shake the strips of meat up in the bag
4. dry it with either heat or ambient air.

Alton Brown (Food Channel Good Eats guy) used paper furnace filters, (I used screen racks) over a large, square window fan.

 

[Ozark]

Ya this one is rather loud and I wonder how much the electric bill will jump

 

[Kayak Jack]

The "Original" dehydrator was a rack made of sticks and brush, hovering over a small, smokey fire. Fire and smoke did several things:

kept away the flies (smoke)
furnished movement of warm air (fire)
dried the product (fire)
added preservatives (smoke)
added flavor (smoke)
kept the squaws and kids busy (getting firewood)

 

[islandpiper]

Used my jerky shooter to make about 3 miles of jerky through the years......very uniform, dries nicer, no fighting when sharing, packs better......go get one.

piper

 

[Kayak Jack]

Fastest jerky shooter in the West.

Or, is that the shootinest jerk in the West?

Whatever.