('sex' refers to sextuple the original amount of pepper, 'red' refers to the type of pepper and the red wine)
When making jerky, obtain the leanest meat you can get your hands on, and cut it thin -- 1/4" or less. I have the luck that my butchers will slice it for me on their machine. Slightly frozen meat is easier to cut thin, if you do not have a friendly butcher. (Keep your butcher friendly -- bring them samples, and tip them occasionally.) Thinner slices dry crisper and keep longer, thicker slices are chewier but harder to dry properly and keep safely. Tamarra recommends brisket or flank cuts. I use rump roast, and when I can eye of round. For best preservation, trim off all the fat and 'ooky bits' you can, esp if you are taking jerky to a hot war. (I know only two people who like the flavour of rancid fat.)
The following marinade treats 4-5# sliced meat:
For tastiest results, mix the spices into the wine and steep for a week or so before using.
Put the meat in the marinade. Cover, and refrigerate overnight. Letting soak longer sometimes makes the jerky saltier (as does full-strength soy sauce, and cream sherry wine, and sometimes it's just the meat.) As the spices may impart a flavour to plastic, watch what container you use. I have a container that is used for nothing else.
Using paper towels or very clean cloth towels you don't mind staining, blot the bejunders out of the meat strips -- the dryer it is, the quicker it will dehydrate, and the less mess in your oven or dehydrator. Lay the meat strips out on the racks, in a single layer with no overlaps. Sprinkle with fresh black pepper if desired.
If you use an oven, line the bottom with foil or you will be very sorry. Set the oven to 140 deg F. Turn the jerky over every 2 hours. It will take 8-12 hours total.
If you have a dehydrator, you will be much happier and make better jerky, as well as avoiding heating up the kitchen. I personally sing the praises of my American Harvester that my pet mice got me for Mother's Day (WalMart, $50.00, extra trays available), which can even be used in the summer. Set to 140 deg F and check every two hours. If you have an air-circulating model you will not have to turn the jerky, and it will go much faster. Mine takes 4-8 hours, usually 6.
The jerky is done when it turns very dark, oil beads up (on cheaper cuts), and it has a leathery flexibility that it will lose as it cools. Gently blot the oil beads with a paper towel, and let cool before putting in a sealed bag or jar. Keep out of excessive heat and light, do not refrigerate as this will cause condensation when you take it out. It should last 6 months but no-one has ever managed to keep any around long enough to find that out!
One tip -- if you make a mix any spicier than this recipe, beware of possible effects on pets and family members of the spices in the air. They can be highly irritating to eyes and lungs, and can even be fatal to weak and elderly small animals. When making Jerky of Death, I put the dehydrator in the garage to protect my mice. On the flip side, the moisture and pleasant scent in the air of lesser flavours is exceedingly enjoyable to the sinuses on a winter day.
To make Lemonflepper Jerky, substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon pepper jerky for the 2t crushed red peppers, and use water instead of red wine in the marinade. This is the Calontir Army Standard non-alcoholic offering, for those who must or just want to avoid even the flavour of alcohol, or who just like lemon pepper.
To make The Jerky of Death, soak 1 1/2 oz smoked habanero peppers in 12oz Jalapeno liquor at least a week in advance. Make the marinade as above, omitting the liquid smoke but including the red peppers. You may double the garlic powder. Sprinkle the jerky with cayenne peppers rather than black. Do not run the dehydrator in the house. Feed to Cathyn and Dongal. Do not expect anyone else to be able to eat it.
Col. Jenna of SouthWind
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