Real good jerky

Jerky – yum!  But, store bought jerky isn’t good for you because of all the nitrates it includes.  So, if you’ve been wanting a real good jerky – you might want to try this one.

Why store-bought jerky is bad

I’ll admit that I love jerky and I always used to buy the store-bought version of it.  But, there are 2 reasons why they are so bad for you.

1. It’s so expensive!  Have you ever really looked at the cost of a bag of jerky – I mean, it’s stupid expensive.  If the cost doesn’t deter you, maybe the ingredients will.
2. Nitrates – if you don’t know why nitrates are so bad, I’ll tell you in one word – Cancer!  Nitrates are toxic.  If you don’t believe me, this article may convince you:  The truth about the nitrates in your food.

Real good jerky

Now that your ears have perked up, let’s give you a good for you jerky.  This good jerky recipe is easy to make but you will need a food dehydrator and some patience because meat can take anywhere from 4-15 hours to dry.

Peppered Beef Jerky recipe What you’ll need:

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup Liquid Aminos Bragg (as a soy sauce replacement* – see why below)
• 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 Tbsp ground black pepper (you can also use whole peppercorns)
• 1 cup beef stock

*I use a soy sauce replacement because I don’t consume soy products – they cause all kinds of female problems so I use liquid aminos instead.  But don’t worry, you won’t notice a difference.  I promise!  This will make a real good jerky.

Marinating instructions:

1. Place the 2 pounds of grass fed ground beef in a Ziploc bag (don’t mash up – leave it as is) and then add all the other ingredients.  You can also put it in a glass container with lid but just make sure that you can easily marinade both sides.  Incidentally, if you are using a Ziploc bag, you’ll probably want to put it on a plate in case any of it leaks.  Also, freezer bags work best.
2. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for a minimum of 4 hours, maximum of 8 hours.  Shake the bag every couple hours to make sure all the meat is getting marinated.

Drying instructions:

1. After marinating is done, remove the meat and place in colander to let it drip out some.  You don’t want it too wet.  The wetter it is, the longer it will take to dry.  You can even pat it dry with some paper towels if you’d like.
2. Discard the marinade.
3. At this point, put it in a bowl to mix up.  Using a jerky gun (if you have one), squeeze out logs or strips onto your dehydration mat.  If you don’t have a jerky gun, no worries!  You can use anything you have – a spoon or even an ice cream scooper.  The most important thing is that you make them equal size so that they dehydrate evenly.
4. Then, dry on 160-170 F for 4-15 hours.  The amount of time will depend on how much you have to dehydrate, the thickness and the humidity in the house.
5. Once dehydrated, place in a container with lid while it’s still warm but don’t seal it.  Let it steam to make it moist.
6. Then, store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  I promise you that you’ll eat this before the 2 weeks are up!

So, this is my version of good for you jerky.  Zero nitrates, less expensive and satisfies!  Let me know how it turns out!  Real good jerky – that’s all there is to it.