Making your own jerky is a great way to cut cost, as well as ensuring you are eating a clean product. Most jerky products on the market are filled with sugars, preservative and tons of salt! By making your own you not only control those, but the quality of the meat used.
An additional cost cutting measure is to use ground meat. Often, Grass fed Ground Meat is less expensive than other cuts. I got this Grass Fed Ground Bison for $6/lb, making the entire batch (which came out to 1 pound dried, though we ate about 1/2 a sheet pan before I got the picture) for $12. That is incredible for completely clean, Grass fed, Bison Jerky! Try this with bison, or any other ground meat you like!
Bison Jerky
2 lb Ground Bison (or other meat)
1 Tbsp Coconut Aminos
1 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Molasses
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
Place all ingredients in a food processor.
Turn it on and let it go till everything is evenly distributed and broken down.
Place in the refrigerator for several hours to allow the flavors to meld. When ready to begin, preheat oven to 170. Spread about 1/3 of the mixture on a full size, raised edge baking sheet.
With the back of a spatula, spread mixture as thin as you can 1/4-1/8in.
The 2 pounds is enough for 3 baking sheets full. Place in the oven for about 3 hours or until the consistency is what you want.
Remove from oven and allow it to cool. Use kitchen sheers to cut into strips.
Enjoy!
Looks great, I just got some ground bison. What temperature did you set your oven?
ReplyDelete170, or as low as your oven will go.
ReplyDeleteHow do you store it ? Baggies in the fridge ( and, if so, for how long)? Or once it is dried, does it keep out of the fridge ? Thanks !!
ReplyDeleteI store mine in a Tupperware in the refrigerator. Once the meat reaches 145 degrees for 10 minutes harmful bacteria are killed, and by removing 90% of the water bacteria don't have an environment to grow. With that being said, because I put far less salt in than traditional jerky, I don't like to leave mine out for a long time. Here is some more helpful information. Hope that helps!
Deletehttp://www.drystore.com/page/page/1351115.htm
What is coconut amino's and where can I find it?
ReplyDeleteI get mine at a local store (Central Market), but here is the same brand on Amazon. It is fermented coconut tree sap that is used as a substitute for soy sauce. It has a similar taste, but without the soy. Hope that helps!
Deletehttp://www.amazon.com/Raw-Organic-Vegan-Coconut-Aminos/dp/B003XB5LMU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327899774&sr=8-1
Jerky guns work well for ground meats. Pack the meat mixture in the tube and it makes a nice, cylindrical (think slim Jims) shapes perfect for packing and snacking.
DeleteThanks, that is a great idea! I will be on the lookout for one!
DeleteA couple of questions about texture... How does this compare with jerky made with beef strips (fattier?)? Can the 1 year old chew it? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteIt would be much easier for a 1 year old to eat this. It doesn't take as much jaw/tooth work to break this one down because it is not as fibrous as jerky made with strips. You can easily take a bit off of a strip without having to pull on it. My almost 2 year old has absolutely no problem biting it, and it doesn't have to be chewed and chewed and chewed, so it is much less likely to be a choking hazard. Hope that helps and have a wonderful day!
DeleteThanks for your recipe! I made it and really enjoy the resulting jerky and it is way cheaper than purchased grass-fed jerky (by a lot!) and even cheaper to make then a jerky made with a steak cut.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you enjoyed it, Stephanie! I love finding less expensive alternatives that still taste great!
DeleteI'm sorry, but that is genius! I've spent the last hour or so Googling around for Bison Pemmican and Jerky, but your recipe hear beats all other prospects by a mile. So simple and such a great idea. I'll be adding some dried berries in there to give it a more "pemmican" touch, but thanks a million. That really is the bee's knees...
ReplyDeleteCheers for setting me on the "sensible track"!
Allen