Learn how to make Dr. Tony Martin's famous Caribbean Chicken. Enjoy "A Taste of the Islands!" www.anntonys.com
Monday, December 26, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
SoGood.tv: Jerk Wings and Collard Greens
Heather Johnston, food and wine blogger at SoGood.TV, who has developed recipes for magazines such as Essence and Saveur, demonstrates a recipe in a minute: jerk chicken wings and collard greens.
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Thursday, December 15, 2011
How to Make Jerky - Step-by-Step Instructions
Before the invention of refrigeration and preservatives, the only way to preserve meat for long periods of time was to dry it into jerky. Drying meat into jerky is possibly the oldest way of preserving meat and jerky dates back to the earliest civilizations.
Traditionally, jerky was made from long, thin strips of meat that was salted and dried in the sun or over a small smokey fire. Although jerky can still be made in this way, techniques have become more sophisticated in our day. Jerky is still an extremely popular food and millions of people still enjoy jerky as a delicious, convenient, and healthy source of protein. Jerky is perfect for hikers, campers, or just an easy, non-messy snack.
Today, jerky is most commonly made from beef, but jerky can also be made from poultry, fish, and wild game such as deer (venison), elk, buffalo, bison, moose, caribou, antelope, and other game. Many varieties of seasonings can be used to make different flavors of jerky. Salt is traditionally used as the main preservative for jerky, but acids such as vinegar and citrus juice in marinades can also help to kill bacteria. Jerky can be made without salt, but its shelf life will be drastically reduced.
Store-bought jerky comes in many flavors with any number of chemicals, additives, and preservatives and can be surprisingly expensive. However, you can make your own jerky at home very easily. Most people are surprised at just how easy it is to make delicious jerky that is much cheaper and healthier than mass-produced jerky available in stores. So by making your own jerky, you not only control the ingredients, you also save money.
Jerky Making: Step-by-Step Instructions
Select a cut of meat. Choosing a lean cut will save time later. For beef jerky, cuts like like sirloin, top round, eye of round, etc. are good choices. You can also use venison or virtually any other type of meat to make jerky.
Trim all of the noticeable fat from your cut of meat because any fat will cause the jerky to spoil much faster.
Slice your meat into very thin strips from 1/8" to 1/4" thick. Cutting the meat into thin slices dramatically shortens drying time. You can cut jerky with just a knife and cutting board, but there are some convenient tools you can use for slicing meat, such as a Jerky Slicing Tray, a Hand-Crank Manual Jerky Slicer, or an electric meat slicer. Tip: Slicing meat is easier if you freeze the meat for about 30 to 60 minutes before slicing. You can cut with or against the grain, but some find that strips cut against the grain are easier to chew.
Marinate the meat in a marinade or solution of your choice. You can follow a recipe to make your own marinade or purchase any number of ready-made marinades. Marinating is optional because the additional moisture can make dehydration take longer, and the resulting jerky might be stickier. Soaking in soy sauce or teriyaki sauce is a favorite. Place in the refrigerator for 4 - 24 hours to allow the meat absorb the flavor.
Season the meat with the dry seasonings of your choice. You can follow a jerky recipe or choose from a wide variety of available dry jerky seasoning mixes. A mixture of salt, pepper, oregano, marjoram, basil and thyme is tasty. You will find that many seasonings work well and it is a personal preference. I personally enjoy jerky with a lot of pepper. You will need to experiment to find your favorites. Just sprinkle and rub the dry seasonings onto both sides of the sliced meat.
Dehydrate the meat. Meat is dehydrated by applying heat and continuous air flow. The control of both the temperature and the airflow is very important. If the humidity is too high and the temperature is too low, the jerky will dry too slowly and it could spoil. If the temperature is too high, the jerky will cook too fast, harden on the outside but still be too moist on the inside, and once again, it could spoil.
There are two common methods for drying jerky; in a conventional oven or in a food dehydrator. Whichever method you use, be sure to leave enough room between pieces to allow air to flow around the meat. Avoid letting the meat touch if possible.
Making Jerky in a Conventional Oven
Preheat your oven to 140 degrees. Remember you are not cooking the meat; you are simply removing the moisture. Spray all the racks you will use with a non stick cooking spray. Without this non-stick spray, you will be left with jerky that cannot be removed from the racks and that will essentially be inedible. Spread the meat evenly on wire racks in the oven. You can also use metal racks other than the oven racks with a drip pan underneath to make cleanup much faster.
Leave the oven door open slightly to permit moisture to escape. Since temperatures, humidity levels, and slice thickness will vary, there can be no set time for the process to complete. Usually jerky takes from 6 to 12 hours. Check the consistency of the jerky regularly after 6 hours until it meets your satisfaction. You might have to cut into the jerky to ensure that it is not raw inside. You want the jerky to be a deep brown or burgundy color and still be flexible. As jerky cools, it will get more stiff and brittle so you don't want to over dry.
Making Jerky in a Food Dehydrator
Food Dehydrators are excellent for making jerky. Dehydrators are inexpensive to buy and are safer and cheaper to use than the kitchen oven. Additionally dehydrators make less of a mess and are easier to clean up.
Spray the dehydrator trays with a non-stick cooking spray before placing on the strips of meat. This keeps the meat from sticking and helps in the clean up of the trays. Season the jerky strips just as above and drain them well before placing them on the dehydrator trays.
A full dehydrator can usually process a large batch of jerky in 6 to 12 hours. Just like with drying in a conventional oven, temperatures, humidity levels, and slice thickness will vary, so the drying time will vary. You will want to check the jerky regularly after 6 hours to see if its done. You want the jerky to be a deep brown or burgundy color and still be flexible. As jerky cools, it will get more stiff and brittle so you don't want to over dry. The thicker cuts will take more time, so as the thin pieces are done, just remove them. Tip: A rule of thumb is that 4 pounds of raw meat makes about one pound of jerky.
Store the finished jerky in plastic bags and store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to eat. To be safe, it's best to enjoy the fresh homemade jerky within one week of its preparation. If you make it right, it's delicious!Tip: If you wish to store your jerky for longer, use a vacuum sealer to store the jerky in vacuum bags. Other storage methods allow exposure to oxygen and moisture, which encourages the growth of bacteria. In vacuum sealed bags, jerky can be kept for months. Vacuum sealed jerky stored in a freezer can last even longer.
Alternative: Jerky Snack Strips & Sticks
Instead of making jerky from sliced meat, a popular form of jerky is the jerky snack stick or snack strip, which is made from seasoned ground meat formed into strips or round sticks. To make this jerky snack, you first need to purchase extra lean ground meat or grind lean cuts of meat with a meat grinder. The next step is to mix the seasonings into the ground meat by hand or with a meat mixer. The seasoned ground meat can then be extruded into the snack sticks or strips using a Jerky Gun or Jerky Cannon. Finally, these jerky snacks are dehydrated on trays in a conventional oven or food dehydrator as described above.
Who knew it was so easy to make your own jerky? Enjoy!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Smoking Meat Or Making Jerky - 3 Ways to Preserve Our Meat Naturally
I remember my mother when I was young saying; -"that meat is going to spoil, and you'll get sick"! It was a valid point when complimented by a healthy amount of hysteria and old wives tales.
Can you say phobia?
One that I cultivated well into my 30's and in some cases maybe saved my life. Not so good once I went into the meat processing business the clichés and fear mongering rang in my head causing nightmares to blossom, usually ending up with my business bankrupted from lawsuits brought on by a salmonella outbreak or maybe worse yet; a worldwide recall of our award winning beef jerky! However, with a little research, applied facts and reason, the paranoia is not necessary.
It is very important to me that our products are properly and safely preserved , of course, but I wanted it to be all natural, no sodium nitrites or nitrates. In this article I will give you some great ideas to do just this.
And still be safe!
Salt or salt and spices: For thousands of years and still, salt is the king. It is safe. If you are smoking ribs for instance it is not necessary but if making jerky, salt will be your key player. I don't have space to go into the science of salt as a preservative but basically, it slows the growth of harmful bacteria until the meat has reached the cooked stage, a temperature where the bad germs are dead. Spices such as garlic and pepper are also powerful anti oxidants and will help slow the spread of bacteria - but not alone, they only help. A great way to use salt is to make a dry rub and rub the meat completely, then let it sit overnight in a plastic bag or container. If you are doing barbecue, salt to taste but if you're smoking or making jerky, more is needed. I use a dry rub that has 4 tablespoons of salt regardless of the other spices. This will do up to 10 pounds. I will publish some cool recipes in subsequent articles, check them out.
Smoke and smoke seasoning: Smoking meat whether it is done slowly over water or dry needs smoke to inhibit the growth of bacteria until the meat reaches the cooked stage. Smoke is acidic and once your meat is acidic, bacteria growth is severely inhibited. One of the side effects is its distinctive taste. Initially, smoking was done for preservation not taste, now of course the main reason is taste. However, the fact still remains that if your meat is smoked you are imparting a strong natural preservative into the meat, one strong enough to eliminate the use of nitrites and nitrates. If making jerky, using a smoker is one way but if you are using a dehydrator oven such as an Excalibur or similar kind, liquid smoke will be needed and it will achieve the same preservative effect as physical smoke.
Wright's Liquid Smoke is natural. I recommend this brand because you are getting just that; liquid smoke. In very general terms, they make hickory smoke, and run water over filters while the smoke is blown through them so that the liquid takes on a smoky flavor. One benefit is that you get all the flavors including the acids but omit the tars that come from the smoke; our bodies don't like tar, so it is good.
Soy Sauce based marinades: Make any marinade you want adding any spices but make it a soy based marinade and you can omit the chemical preservatives. This guy packs a double punch, salt and acid. That is why soy sauce works so well. I prefer using enough to immerse your meat or at least completely coat the meat until you notice that it's dark brown and shiny.
Whether smoking your meat, ribs or making jerky these 3 kings of preservation are well proven to work. Remember; the meat MUST be fully cooked to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. When smoking meats on the grill or a smoker this is no problem but when making jerky, it can be. If you have a high power dehydrator that exceeds 150 degrees Fahrenheit you are safe, if not, try this; par boil your meat in a cooking bag, (the kind you use for turkeys) or a crock pot, skewer one piece of meat with a thermometer. When it reaches 150 degrees F you are done. Then place it in your dehydrator or your home oven. If using your oven, place the meat on the racks, prop the door open about an inch, on the lowest setting. -usually about 200 degrees F. Let the jerky dry until it cracks (usually about 8 hours or less) when bent, little white strings should be visible, but it shouldn't break.
These tips will net you some really good, safely preserved meats! To your success!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
JERK & BBQ STEAK Part 1 www.jamaicanmecrazysauces.com
Jamaican Jerk chicken is the Jamaica's number one food. It is usually slow cooked in modified oil drums and with spices native to the island. Now you can enjoy the tastes of Jamaica, here in Minnesota, with Jamaican Me Crazy Sauces. I'm not some fancy TV chef; I'm just a guy with a grill and one AWESOME SECRET recipe. Jamaican Me Crazy Sauces recipes are very simple and easy to follow. Our sauces are extremely versatile. Experiment with them, have fun and enjoy the taste. Please visit our site @ www.jamaicanmecrazysauces.con
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