Saturday, January 28, 2012

Preparing a post Lenten Treat

Beef Jerky is a staple around here after 40 days of no meat. We used to take it to church the night of Pascha services and eat it on the way home.
I generally like to get this done during the non fasting Pre Lenten period so I don't have to smell that delicious smokey beef drying out in the oven. Firstly, the beef. Never sure what to use but always looking for a sale, I found Bottom Round on sale for 2.69 a pound. Very lean and thick cut, it slices like a dream.  I have been cutting the beef a bit thicker these days and a sharp knife helps a lot.  After cutting into strips, I make a marinade of Hickory Smoke, Lawry's Seasoned Salt, pepper, Soy Sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Soak the meat over night then lay it out on a rack (I spray mine with Pam for easier clean up. I put the racks over pans lined with wax paper. Into the Convection oven for 1 hour at 165 then turn it down to 145 for 8 to 12 hours. I start checking to make sure its not too dry. I store it in a freezer bag in the fridge. Take care not to let any moisture accumulate in the bag, make sure its perfectly cool before bagging.  About $12 worth of beef makes about 3/4 gallon bag of Jerky but it does not last long at my house.

No comments:

Post a Comment

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...