Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation Jerky Cure & Seasoning

Hello,

I just got a food dehydrator and am starting to make jerky sticks. No casings. Just ground and squirted onto the tray.

Are there any homemade cure and seasoning recipes out there so I don't have to pay the high prices of the pre-packed deals?

Thanks

Tom

I posted the one I use to make venison jerky. I put out 173 10oz (108lbs) bags last season. Didn't get a complant. Do a search on jerky think you'll find it. If you don't PM me and I'll send it to you.

I found your post. I'm looking to make my own cure.

Tom

I'm reading all over the internet that the cure only needs to be in a ratio of about 1 teaspoon per lb. The problem is most of the recipies I'm seeing are for steak type meat and no the ground meat that I'm using.

Would the ratio still be the same for ground meat?

I like jerky just not the extreme salty taste that comes with it.

Tom

Holy grail of sausage recipes. 3 men has what you need.

http://www.3men.com/jerky.htm

if you search you will find mine.....

Anyone know if the same works for ground meat jerky?

Thanks

Tom

The recipe I have posted is actually for a ground product. I don't like ground jerky, no tooth, but the recipe still is very good when used on a sliced product. The cure is a product I get form The Sausage Maker. I buy it in their large size but they sell an 8oz package The Sausage Maker cure that will last you a long time. Just put it in a canning jar an keep it tightly covered.

Am I the only one that thinks it's insane to pay $9 for 8oz of salt with 6.25% Sodium Nitrite?

I'm looking for a home mixed cure where I can lower the salt content down to a reasonable level.

Tom

Tom , the problem with trying to mix up your own cure is that if you are off just a little you have the potential of your jerky going bad and that could make folks very sick.
9$ for the piece of mind that 240# of meat is properly cured ( as long as you use accurate measurements and weights ) sounds very reasonable to me.

The insta cure is just the cure , you get to make your own flavors to go with it.

I just don't see it that way. Mixing two solids using measuring cups doesn't seem like rocket science.

I guess I'm going to have to experiment with the small amounts of info that I've found online.

Tom

There is another product made by Morton Salt CO called Quick Cure comes in a 2lb bag. It contains salt, sugar, sodium nitrite, and sodium nitrate. Don't use it for anything but smoking mullet and carp, but is is a good cure. BTY the cure is what lets you jerk meat at low temperatures and not risk botulism, has nothing to do with taste. If you jerk with out a nitrite/nitrate cure make sure you get the product to AT LEAST 200degs F for AT LEAST 10 minutes at the end of the jerk time.

Thanks for the tip!

Tom

I mix my own up and never used nitrite/nitrate. I've since learned better. I always sprinkled the seasoning over the meat, refrigerate for 12 hours and then smoked it. Now that I am making ground jerky I don't know how much of my hand mixed spices to add. I might experiment a bit this weekend and see what I come up with.

Oh no! Not the ground jerky thing again!!!

Nothing like grinding all sorts of nasty stuff into your food and then giving it a wonderful place to grow...

Lots of food poisoning gets written off as flu or other ailments... Cooking jerky at 200 degrees degrades the product to sawdust IME&O. Botulism is NOT the concern with jerky; E. coli is and it can kill.

The best jerky is sliced, kept clean, and dried quickly.

And I see no reason to eat those nasty nitrates and nitrites...
art

I'd be interested in knowing your combo if you can pin it down.

Tom

I just discovered the whole ground jerky thing and went out and bought everything to do it. Is there a thread that I should read?

Tom

Nope he is just paranoid....

Anyone that thinks that has no clue and less concern for those that might eat the stuff.

If it was edible it was not safe. If it was safe it would not be edible...

Stick to your story Art.... After countless lbs of elk, moose, deer and antelope burger turned into jerky neither myself nor my friends/family members have suffered any ill effects. I promise if I make it to Alaska to fish I won't bring you any. Deal?

Keith