Aromatic, spicy, firm jerky is not only a great snack. Thin shavings from it are able to add new flavor nuances to soups, salads, stews and pâtés. Cooking jerky at home is not so difficult - just have the right cut, a lot of salt, spices and patience.
Classic beef jerky recipe
For curing, you only need fresh, chilled meat with a minimum amount of fat. It is more convenient to take oblong, even cuts. Correctly cured beef should be maroon, pliable, not tough. For this to work, it's important to be proportioned, making sure you mix the right amount of spice for the amount of meat you have.
You will need:
- 2 kg of beef;
- 125 g of coarse rock or sea salt;
- 25 g brown sugar;
- 5 g of baking soda;
- 10 black peppercorns;
- 13 g coriander seeds;
- 15 grams of mustard seeds.
In a mortar and pestle, coarsely crush the pepper with mustard and coriander seeds. Mix this mixture with baking soda, salt and sugar. Quickly rinse the piece of meat under running water, pat dry with paper kitchen towels and rub the spice mixture into the cut thoroughly. Wrap tightly with cling film, place in a wide container and press down with a load.
Keep the meat under oppression for about a week, changing the film every other day and draining the resulting juice. After seven days, place the meat in a linen or cotton bag. This bag can be hung over a gas stove if you cook frequently and warm air constantly rises above it. In this case, the meat will be ready in a week. You can also wrap the meat bag in paper, bandage it and put it in the refrigerator. In this case, the meat will be ready in two weeks and from time to time you will have to change the fabric soaked in juice.
African-style jerky
Belthong is a famous South African dish, although European settlers played a large role in the emergence of this recipe. It was they who brought with them spices - pepper, coriander and cloves - and began to use vinegar when drying meat. The addition of these ingredients not only made the meat tastier, but also increased its shelf life.
- 2 kg of beef;
- 125 g of coarse rock or sea salt;
- 25 g brown sugar;
- 5 g of baking soda;
- 10 black peppercorns;
- 13 g coriander seeds;
- 10 g cloves;
- 200 ml of vinegar;
- 50 ml of Worcester sauce.
Using a wide, sharp knife, cut the meat lengthwise into strips no wider than 4 cm. Fry the coriander seeds in a dry frying pan. Grind pepper, coriander and cloves in a mortar, mix with salt, soda, sugar. Rub half of the spice mixture onto the strips of meat. Leave in the refrigerator for an hour.
Place the meat in a single layer in a glass bowl. Combine the vinegar and Worcestershire sauce and pour the marinade over the strips. Refrigerate for 24 hours, covered with a lid or cling film. Rinse the meat in warm water, thoroughly rinse off all the salt, dry well with a paper towel. Press it lightly against the meat to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Dip dry meat in the remaining spices. Hang the meat in a warm, dry, well-ventilated area. Meat can take anywhere from one to three weeks to dry, depending on your home environment.
A simple recipe for homemade bresaola
Bresaola is an Italian style jerky. This is usually how veal is cooked, but beef cuts are also fine.
You will need:
- 1 kg of meat;
- 100 g of coarse rock or sea salt;
- 5 g black peppercorns;
- 5 g dried juniper berries;
- 5 g of Prague powder.
Prague powder is the name of a special mixture for drying and salting. It consists of sea salt and sodium nitrite, to make such a powder at home, you need to mix 375 g of salt and 25 g of sodium nitrite. It is the latter that gives the meat its beautiful red color.
Cut off all fat from the meat. Grind the pepper and juniper in a mortar, mix with the rest of the spices and Prague powder. Rub half of the spices into the meat and place in a zip-lock bag. Put in the refrigerator and keep for a week, pouring out excess juice every day. After a week, dry the meat well with a paper towel. Rub in the remaining spices and marinate for another week. Wipe the meat again with a paper towel, tie with twine and wrap with gauze. Hang for three weeks in a cool place at a temperature not higher than 14 and not lower than 9 ° C. Remove the muslin a week before being ready.
If a dry white coating forms on the meat, don't worry - this is normal. Remove with a cloth dipped in vinegar, mucus or black mold, which can also appear in the process.
Chinese jerky
In China, there is a way to dry meat. The resulting treat is a traditional Chinese New Year treat. Bak Kwa - as this dish is called - is made both from pieces of meat and from minced meat. According to the recipe, a more tender and delicate dish is obtained from minced meat. Previously, the meat was dried in the sun, but now they use an easy method - they dry it in the oven.
You will need:
- 1 kg of ground pork;
- 2 tbsp. spoons of Chinese rice wine;
- 1 tbsp. a spoonful of dark soy sauce;
- 1 tbsp. a spoonful of fish sauce;
- 1 teaspoon of sesame oil;
- 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper;
- ½ tbsp. spoons of a mixture of spices "Five spices";
- 150 g sugar;
- 50 g sesame seeds.
Combine all the ingredients in a deep bowl, stir until the minced meat becomes sticky, then put the container in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, but no more than a day. Knead the minced meat well again.
Line a baking sheet with foil and in a thin layer (no more than ½ cm) put a part of the minced meat, cover with cling film and flatten, remove the foil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place in an oven preheated to 120 ° C for 15 minutes, then gently turn the layer over and bake for another 15 minutes. Cool slightly and cut into small squares.
