Jerky Query

[Dallan]

Greetings all!

I'm trying to find a good method of creating beef jerky, that is totally gluten-free! My best mate is a "jerky-junky" & was diagnosed as a celiac-ian not long ago...

Down here in Australia we can't get any gluten-free (read as soy sauce-based), store bought jerky at all - well, not that I can find!

So, I am hoping that someone out there will have the know-how, of how to make a good beef jerky at home that is more than just 'oven-dried beef strips'!

I thought of doing plain salted beef, or even cracked black pepper, but surely there are some better 'safe' recipies out there!!??

Cheers all!!

Dallan

[gf4life]

Hi Dallan,

My kids are also big jerky fans. You can make a good gluten-free marinade to flavor the meat in by mixing some spices with some wheat free soy sauce (or tamari sauce). You can pretty much mix it to be whatever flavor you like. Peppered, garlic, teriyaki flavored, what ever you like. It sounds like you already know how to dry it in the oven. It certainly works better if the meat is sliced pretty thin. You can also use turkey for an alternative to beef.

I haven't found any pre-made gluten free jerky yet, but if I ever do I'll let you know!

God bless,

Mariann

[Guest Libbyk]

hoe DO you make jerky in the oven? I would lvoe to know for back country trips.

Libby

[tarnalberry]

yeah, I use the recipe my dad always used, as the lea&perrins and smoke flavor are both gluten-free, and just substitute the wheat free tamari for the soy sauce.

as far as the oven, put cookie sheets on the bottom (or lowest rack), or put drying racks on cookie sheets (very convenient) and lay the strips on the racks (drying or oven, depending on how you're going). put them in the oven, set it to 200F (or about it's lowest setting, prop the door open a bit with a folded paper, and leave for 8-12 hours. (well, check on it occasionally, depending on the humidity in your area - I live a mile from the beach, so the original recipe's 6 hours is totally not useful to me. ;-) )

[Guest Libbyk]

this may be a dumb question, but what kind of meat do you use? I am assuming beef, but is there a special cut or part?

then just marinate for a while then throw it in the oven? I am excited to give it a try!

Libby

[tarnalberry]

Here's my "family" recipe:

1 london broil (a decent sized one... maybe a pound and a half or two pounds; I'm sure you could do this with chicken or turkey breast, and probably salmon, though that might be tricker, and I'd refrigerate it afterwards)

1/3 cup gluten-free tamari

1/3 cup worchester sauce (lea&perrin's is supposed to be gluten-free in the US)

1 tsp garlic powder (or use a few cloves of fresh crushed garlic)

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp liquid smoke

(optional (any of the following): 1/2 tsp ancho chili pepper, 1/2 tsp chipotle chili pepper, 1/2 tsp cayanne pepper, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp hot sauce)

Slice meat 1/4" thick across the grain. (Putting it in the freezer for 45 minutes or so ahead of time makes this much easier. ... Okay, an electric slicer REALLY makes this easier, but not on the pocketbook. ;-) )

Place strips of meat in a glass/ceramic (non-metal, non-porous) dish.

Combine all marinade ingredients and cover meat.

Put in fridge for 24-72 hours, stirring (or turning all the meat over) occasionally.

Place meat strips on oven racks with cookie sheets underneath the racks to catch the drippings (or on drying racks placed on cookie sheets).

Turn oven to 125-150F (warm on an electric oven) (note that my last message had the temperature too high - sorry about that!)

Bake for "3 hours or until meat is dry". (that usually takes me overnight - a good 12 hours, but I like it rather dry)

You can store it in a plastic ziptop bag for... oh, probably at least two weeks, maybe a month in a cool climate in a dark place.

[Guest Libbyk]

thanks!