Just Jerky : The Complete Guide to Making It

Here's the do-it-yourself guide to making your own jerky in an oven, smoker, or food dehydrator with strips or ground beef, venison, poultry, fish and even soy protein.

There are certain flavors that just go together, peanut butter and chocolate for example. Another combination of flavors that makes a perfectly happy marriage is honey and barbecue.

These two flavors have created an uproar in the kitchen with chefs churning out by the masses menu items featuring items drenched in honey barbecue sauce: wings, burgers, steaks, chicken breasts, chicken strips, ribs and more. But the honey barbecue sauce can also make for a very good dry treat!

Honey barbecue beef jerky is a popular homemade jerky flavor to make. Sure, there are plenty of honey barbecue sauces available on grocery store shelves from brands like Ken's, Heinz and Kikomon. But, there are also some sweet and tangy recipes for a honey barbecue marinade that is perfect for slapping on beef jerky. Here is one that we found and enjoy:

Ingredients:

3/4 c honey

1/2 c ketchup

1/4 c butter (1/2 stick)

1 tbsp vinegar

2 tsp Dijon style mustard

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 clove garlic, put through a press

chili powder optional, use to taste

1 lb of meat

Directions:

1. Slice meat in thin strips.

2. In a bowl, combine all ingredients of marinade and mix well.

3. Simmer ingredients for about five minutes. Let cool.

4. Place meat 3-4 layers deep in a container, spooning sauce mixture over each layer.

5. Cover tightly and marinate 6-12 hours in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally.

6. Layout on trays, 24 to 36 hours in dehydrator (or follow directions for oven).

When done, the honey barbecue flavor will have been absorbed in every thread of the meat, giving the jerky a lovely blend of that honey barbecue taste our tastebuds have grown to like.

REVIEW: Not sure that you can make it on your own?

The Jerky Outlet offers an amazing honey barbecue turkey jerky. This is a little different than beef jerky, as it is more of a stick snack, which will need to be refrigerated once open. There is more of a honey flavor than barbecue to it. The jerky is also very soft and a little juicy since it is more of a snack stick, and that can be a nice break from the chewy jerky. This is a very good product and comes in a one pound package for $16.99. So it is a little on the pricey side. Try making your own!

If you found this information on honey barbeque beef jerky useful, you'll want to read this article about buy beef jerky online.

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Nesco American Harvest FD-61WHC Snackmaster Express Food Dehydrator All-In-One Kit with Jerky Gun

The FD-61WHC Snackmaster Express All-In-One kit has a top mounted fan. Easily dries fruit, vegetables and jerky quickly and evenly. Dries food in hours not days. Comes with 5 trays and jerky gun. Unit disassembles easily and all parts are dishwasher safe except the power head. The Opaque Vita-Save exterior helps block harmful lights which destroys nutritional content of food being dehydrated. The Patented fan flow radial air action forces air down the center of the unit and horizontally across each tray for fast, even-drying. No need to rotate

Most people have a preference of whether or not they like their steaks rare, medium, well done, or anywhere in between. Yet, somehow, it seems that cooking a steak to fit these preferences is oftentimes difficult. But with some simple training and a bit of skill, it most certainly can be done. Cooking a steak does not have to be difficult, especially if you follow these few rules:

Take into consideration the thickness of a steak. You must realize that cooking a steak is not an issue of just time. Whereas cooking one steak for 4 minutes might make it medium, cooking a steak that is slightly thicker may turn out rare or medium rare when cooked for the same amount of time.

Also consider the pan temperature.

The cook time is also very important.

You must find a good balance between the three abovementioned things to get the results you desire.

Other things to consider when cooking a steak is the tenderness and size of the cut. The presence of a bone can also change the cooking time as can the method of cooking (barbecuing, sauting, etc.).

If you have a sirloin or rump steak of 1.5 cm thick, then here are a few guidelines to follow when cooking it:

1. Well done, cook it for up to 6 minutes

2. Medium, cook it for about 4 minutes

3. Rare, cook it for just a couple of minutes.

Hold up for a minute are you still confused as to what exactly rare is versus well done? Here is a guide on cooking a steak based off of what the steak should look like (of course, never cut open a steak to see if it is done! It looks tacky, and it causes the steak to dry out).

Well done the steak will be hot, and it will have very little moisture. The color will be a dark grayish. The steak will be firm when touched. There will be no hint of pink left.

Medium well the steak will also be hot, gray, and it will have a juicy center.

Medium a medium steak is light gray, warm, and it will have a juicy center. When touched the steak will offer some resistance. Pink juices will bead up on the surface of the seared side when the steak is turned.

Medium rare the steak will be light pink in color, warm, with a juicy center.

Rare the color will be pink, the temperature will be warm, and the center will be bloody and red! The steak will still feel soft when touched.

Know about the two different types of heat used when cooking a steak:

Dry heat this type of heat does not use liquid and it is used to cook some of the most tender cuts. Examples of cooking with dry heat are broiling, roasting, sauting, pan-broiling, and rotisserie cooking.

Moist heat moist heat, on the other hand, uses steam or liquid. Moist heat cooking methods are soup-making, stewing, braising, and pressure cooking.

You must determine whether or not your steak is cooked based on touch, sight, and the clock. The firmer the meat, the more cooked it is. The lighter the color (from dark purple-red to pink), the more cooked the steak is.

Cooking a steak does not have to be hard, but it can take practice. If you do not get it right the first time, try it again! Be sure to have fun when cooking a steak!

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on steaks and cooking, please visit Filet Mignon.

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