Jerky - Procedures

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Meat Preparation

Here is 7.7-lbs of London Broil that I got on sale.  These roasts look really good and fresh.  After trimming it all out, I had 4.5-lbs of good slices left for jerky (remember Jerky Math?). The trimmings are great for making ground beef.  If you plan to make a lot of jerky, and/or are interested in making sausage, get yourself a nice electric meat grinder.

The secret to making good jerky is starting with good meat.  I've only dealt with beef so far, so that's what I'll cover here.  You can basically use any cut of lean beef, keeping the following concerns in mind:

1. It must be lean - Marbling and fat are very bad for jerky.  Fat will turn rancid very quickly and ruin your jerky in a matter of days.  (*shudder*, I ate some like that once.....ONCE!)
2. It must be fresh - although we are going to dry out and preserve the meat, this doesn't mean you want to buy it "half-way there".  Just like your barbecue cuts, look for bright red, fresh & juicy roasts with no dark spots or "old" smells.
3. You will be trimming all the fat and gristle off these guys - keep that in mind when selecting your roast.

With that said, my favorite cut of beef for jerky is London Broil, which actually comes from the top of the Round Steak.  The thing that is perfect about London Broil is the way the butcher cuts it to make it a London Broil instead of a Round Steak.  The London Broil is lean cut, 1-2" thick, with the grain running straight across.  Therefore, when you get a good specimen, you can almost just start slicing away along one of the sides and you'll have nice even strips (this is not always the case, and many times you'll have to do some trimming....but this cut gives you an easier time).  Other good candidates include: round steak, rump roast, and brisket flats.  You could also use sirloin as well, but make sure it's lean and without too much marbling (what are you doing making jerky with sirloin, anyway?)

USE A SHARP KNIFE!!! 

A properly sharpened and honed blade will make life so much easier for you, as well as help avoid accidents.  When your knife is sharp, it goes where you tell it.  If it's dull, you start pushing harder and sawing and can lose control.  Also, learn how to use a sharpening steel to hone your blade before EVERY USE.

I took off 2.2-lbs of fat and gristle (above left,on right) from my original 7.7-lbs.  I'll lose another pound or so as we slice (short pieces and more gristly pieces).

I normally slice my jerky about 1/4".  Some folks like it thinner, some a bit thicker.  If you make it too thin, you risk making a treebark-like substance that could pass for a weapon in most states.  If you make it too thick, it'll take forever to dry.  (*helpful tip:  some folks will partially freeze the meat before slicing so it will firm up a bit.  Works great, but if it's too frozen it won't absorb the marinade very quickly.)  Whatever works for you....

This is what works for me (above and above-left).  Notice the nice even strips....the London Broil cut makes it easy.

After I'm all trimmed, I've lost another pound to fat & gristle.

After you're all sliced up, bag it and put it in the fridge to cool back down before you marinate.  Also, it would be a good idea to immediately wash and dry everything you used in the slicing process (especially your knives).  As a final sanitary note, a spray bottle with 1-qt water to a small amount of bleach (few Tbsp) makes the perfect sanitizing solution...spray it on and let it air dry (cutting boards and counters especially).

Now, to the good part....Marinades & Smoke (next)