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Post by whitetail1 on May 21, 2006 8:10:16 GMT -5
I just purchased one of the jerky guns that you use with ground meat to make snack sticks and jerky strips. Have any of you ever used one? Any tips or suggestions? It says in the instructions that you can use a dehydrator or use drying racks in the oven. Which one is best?
Thanks for any help.
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Post by hornharvester on May 21, 2006 20:43:16 GMT -5
ive made pounds of venison jerky using one. mine came with three tips, small round, flat strip and large round. i like the large round best. if you use a dehydrator make sure to rotate the trays or the bottom gets too dry. walmart sells a mix for the jerky guns for $5 that is pretty good stuff. h.h.
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Post by chicobrownbear on May 22, 2006 8:21:26 GMT -5
I bought some stainless cookie cooling racks that fit inside cookie sheets. These get put in the oven on the lowest setting, and I prop the door open with a metal spoon so moisture can get out quickly. Works as good, and quicker than a dehydrator.
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Post by sportsmanslodge1 on May 22, 2006 20:13:59 GMT -5
My cousin made some ground jerky last year with one of those and a dehydrator. It was better than I expected. I didn't think I would like it near as well as sliced jerky but it was very good.
The dehydrator works pretty well. I've never done any in the oven. With the dehydrator it is easy to move the trays around to keep all the jerky drying evenly like hornharvester said. The other to keys are getting the right amount of seasoning on the meat and getting it dryed just right.
Good luck!
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Post by Decatur on May 24, 2006 12:46:41 GMT -5
I had some ground meat jerky made by a co-workee once from hamburger. It tasted like raw hamburger that sat in the back of a VW bus in July. I just can't seem to give it another shot. Good luck with yours.
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Post by camoham on Jun 2, 2006 9:07:47 GMT -5
yepper got a jerky shooter................
i primarily use beef...............
i occasionally use ground venison (i dont put suet/fat in mine so it shrinks alot)
i use a dehydrator.................4lbs of beef usually yields around 2lbs of jerky for me.
originally bought mixes.............
after research...................
i use tender quick (sodium nitrate preservative with a bunch of other goodies which are probably bad for me).....................
lite soy sauce (light in sodium)
colgins liquid smoke (mesquite usually but hickory is good too)
and good old cracked peppercorn...............the more the merrier.
nothing better in the evenings than snacking on jerky with a sharp cheddar cheese or spiced havarti.............
making good jerky regardless with oven or dehydrator.........................is finding a happy medium between done..............and not too dry.
dehydrators with a good fan turn out really well.................ive owned one with a fan on the bottom..................and another one with the fan "on top".................
of the two i prefer fan on the top of the unit...............fat and spices drain to the bottom section which cleans easily instead of into the motor/fan unit (hence why i think my first dehydrator "fizzled" out).
good luck and good snacking.....................
btw...........it pains me when i see a $6.99 tag on a 1/4 lb of jerky at stores................knowing full well i can make 8x that amount for 2 dollars less............and a little elbow grease !
camoham
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Post by parrothead on Sept 20, 2006 11:36:47 GMT -5
I have the jerky blaster I think it is called. I use Hi Mountain jerky cures. They are all very good. I got a commerial Food Dehydrator from Cabelas last year. I got it free with my points. It has 28 sq ft of drying space. It is nice.
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Post by parrothead on Sept 20, 2006 11:41:49 GMT -5
THis is not jerky but last year I made trail bologna and bologna. It is very easy. IT comes in a kit with spices and casings. I used my jerky gun to stuff into the casing. You put it in your over to bake and thats it. I got mine from LEM products. It was 9.99 for a 10lb kit.
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