Homemade Beef Jerky! Marinated in Root Beer!!!
The other day I was wading up river fishing for trout. I was having a great time, like I always do, whether I catch anything or not. Up and over logs, fighting the overgrown stick over the water, putting myself in weird positions, all the way to simply walking against the current. It was exhausting to put it simply. Like anyone would I grew hungry.
I reached into my bag somewhat reluctantly, as I forgot to prepare and I only had time to pick something up at a convenience store. For most this might not be an issue to find something palatable. But Idon't like to eat prepackaged or foods high in sugar, especially refined sugars(sugar includes bread). This leaves me with very little to choose. I decided to go with beef jerky, Jack Links, it seemed like the best choice.
On the waters edge looking at the waters to come and what I had just came through, I tried my best to enjoy the snack. This was very tough to do. Every bite was a little bit of disappointment (no offense Jack Links) but I knew I could do better. Left feeling salty for 2 reasons I took a swig of water and moved on.
Its been 3 days since that trip and the thought of better jerky never left my mind. While I was shopping in a local Asian marketplace I saw a good looking london broil for cheap. I knew already I would have to get a bottle of root beer with it.
This is a recipe Iv'e been doing since I started making jerky.
Thin sliced as thin and even as I can get. Then put into a container with the root beer to sit in the fridge until the next day.
The very next morning, this morning in fact, I began to get the smoker out and get it ready for its delicious job ahead. While heating the smoker up and burning off the old, the marinated meat was placed on the trays over the sink to dry off the excess soda. Before walking away to tend to the smoker they were sprinkled lightly with salt garlic powder and black pepper.
Once the smoker is done burning off the old, I load up the pecan chips and lower that sucker to 225 degrees F.
Shortly after that the smoker needs to be opened up to slide the trays in. Hopefully from doing this the temperature drops below 225 F so the heating element turns on. This makes it easier for the chips to start smoldering.
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Within minutes of closing the door the smoke starts to pour out.
I'm sure by now you've noticed in using an electric smoker. I prefer electric for making jerky because of how evenly the pieces come out. Another great thing about electric is that I can set it and forget it. All I need to do is check to see if smoke is still coming out every so often. Keeping myself from getting ants in my pants and opening it up early is very important.
My patience pays off, Lucky for me this was only an hour and a half. The smoker is opened, and like magic each slice is now a delicious piece of jerky.
After trying a piece or 6 I was positive that my jerky well surpasses store bought.
Thank you for reading!!
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Great post! Looks delicious! Could have used the #myhuntingfishing tag if you wanted but that's okay. ;) Still upvoted and resteemed.
Thank you very much!!! lol, noted. :)
@nickbuha I wish your post had an option to taste!
Lol Thank you! I wish it did too that way I can come back to it in the future.
Man, that is some good looking jerky! I was just telling my wife about my plans to smoke a pork belly soon. Now I've got to add this to my list! I've never smoked jerky before and I was considering getting a jerky maker from an outdoors store....any opinions or guidance on this?
Thank you!! My best recommendation would be the electric smoker its easy for beginners, and you get the nice smokey flavor. My buddy has a jerky maker, I think it makes great jerky but the lack of smoke is what keeps me away. lol If you really wanted to, you could do it in your oven if you could keep it at 225 F.
now that sounds good 👍
Thank You!!!
oh man! that looks lush... I do like a bit of jerky and the idea of home made is just amazing... though you might need to make this a regular thing since I can see this might not last long whether you are going fishing or not!
Thank you!! I would have to agree, regular thing, this batch is 90% gone. Lucky for my girlfriend I set some aside in a tupperware before I tasted. lol The 10% for her is very hard to look away from.
I can imagine... but try to keep your hands off it. She will indeed appreciate it!
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Marinades allow you to make the steak more tender and tasty. The sweet and salty flavors meld with the flavor of the meat while it marinates in the refrigerator. The finished steak ends up juicy and flavorful. There's a great recipe at https://www.bigwigjerky.com.au/how-to-make-the-best-homemade-beef-jerky/ for how to make this at home. It's also where I got all the tools for smoking and curing. Let me tell you right away, the technology for flawless steak is extremely complicated. It is very important sequence of heat treatment, which preserves the meat juice inside, makes the crust, preventing the leakage of juice, etc. Sometimes steak frying temperatures vary by several degrees