2015 Chili Cook-Off ~ People’s Choice Award - Texas Style

Authentic Texas-style chili contains no beans and is usually made with diced beef. Some purest use only beef and spices in their chili. We use brisket that has been smoked for 24 hours. Once the brisket has cooled, it is finely diced before being added to the remaining ingredients.

Ingredients:
2 pounds (or 1 kilo) smoked brisket (“Pecho” en español), shredded and trimmed of fat. We smoke the brisket for 12 hours and then finish it in the oven for another 12 hours. (If you don’t have brisket, you could use ground beef, browned and drained, or chuck roast (posta) that has been diced into ¼” cubes. You will need to increase the liquid smoke to 1/3 cup.
1 pound Italian sausage, browned and drained
1 medium onion, diced small
1 – 14.5 cans of diced tomatoes
1 – 6 oz. cans of tomato paste
2 cups of chicken stock
¼ cup liquid smoky broth from the brisket, with all fat dripping removed. Alternately, you can use “Colgin Liquid Smoke” sold in most grocery stores, including AutoMercado in Costa Rica
1 cups of water
½ pint of Pace salsa picante (medium) or 1 can of La Costeña Salsa Mexicana
1 tablespoon of beef stock concentrate 
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoon masa (corn flour) dissolved in ½ cup of water for thickening
2 tablespoons homemade chili powder (more, or less, according to taste)

Directions:
Brown the ground sausage and drain.  Add the meat and sausage to the pot with all the onions, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, chicken stock, beef concentrate, salsa, garlic, oregano, chili powder, salt, pepper, and 1 cup of water. Bring mixture to a steady boil, stirring frequently for at least an hour.  Mix the masa (corn flour) with enough cold water to create a thick batter and add it to the pot.  Simmer for 4 hours, or more.
Top with grated cheddar and diced onions before serving. Corn tortillas or chips go great with a bowl of chili.

Yield ~ 1 gallon

*Homemade Chili Powder
4 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili de árbol powder (Tree chili is a small Mexican Chili with a woody stem that is sometimes called bird’s beak chili.) 
2 whole chipotle chili peppers with stems removed, minced, and ground to a powder (Chipotle chili is a smoked Jalapeño chili pepper used primarily in Mexican and Tex-Mex cooking.)
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons smoked Spanish paprika
2 tablespoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons fresh finely minced oregano
1 tablespoon fresh ground coriander seeds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground clove
4 tablespoons Hot Chili Powder (Purchased from MySpiceSage.com. Ingredients: Chile Pepper, Salt, Cumin, Oregano, Garlic, Cayenne Pepper, and Crushed Red Pepper)

Pastrami Rub Spices

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons fresh coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon coriander powder
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• ½ teaspoon whole mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon mustard powder
• (Note: If you don't have mustard seeds & powder, add 1 teaspoon of horseradish)

Directions:

• Crush all the seeds with a mortar & pestle until the seeds are cracked, but not a powder. You can also put the seeds in a ziplock bag and crush them with a heavy saucepan. 
• Blend the crushed seeds with all the powdered spices.
• Store in a jar or airtight container to use to prepare pastrami.

Sous Vide Beef Pastrami

Ingredients:

• 1 home-cured or pre-packaged corned beef brisket (approximately 3 to 4 pounds)
• 3 tablespoons pastrami rub

Directions:

PREPARE:

1. Put the corned beef in a pot slightly larger than the meat and cover it with cold water. Refrigerate for at least 8-10 hours. This will remove the excess salt from the meat. It is best if the water is changed a couple of times; at 3 hours, and 6 hours. 
2. Prepare the Immersion Circulator for Sous Vide and set the water temperature for 65.5°C/150°F.
3. Remove the desalinated corned beef from the pot. Pat it dry with towels and place into a vacuum sealing bag, or a gallon-sized sealable freezer bag. 
4. Vacuum seal the bag, or carefully submerge the freezer bag in the water bath until most of the air has been removed before sealing the bag. 

COOK:

1. Once the bag is sealed, place it in the water bath and cook the corned beef for 30 hours.
2. Fill a large container with a 50/50 mix of ice and water. Place the bag of sous vided corned beef in the ice water for 30 to 60 minutes to quickly reduce the meat's core temperature to 1-3°C/34 to 38ºF. Place the meat in the refrigerator until ready to smoke (up to two days ahead of time).

SMOKE: 

1. Set your smoker to 107°C/225°F or prepare a grill for 2-zone cooking and get the indirect side to about 107°C/225°F. If you are using a gas grill, simply turn off the burners on one half of the grill for indirect cooking, adjust the grill temperature to approximately 107°C/225°F, then add a smoker box or smoking wood pouch according to the manufacturer's instructions for the full smoke flavor. Use lots of wood.
2. 
   Prepare the brisket again. Combine the rub ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
3. Remove meat from the vacuum/freezer bag. Trim excess fat. Pat the surface dry with paper towels and season generously all over with the dry rub mixture.
   
4. Place the meat in your smoker or on the cooler side of the grill as far from the heat source as possible. Allow the meat to smoke until it reaches an internal temperature of 52°C/125°F, about 1 hour. 
5. Now, you have pastrami! The pastrami was fully cooked during the sous vide process. The goal is to convert the Corned Beef into Pastrami by adding a smokey flavor to the meat while reheating it to a temperature that is pleasant when served.

SERVE:

Remove the pastrami from the grill, wrap it in a double layer of foil, and allow it to sit for 1 hour before slicing. Slice the Pastrami against the natural grain of the meat for the best texture. 

South African Biltong

Meat preservation is a survival technique dating back to ancient times. Many cultures developed recipes for dried cured meat, or jerky. Biltong is just one type originated in Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Various types of meat can be used to produce biltong, ranging from beef and game meats to fillets of meat cut into strips following the grain of the muscle, or flat pieces sliced across the grain. It is related to beef jerky in that they are both spiced, dried meats; however, the typical ingredients, taste and production processes may differ.

John discovered this delicious recipe for a South African style jerky a couple of years ago. We give full credit to https://www.biltongblog.com/making-biltong/ for this original recipe. There are many other techniques for producing a great biltong, but this is the method that works best for us.

Ingredients:

• 2 kilos (4.4 lbs) good beef cut (or venison if you have available)
• 1½ cup white distilled vinegar
• ½ cup Worcestershire Sauce
• 4 tablespoons coarse salt
• 4 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 8 tablespoons of ground coriander seeds
• ½ cup of whole coriander seeds (these will be roasted in a pan then crushed and applied just before drying)
• 4 tablespoons of raw brown sugar
• 65 mg of ground smoked Carolina Reaper pepper
• other optional ingredients: paprika, cayenne pepper (for spicier biltong – not much needed..), crushed dry garlic, any other herbs and spices that you want to experiment with.

Directions:

1. Start with a cut of good beef such as sirloin. 
2. Cut the beef into flat strips of about 1 inch deep by 2 inches wide. Cut the strips with the grain and if possible (and desired) leave a thin strip of the fat on one side. The fat will dry out nicely and add to the taste.
3. 
   Make the brining solution: Mix 1½ cups of white vinegar and ½ Worcestershire Sauce into a large flat dish deep enough to cover the meat strips. Lay the strips in the vinegar mix for 2-4 hours to absorb and begin the curing process. When finished this initial curing remove the strips and squeeze and pat dry. You can keep the vinegar/water mix for rinsing the strips later.
4. Prepare the dry rub: Mix the dry spices (excluding the whole coriander seeds)
5. 
   Place a layer onto the bottom of a dish or plastic container that is large enough to lay the meat flat. Stack the spiced strips on top of each other with a layer of spices in between each. 
   
   Pour any excess dry rub over the top of the meat strips, and press spices into the strips. Set aside to cure for 6 – 24 hours. The longer you leave it the more the meat will absorb the salt, pepper, coriander – i.e. if you prefer a more natural taste then leave the meat in the spices for less time.
6. 
   Remove the spiced strips from the dish and rinse in the vinegar/water mix from 2 above. Most of the spices on the outside of the meat should wash off.
   Squeeze or pat dry.  Leave more or less of the spices to your taste.
7. 
   OPTIONAL – ADD CRACKED CORIANDER SEEDS Lay the meat down and apply the coarse cracked coriander seeds to the outside of the meat in sufficient quantity to stick to the strips. If you slightly roast the coriander seeds in a pan before crushing them this releases additional flavor of the seeds – highly recommended (you can also put the seeds into the microwave for 20-30 seconds). Crush the seeds into halves or quarters in a small mortar bowl so you end up with pieces that will stick nicely to the meat. Alternatively you can put the seeds in an old pepper or spice grinder that is set to grind very coarse.
8. 
   Dehydrate the biltong strips in a smoker (no wood chips to produce smoke required, but we add a small amount at the beginning of the drying process), or oven, set to 165°F. Lay the strips on racks with a space between each strip for the air to circulate. Depending on the thickness of the biltong, it should take about 12 hours in the smoker/oven, and another day to air dry. During this time you can gently pinch the pieces to check for dryness and/or cut off pieces to sample to check for readiness.
9. Once the strips are dried, they're about two-thirds their original thickness and width. Traditionally the finished strips are cross-cut into little rectangular "cookies" about 1/4" thick. That exposes the tender middle and makes them a great snack, or energy source.
10. Store biltong in the fridge, especially in warm climates.  Never store in a plastic bag unless vacuum sealed. 

Home Cured Corned Beef Brisket

Next week will be Saint Patrick's Day and for the first time since we've been in Costa Rica, we have a corned beef brisket ready to cook to celebrate this American Irish holiday. I had been hungry for some corned beef brisket for a few years now and decided a couple of weeks ago we really needed to try our hand at making a brine and home curing a brisket. This is amazingly easy if you have 10 days of preparation time. This is not something you decide to make from one day to the next.

The first challenge was to locate all the spices I would need for the brine solution. I had enough Prague Powder #1 (InstaCure Pink Salt) on hand that our daughter had brought from the States, so I just needed to track down the rest of the spices. It turned out most of the ingredients can be found at our local spice vendor's booth at our Feria (Farmers' Market) every Friday morning. I was able to find a couple of the spices he didn't carry at the Mercado Central (central market) in Alajuela, including a new local source for the Prague Powder #1, called "Sal de Cura" at vendor booth #34. The only spice I couldn't locate was juniper berry. With just a little research I found sprigs of Rosemary make an acceptable substitute, and the Rosemary will impart the same earthy pine flavor and scent as a juniper berry.

If you have the time to brine, and you're ready to try your hand a making a home-cured corned beef brisket, here's how to do it.

Ingredients:

Spice Mix:
4 cinnamon stick, broken into several pieces (canela)
1 tablespoon mustard seeds (semillas de mostaza)
1 tablespoon black peppercorns (granos de pimienta negra)
1 tablespoon coriander seeds (semilla de culantro)
2 teaspoons Star Anise (estrellas de anís)
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (hojuelas de chili rojo)
24 whole cloves (clavo de olor)
24 whole allspice berries (granos de Jamaica)
24 whole juniper berries or 8 sprigs of rosemary (ramitas de romero)
6 bay leaves, crumbled (hojas de laurel)

Thoroughly mix all the spices together and store in an airtight jar.

Corned Beef Brine:
3 quarts of water
1½ cup kosher salt (we use swimming pool salt because it is pure with no iodine or fluoride)
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 ounces Prague Insta-Cure #1 (by weight, not by volume) (Sal de Cura)
5 tablespoons of Spice Mix
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger (jengibre molido)
4 sliced cloves of garlic (optional) (clavos de ajo)
2 pounds ice
1 (6 to 7 pound) beef brisket, trimmed (pecho entero)

Directions:

Curing the Meat:
Place the water into a large 6 to 8-quart stockpot along with salt, sugar, Prague powder, and all the spices. Cook over high heat until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the ice. Stir until the ice has melted. If necessary, place the brine into the refrigerator until it reaches a temperature of 45 degrees F. Once it has cooled, place the brisket in a 2-gallon container (or zip-top bag) and add the brine. Seal the container, and refrigerate for 10 days. Check daily to make sure the beef is completely submerged, turn it over as necessary and stir the brine.2. After 10 days, remove from the brine and rinse well under cool water and remove the old spices. Put the corned beef in a pot slightly larger than the meat and cover it with cold water. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours in order to remove excess salt from the meat. If you can change the water once or twice.

There are two cooking methods you can use to finish the Corned Beef: A Stovetop or Sous Vide method with an Immersion Circulator.

STOVETOP:

When you are ready to cook, place the brisket into a pot just large enough to hold the meat, cover with water, bring to a boil and reduce to low for 30 minutes to remove the salt. Pour off all the salty water, add the onion, carrot, and celery and cover with water by 1-inch. If you like additional spice, add 1 tablespoon of the leftover mix. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and gently simmer for 2½ to 3 hours, or until the meat is fork-tender. If you want, you can add cabbage and potatoes during the last 45 minutes of cooking. Remove from the pot and thinly slice across the grain.

SOUS VIDE:

Prepare sous vide immersion circulator and set the water temperature for 80°C/175°F.

Remove the desalinated corned beef from the pot and place it in a gallon-size sealable freezer bag. 

Carefully submerge the freezer bag in the water bath until most of the air has been removed and then seal the bag. 

Once the bag is submerged, cook the corned beef for 10 hours.

Fill a large container with a 50/50 mix of ice and water. Place the bag of cooked corned beef in the ice water for 30 to 60 minutes to quickly reduce the meat's core temperature to 34 to 38ºF. Place the meat in the refrigerator until ready to slice (up to two days ahead of time). When ready to serve, thinly slice the corned beef across the grain.

(Modified from Alton Brown’s recipe on the Food Network, 2007)

Olla de Carne - Costa Rican Beef Soup

This is an absolutely delicious Costa Rican staple that used to be served at every evening meal. Now it is served anytime. You will find it on the menu at many "sodas" (small diners) and "restaurantes". It is a stew-like soup with large chunks of beef and vegetables. The broth isn't as thick as the broth found in a typical American stew.

Ingredients:

½ pound of yucca

½ pound sweet potatoes (camote)

½ pound of tiquisque* (optional)

½ pound carrots (zanahoria)

½ pound of potatoes (pappas)

½ pound of calabaza squash (ayote)

1 chayote

1 green plantain (platano verde)

2 ears of tender corn sliced in 1½” rings (elote)

1 bunch of fresh cilantro (culantro)

1 cup diced celery (apio)

1 cup coarsely chopped onion (cebolla)

3 cloves minced garlic (ajo)

1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano

2 cups of chicken or beef stock (or 2 bouillon cubes dissolved in water)

1 teaspoon of achiote paste (annatto)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 pounds bone-in beef, cubed beef or rib pieces cut into about 2 inch pieces

Directions:

Place the meat in a large pot with the onion, garlic, cilantro, oregano, celery and salt and pepper. Add enough water to cover everything and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer until the meat is almost tender, about 30 to 45 minutes. Cut all of the vegetables into large chunks, about 1” to 1½” thick. Put the vegetables and chicken or beef stock in another large stock pot in the order they take to cook. Reserve the potatoes, sweet potatoes and squash until later because they need less cooking time. Bring the vegetable to a boil over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Then add the remaining vegetables and lower the heat to a simmer, transfer the meat to the vegetable pot and continue to simmer until everything is tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Olla de carne is usually served "family style" with a bowl of plain broth (or caldo) for everyone. The cooked meat and vegetables are placed on a large platter in the center of the table with a large bowl of white rice. Everyone adds a little rice to their broth and then tops it with some meat and their favorite vegetables.

* Tiquisque is commonly called Taro, Cocoyam or Ñampi. I'm not fond of this root vegetable, so I usually don't add it.

Taco Soup

This soup is always a big hit for supper in the colder months. It can be thrown together in a matter of minutes and it's yummy with some corn bread or tortillas. Even though you may find an ingredient you don't normally like, you will be pleasantly surprised at how good this tastes when everything is combined.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground hamburger meat or ground turkey
1 can Pinto or Black Beans (I use one can of each)
1 can Great Northern Beans or Navy Beans
1 can Whole Kernal Corn
1 can Hominy (I know what you're thinking, but trust me for the tortilla taste)
2 cans diced Tomatoes with Chiles (Ro-Tel)
1 package Taco Seasoning
1 package dry Ranch Dressing Mix

Optional:
Sauté 1 cup diced onions and 1 cup diced sweet peppers in a tablespoon of olive oil before you add the meat.

Directions:
Brown ground meat; add ingredients from each can including liquid; add taco mix and ranch dressing mix; stir all ingredients until well combined and simmer about 20 minutes until hot through and through. You can add water to taste - not required but it will make a more soupy dish.

Serving suggestion: Try topping with a dollop of sour cream, grated cheese, a little diced onion and some chopped cilantro just before serving.

Originally posted 10/13/07

BBQ Beef Brisket

Ingredients:

Beef brisket, 1-1½# per adult, but don’t try less than a 7 pounder (however much yer want -- 15-16# makes a feast)
1-3 c. Texas Universal BBQ Sauce/Marinade (depending on how much meat there is)
Adolph’s meat tenderizer or similar brand using the ingredient papain

Trim off any really disgusting looking fat, but remember, we’s lookin for flavor, not the arteries of some 16 year old stud-muffin kid. Turn the meat fat-side up and cut score lines1/2”-3/4” apart, diagonally across the whole brisket through the fat, down to the meat. Similarly, slit through any membrane (eeeoooo!). Generously rub BBQ sauce into the slits and all over the surface. Turn ‘er over and place fat side down in a glass cake pan or porcelained roaster. Cover the lean side generously with the sauce. Cover with plastic wrap & refrigerate for at least 12 hours (this stuff eats foil).

After this marinating period wipe the residual sauce from the meat into the pan (try yer hand, but resist lickin it -- un fricasseed meat juices an all, ya know; and don’t pour it back into the bottle.). Save the sauce in the refrigerator for later. Lay the meat out on a board and sprinkle the surface very copiously (Reader’s Digest, October ‘83) with meat tenderizer. Stab the entire surface with a regular dinner fork, spacing the stabs 1/4”-1/2” apart, tryin to penetrate the full depth of the fork. Flip ‘er over and repeat the tenderizer & stabbin routine on the other side. Knock the old crud offin yer smoker & build a real serious mesquite fire (or, fer you yankees, that’s probly gonna havta be Kingsford charcoal, about 10#, in the (gag) Weber). Damp down the firebox (and push the coals all to the outside, Weber-heads) and put a loaf pan of water in the center no-coals area, or fill the smoker’s water pan. Cover the grill area with heavy foil in the area that the meat will cover. Grease, oil or Pam the foil. Put the meat, fat side down onto the foil & close the cooker. Iffin you has a cooker thermometer, we’s lookin fer 180-225 F as the stable cookin temperature. Smoke for about 4 hours, watchin & replenishin the water & coals as required. After them 4 hours, open the cooker & slather the meat with the sauce saved from the marinadin, adding fresh sauce iffin yer need it to cover all the meat. Keep that temperature down & let’er go to fork tender, about another 4-20 hours, depending on the size of the cow. You will have to do a bunch of coal & water restockin, re-saucin and maybe a bit of foil covering on thinner sections that are goin to crunchy before the thick end gets there. The meat should be fairly smoke-black all over, pull apart with a fork, and sample slices (its allowed ... blame it on the dog) should be tender in the middle, completely rimmed with a 1/8”-1/4” red “rind” (soaked through sauce & smoke) and knock-ya-down juicy & tasty.

Remove from smoker and slice across the grain (start at the pointed, thinner “tip” end, cutting so the tip is a little triangle, informing the crowd that it’s important that the chef sample this tip for edibility). Other than that tip, cut thin slices, no more than 1/8” thick. Your slicin angle will change as you move up the brisket and the grain orientation changes. Serve with heated Universal Sauce on the side (or over, under, sideways, down). This should yield the yummiest, fork-tender eating orgy yer ever chompped. Traditional other meal fare is potato salad, cole slaw, white bread, ranch-style beans, whole jalpeños & iced tea. Go nuts.

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Originally posted 9/15/07

Panini Grilled Barbecue Beef Sandwich

Ingredients:
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Light Olive Oil
1/4 chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped sweet peppers (red green or yellow)
1 garlic clove - minced
8 ounces precooked chopped beef brisket (without sauce)
1/2 cup yellow sweet corn (canned, fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
8 thin slices of whole wheat sourdough bread

Directions:
Sauté onion & peppers in a skillet on medium until onions are clear. Add the garlic and cook an another minute or two. Add the meat, corn & barbecue sauce. Cover and bring everything to a simmer on low for 5 minutes.

Divide mixture into 4 portions. Spread mixture on a slice of bread and top it with another slice. Place the sandwich on a hot Panini grill until the bread is toasted on each side.

Make 4 sandwiches

Nutritional Information: Per Serving: 307 Calories; 17g Fat (49.1% calories from fat); 13g Protein; 27g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 33mg Cholesterol; 404mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

Originally posted 7/12/09

Carne en Adobo

Beef in Tomato and Pepper Sauce

Ingredients:
1/4 cup peanut oil
1 med onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 red or green bell peppers seeded & chopped
1 fresh hot red or green pepper seeded & chopped
3 lbs lean boneless beef chuck cut into 1 inch cubes
A 10 oz can Mexican green tomatoes w/ liquid
4 med tomatoes peeled and coarsely chopped
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
1/2 tsp oregano
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cp beef stock more or less
2 stale tortillas, or 2 Tbs masa harina or
2 TBs cornmeal

Directions
Heat oil in heavy saucepan or casserole and saute onion garlic and peppers until the onion is soft. Add the meat and the other ingredients except the tortilla. The liquid should barely cover the meat. Add a little more stock if necessary. Covered simmer gently until the beef is tender, about 2 hours. If using tortillas soak in cold water, and crumble like bread crumbs. Add to the casserole and simmer uncovered, until the sauce is thickened. If using masa harina or cornmeal mix with a little cold water and stir into the stew, cooking just until the sauce is thickened. Serve stew on a bed of rice.

Originally posted 3/09/08

Baba's California Enchiladas

This recipe was written in a "palsied hand" in the back cover of a well used Betty Crocker Cookbook published in 1950 that was given to me by "Baba" as a Wedding Shower gift in 1967.

Ingredients:
1 package Lawry's Taco Seasoning Mix
8 ounces tomato sauce, canned
1 1/2 cups water
1 pound ground beef, extra lean
1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
2 cups American cheese, grated
1/2 cup onion, chopped fine
2 1/4 oz can olives, chopped and pitted
8 corn tortillas

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Mix tomato sauce, water, and taco seasoning mix in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Lower temperature to simmer. Brown ground beef with seasoning salt and drain off any grease. Roll the ground beef and a small amount of the grated cheese into each tortilla and place them in an 8x12 baking dish. Top them with the sauce, the remaining cheese, chopped olives and onion. Bake for 20 minutes until cheese is thoroughly melted and serve.


Originally posted 1/08/08

Oven-dried Beef Jerky

Ingredients:
2 pounds lean beef, boned
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper, coarsely ground
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon hickory smoke-flavored salt

Directions:
Trim meat & discard all fat. Cut into ¼" to ½" thick slices. If necessary, cut large slices down to about 1½" wide and as long as possible and set meat aside. Mix all other ingredients in large bowl and stir until seasonings are dissolved. Work meat strips into the mixture until all surfaces are well coated. The meat will absorb most, if not all, the liquid. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate over-night. Shake off any excess liquid, arrange strips of meat close together, but not overlapping, directly on oven racks (or cake racks set in shallow, rimmed pans.) Dry meat in the oven at the lowest possible setting - 140 to 180 degrees - until it turn brown, feels hard & is dry to the touch. It should not be brittle. It will take 5 hours for poultry & 5-7 hours for other meats. Dry off any beads of oil, cool & store in airtight container. Jerky will keep in refrigerator, or room temperature indefinitely.


Originally posted 1/08/08