After an organic beef jerky binge last week, I found myself peering into an empty bag, not quite believing I was sold 3 oz as a supposed three servings.
That gobble session cemented my motivation to make Alton Brown’s box fan jerky with buffalo from our Farmers’ Market.
Strips of marinated meat are arranged in air filters and bungee corded to a box fan, where they dry for 12 or more hours. It works! The next day I had beautiful translucent strips of salty spicy jerky.
Next time I’ll try a sweeter marinade and make sure to keep my cuts thin (the freezing trick works excellently to help cut the meat thin).
More Jerky Ideas
- Splendid table, Feijoada Completa: features a slightly abridged but still authentic roster of meats. Most of them can be found at a good Hispanic butcher shop, though a German or Polish butcher is also a good bet for smoked meats.
- 28 Cooks, Tofu Jerky: I must admit I was pleasantly surprised. Although the texture isn’t like real jerky, it’s oddly close enough. I also think that the seasonings are distracting enough that this is rather enjoyable. I definitely think that most people, vegetarian or not, would enjoy this as a fairly healthy snack.
- Make Magazine Blog, DIY Jerky machine: You can build a high quality DIY Jerky Machine for a fraction of the cost of a commercial heated dryer. As you may already know, adding heat to meat changes the taste and texture. The best way to dry meat is with cool dry air moving at a fast rate, which is what this machine is built for.
3 Comments
I am truly indebted to you. I adore game meat and it’s the rare treat that I get it as jerky. I may actually make my own jerky out of the elk I have in the freezer.
Thanks!
Nuh-UH! That is AWESOME!
I remember seeing that episode and wondering to myself, “Now, who would go through all that trouble except Alton Brown?”
You are my hero.
