Jerky!

So in a previous post I mentioned that I had purchased a food dehydrator. Well the thing arrived the day before yesterday, and I got started with my drying out of food process. I had also purchased a book called Just Jerky so that I could make some dried meat correctly and hopefully end up with something that didn't taste like shoe leather or get me sick. So I decided to try out two of the recipes presented in the book. I made "Cajun Jerky" and "Whiskey Pepper Jerky". Now, in making jerky, you're supposed to use the leanest cuts of meat because fat doesn't dry and will make the meat turn rancid. Therefore, I used two London Broil steaks each two and a half pounds and cut them into equal-sized strips as seen here:

I then proceeded to make the two marinades. and marinated each batch of meat overnight. It's an understatement to say that I was absolutely excited to start making the jerky. Now, anyone that knows me knows that I like to cook. This is a new experience for me though. I've never made anything like this before.

So the next day I started with the actual jerky making. This is one of the marinades, and what the meat looked like when it started out on the dryer.

I waited  for the meat to dry. And waited..and waited. It took absolutely forever. I would check on the progress every hour or so. The meat looked progressively less like raw meat, and more and more like jerky was supposed to look like. Finally! 8 hours later it was ready and I was ready to taste my new creation. I tried the whiskey flavored one fist, and it turned out pretty good. Definitely had the whiskey flavoring, as well as some kick, and a hint of sweetness which was completely unexpected. In my opinion, the Cajun-flavored one was significantly better. It was spicy, flavorful, and left a really good taste on the palate. It will definitely become a repeat recipe. Here is what it looked like when done, and the final amount that I made.
















My next goal will be to try making some dried fruit. However, that will have to wait until at least the end of the week, as this week is going to be very busy. I'll keep you all appraised on how that goes after I attempt it.

In other news, expect an update on how things are going with the Crossfit Challenge sometime in the next couple days when I get a free moment to jot down my thoughts.