The Food Dehydrating Bible by Markham Brett L

Author:Markham , Brett L. [Markham , Brett L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Published: 2014-08-31T12:00:00+00:00

In theory, you can dehydrate the meat without spicing or using marinade, and I recommend this for jerky that will be powdered later for making “instant stock.” But in most cases you’ll want to use a marinade because it will allow you to dehydrate at a temperature high enough to kill surface microbes without case hardening the meat. Case hardening happens when the outside dries so quickly that the moisture inside the meat can’t get out. Marinating the meat first prevents this.

Marinades

Marinades for jerky have some commonalities with marinades for other purposes, but the nature of jerky means that it should contain no added oils. Vegetable oils in particular shouldn’t come into contact with jerky. Minerals such as iron will act as a catalyst to make vegetable oils go rancid. So that they can be kept at room temperature, manufacturers refine vegetable oils to remove any minerals. If you add any vegetable oil to a marinade for jerky, the minerals within the meat, such as iron, will act as a catalyst so the vegetable oil will develop bad flavors over time, and the storage life of the jerky will be shortened dramatically.

Beyond this, there are certain basics that can be elaborated upon with infinite variation. Common to nearly all jerky marinades are soy sauce and liquid smoke. There are many varieties of soy sauce available, but if you are sensitive to gluten you should be sure to choose a gluten-free variety. The salt in soy sauce helps the meat stay preserved longer (so long as you keep it sealed for storage), and doesn’t contribute enough sodium to be a medical issue for most people.

Soy sauce contains hydrolyzed soy protein. Though some soy sauces are a true fermented product, most use an industrial process. The soybeans are ground and boiled in a solution of hydrochloric acid then neutralized with lye. This process turns the proteins into free-form amino acids, and the neutralizing results in salt. This is why even soy sauce with no added salt contains a certain amount of it. The glutamic acid formed during hydrolysis imparts a savory flavor, and the salt enhances flavor as well. Gluten-free soy sauce is perfectly fine if you follow a caveman diet that excludes legumes because the hydrolysis breaks down any problematic proteins.3

Liquid smoke is made through what is called “the destructive distillation of wood.” It is literally smoke from a wood fire that has been condensed as a liquid and bottled. If you have ever made biochar in a container, the smoke leaving the container is what would be used to make liquid smoke, after ash and solid residues were removed. Anytime wood is burned, a wide array of substances result, including potentially carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. But as we well know from traditional barbecue, smoked hams, and bacon, smoked meat is quite tasty. In the quantities used in making jerky, liquid smoke stays well below the acceptable use limits for carcinogenic compounds.4 Beyond these two ingredients, marinades will typically include ingredients such as onion powder, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, and small quantities of cayenne pepper.

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