This is getting embarrassing. Who knew that living in the middle of nowhere could be so hip?
This piece caught my eye in the latest issue of New York, about the “artisanal jerky” craze that’s sweeping Manhattan. (In the same issue was this article about the “Urban Woodsman,” the latest interpretation of urban manhood; a counter-reaction to the “weiner in distress” metrosexual trend of years past. All the dudes in the story look like the kind of guys I see standing around bonfires in the country. Except here they’re not talking about the Nexus One, but trucks and tools. )
Anyway, back to what’s important: Jerky. I’m not exactly sure what’s “artisanal” about this new wave of jerky making other than the meat being used isn’t Slim Jims.
I guess this makes my jerky “artisanal” too because it’s made from “cage free” “organic” deer shot by our neighbor Sam. Sam and his wife Sandra are avid hunters. They shot us three deer this season ’cause…..that’s what hunters do. They kill things. Three deer is a lot of meat. Hence, my month long jerky spree.
This morning’s batch: Chipotle jerky.
Three things I’ve learned about making deer jerky thus far:
• Online venison jerky recipes for foodies — people who peruse Cook’s Illustrated or Saveur — don’t really exist. Probably because “foodies” and “venison jerky” didn’t really go together before the New York article. All the decent venison jerky recipes I’ve tracked down come from hunting websites, where recipe pages feature design flourishes like pulsating deer silhouettes and spinning rifles. Chic, they’re not.
• When in doubt, use soy sauce as the jerky base. It’s impossible to use too much because it’s my opinion jerky requires a hit of saltiness to be good.
• It’s actually hard to get jerky wrong. I used to follow complicated recipes (again, those found on hunting recipes) that called for stuff like “2 tablespoons minced chives, 1 teaspoon sliced garlic” but I’ve realized you can’t taste trace amounts of ingredients in the finished dried piece of gristle anyway, so I don’t bother. And I never, ever add garlic powder, which I think is kind of gross.
I’ve learned that the best jerky recipes are the simplest. For example:
Chipotle Jerky (good for roughly 4 pounds of thinly sliced deer meat)
• a can (or two) of chipotle chilies in adobo
• 2 cups soy sauce
• a bunch of lime juice
• salt
Marinate for 24 hours, and dry in a food dehydrator anywhere from 4 to 6 hours.
Easy. Delicious. And so on-trend.
All original content © 2012 by Jessie Knadler
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Funny. Jerky making really is a trend right now, isn’t it? I can’t say I’ve really understood the joy of gnawing on a piece of dried meat. But, I’m always tempted by recipes like this… probably more for the interesting flavorings than anything. Oh, yeah. and because I happen to own a dehydrator.
Any clever uses for jerky, besides eating out of hand?
Hi Lo: Thanks for stopping by. Personally, I wouldn’t use jerky in cooking. The meat has already been beat to death by the dehydration process so cooking it further would only obliterate it more. And it’s so tough, cooking won’t reconstitute any tenderness.
Jerky is best as a snack. Especially venison jerky, which, unlike beef jerky, is super lean (wild deer have no body fat, I swear) and ridiculously high in protein. There’s no weird chemicals or preservatives to contend with, other than what you choose to marinate it with. Nutritionally-speaking, I think homemade jerky is a lot better for you than snacking on, say, crackers, which are essentially empty calories and fat. That’s my two cents on the subject! Thanks again for reading! JK
Love it! And I too, can relate to a city girls attempt at country living!!
Can you tell I’ve never eaten jerky??
I get the feeling maybe I should give it a try. Maybe even make my own. I have plenty of access to venison — so I don’t really have an excuse not to. Could always off the leftovers on the boys. Cuz boyz like jerky, right?
Oh, boys LOVE JERKY. I’ve never met a man who could resist gnawing on a dried up piece of gristle. Here’s an even easier recipe: Soy sauce, lime juice, salt and tons of red pepper flakes. Marinate for 24 hours. Dehydrate and give out as Valentine’s favors. JK
Jerky is beloved of the carb-counting crowd. If you want to lose weight, you lose the carbs and the weight goes. If you’re a woman, you generally eat a fair bit of nuts and greens. If you’re a man, you eat jerky.
Jessie: love the blog. Your life in the sticks reminds me of the boonies where I grew up! In the immortal words of the (now) gubernator: “I’ll be back.”