Maybe best gift ever is a little much, but I think I finally got a great gift that is both practical and good for me. Boy had been asking me what I wanted for Father's day and up until Thursday I wasn't really sure, but I do know that I am not Wife with her "don't get me anything BS." I like stuff, I just wasn't sure about what to ask for or get.
Then it dawned on me, I love eating beef jerky, but I don't like buying it because it is too expensive. The only time I do buy it is when we go on vacation or I am on Atkins dieting because it is almost like candy and it has low carbs. Last week, we went to get our normal run of groceries for the week and I got 3 bags of beef jerky at like $10 a half pound bag. I felt this a necessity to stay away from sweets but also such a crazy expense. The bag content sucks too because there will be 2-3 perfect pieces, just huge and delicious and the rest is just tidbits and jerky dust. So yes, I got a food dehydrator and with the help of YouTube, I actually already have my first batch going (writing this Saturday afternoon and the jerky needs about 1 more hour).
When we first got married, I remember buying a cheapie dehydrator that was all plastic parts and round stackable plates that went together but never seemed to work. Back then, you were on your own, and there are tips you can quickly pick up watching others go through the process. I remember trying to do dry fruit pieces, like apple chips, but the stupid thing wouldn't dry them. I never figured out if it was because our machine was faulty or we loaded too much fruit in it and just needed more time, but I kind of stayed away from the idea, until now.
I started with the idea of wanting a dehydrator, then I looked at 2-3 videos showing the best machines, I liked how the LEM machine looked and was put together, almost like a toaster oven with either 5 or 10 sheets to put meat on. I would have gotten the 10 tray one, but that is a commitment of a lot of meat, I thought. The 5 tray unit was $149.99, maybe a little pricey, but I really think this will help me long term. I then also looked at a couple videos where the people prepped the meat and then loaded the meat onto the trays. One lady explained about getting lean meat and she suggested she used London broil, so I looked for that and also got a small rump roast looking hunk of meat that did not have any fat on it. Another video suggested to put the meat in the freezer prior to cutting it, it is easier to cut when it is hard from almost being frozen. This worked out perfectly, I let it sit in the freezer while I got back home and did other stuff. I then sliced both packs of meat into what I thought was going to be nice thick slices of jerky only to have Wife and DD suggest I go thicker for even thicker pieces. The 3.5 pounds more or less yielded enough meat for 3 and a half trays. I didn't want to have meat left over, so this was perfect for a first try. Again, I went to several videos that gave me recipe ideas for the marinade. All seem to suggest the important part is the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce in a 2:1 mix and all the other stuff is for flavor.
I managed to do all that while Wife made breakfast. It was suggested to find a place to put the machine, like the garage because it gets noisy and smelly. Wife said the smell can't be worse than when we make turkey on Thanksgiving, just plug it in. It has been running for about 3 of the 4 hours recommended, I even opened it up a while ago and rotated the trays 180 degrees and got excited that the pieces already look dark and jerky like. I had to pick up a few pieces and taste test. It certainly tasted like dried meat, Wife said no honey or sweet stuff because of our diet, but I can tell it is missing a little honey, to me. Other than that, I think I am onto something awesome.
No comments:
Post a Comment