Andy Lightbody - All things jerky : the definitive guide to making delicious jerky and dried snack offerings

Copyright 2015 by Andy Lightbody and Kathy Mattoon

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Rain Saukas

Cover photo credit: Thinkstock

Print ISBN: 978-1-63450-489-8

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-0159-5

Printed in China

ALL THINGS JERKY

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

To many of us who live, work, write, and love the out of doors, jerky is not only a delicious treat, but a backpack staple. Making your own jerky meats, birds, and fish, and being able to infuse flavors that are limited only by your imagination is one of the easiest ways to share great eats with family and friends. Just break out a bag of homemade jerky, and its remarkable just how many new friends are guaranteed to show up.

With virtually everyone loving jerky and dehydrated fruits and vegetables, making these snacks at home is a great way to learn new skills. For sportsmen, its a simple way to clean out leftover meats and fish from the freezer and turn them into something special. For others of us, its also a great way to relive those special outdoor hunting and fishing experiences, show off some culinary talents, and produce healthy treats that will save us lots of money as compared to purchasing store-bought and commercially produced packages of uncertain foodstuffs.

If you do a little math, youll see that over-the-counter jerky actually costs anywhere from $30-$50 a pound, or even more. Its no wonder that jerky and meat snack sales here in the US have grown to be a nearly $3 billion per year industry! But the truth is, its not only to easy to make at home, but can save you a small fortune if you want good eats and enjoy sharing with your friends. Even if you have to buy your meats at the grocery store, instead of heading to a freezer full of big game, wild poultry/ducks, and fish, the cost for making your snacks is rarely going to be more than $8-$12 a pound. That, folks, is a lot of great jerky eating for everyone. Hunt and fish for your own meats, birds, and fish and the savings are going to be even greater, and youre going to be asking yourself why you havent been making all these treats at home a long time ago.

All Things Jerky is that all-inclusive book that looks at practically everything that you can process for drying and smoking at home. Whether you are a beginner or a veteran jerky master, lifelong outdoor journalists Kathy Mattoon and Andy Lightbody show you just how easy and delicious these home treats can be. If youre a beginner, they show you how to get started and keep it simple. If you think youre already pretty good, this book will make you better!

With home jerky smokers, grills, dehydrators, cures, spices, rubs, marinades, and much more being available at every sporting goods store and all over the Internet, this book profiles all the latest and greatest products, new technologies, tips, secrets, and over one hundred easy-to-follow recipes that they have gathered from friends, jerky masters, and noted outdoor writers/chefs from around the world! Kat and Andy also share some pretty incredible recipes that they have developed and taste-tested on their own.

Once you get started making your own jerky, the one thing youll likely learn in a hurry is I should have made a lot more!

Jim Zumbo

INTRODUCTION

To say that the jerky-world, in just the last five years, has undergone a major renaissance and revival in terms of interests, products, sales, and just plain good eating, would be a huge understatement! Gone are the days of tough, leathery, no-flavor meat, fish, fruit, and veggie offerings. Instead, both commercial producers and homemade/backyard chef offerings of jerky and other dried snacks have elevated themselves to levels of quality, taste, and diversity of product offerings that are truly at a gourmet level.

Ten years ago BBQ cook-off competitions were growing in popularity around the nation and television networks/programmers jumped on the BBQing, smoking, and grilling craze with dozens of TV shows and series. Its our guess that it is only a matter of time until these same show producers start up sponsored jerky competitions for future TV shows and specials.

The RedHead brand dehydrator from Bass Pro Shop is going to make it easy to put up large quantities of dried jerky, snackin sticks, and other foods all at one time. With the ten metal trays, youve got 2,300 square inches of drying area and a powerful heating element/fan system to make sure the foods dry evenly and quickly.

And yes, you can say that you heard it here first!

On the commercial sales side of jerky/dried snacks, today youd be hard-pressed to walk into a gas station, convenience store, truck stop, grocery market, and even many of the big-box stores without seeing at least a dozen or more beefy, meaty, fruity, fishy, or veggie plastic bag offerings of all kinds and pricey prices!

According to IRI, a Chicago-based marketing/research firm, sales of jerky have soared by 46 percent from 2009 through 2013. Today, that totals over $1.25 billion in sales. Add in sales for the other meat snacks, meat sticks, and ground-protein offerings, and that figure jumps to an astounding $2.3 to $2.5 billion annually.

Once considered a blue collar trucker-type grab-and-go snack food, the market is actually catering to more health-conscious shoppers that have discovered that protein is a lot better for their bodies than fats, carbs, and sugars. In addition to being better for your body than a bag of chips or pretzels, the jerky/dried snacks world is now boasting flavor offerings and combinations that many say are gourmet, while others say that the flavor wars are simply over-the-top.

Optional Jerky Rack system for the Camp Chef Pellet Grill & Smoker is a great addition to being able to really pile on the meats! Three fine-mesh racks and insert give you nearly 1,600 square inches of inside space for meats and snacks.

The downside to the exploding jerky/dried snacks marketplace is twofold. First, when you purchase a commercial product, you never really know whats in itin terms of where it came from, the quality of raising the animals, and what preservatives are in the bag. Second, if you do a little home arithmetic youd be shocked at what you are actually paying for these relatively easy and simple-to-make-yourself snacks! The run-of-the-mill/mainstream offerings from all the big-time jerky makers are tagging you $6 to $8 for a 4-ounce package. Thats a whopping $24 to $32 a pound!