Deer meat into dried beef?????

[Chief RID]

Thanks Mullet. I'll check it out. I stopped using my jerky shooter and burger. I guess it id OK if kept refrigerated but I got scared. I always heard you could not eat rancid meat and not know it but the thing with undercooked burger got me scared.

[archeryrob]

I have been doing a lot of reading on this since I built a smokehouse this winter.

Thee are Nitrates and Nitrites and you want to use the later. The first is Saltpeter and said to have cancer cuasing properties. Nitrites are not as bad for you. You want to get Insta Cure #1 of you use wet injection and Insta cure #2 if you are dry curing. Intra cure is also called Prague Power or pink curing salts. They dye it pink so you know its the cure and it is what give ham its distinctive flavor. Its about 7% Nitrite and 93% salt.

Wet cure is soaking in a bring, or pickling, for a week and then smoked at low temps (100 or lower) until dry

Dry cure is rubbed in salt (many times with nitrite) and sugar. then stored in the fridge or cold basement until the salt extracts the moisture from the meat.

Many farmers kind of did dry cure and smoked low and slow to dry the meat out in a smokehouse.

I'm not an expert yet, I am still doing a lot fo reading and plan on trying wet cure and the smokehouse on a left over deer front shoulder in a few weeks once I learn some one and read up enough.

EDIT Do you really have to answer all the damn questions every time you post? Its going to reduce my interest in posting at all!! I can hardly read the letters you need to type

[BowEd]

Great reply....Thanks for investigating.I've heard of salt peter used.Even nitro glycerin.Things hard to get ahold of nowadays because of all of the safety issues.That insta cure and smoking sounds like the way to do it safely.
Replies are up to the topic writer I suppose.No rules there I'm aware of.

[amateurhour]

What about curing it like a biltong. I know that's more of a jerky type prep than a dried meat but it's not as chewy as jerky and not as salty as a cured meat so it's kind of a nice in between.

There's a ton of youtube videos on how to do it properly and it's ridiculously easy as long as you've got the patience. (it takes a couple of weeks to dry out properly)

[JW_Halverson]

Archeryrob, the questions go away quickly, so stick it out!  These questions save us from the spam-bots that ruin these kind of forums. 

[crooketarrow]

  Never made any deer jerky to taste like beef jerky. I did a couple 3 doe's a year in jerky for ever. We don't doe hunt we doe shoot. And always have on farms I hunt on,live on lease.

 To manage your land for bucks you've got to shoot doe's. I like to marinate a few days salt,pepper, anything else you like. But main ingredient's is soy Sulace, worser sulace. Liquid smoke sat. I do like to add spices to marinade, but also like to add spices after I put it on the tray wet.

  I've added everything I could think of through the years. You really can't mess it up unless you add way to much of a certain spice. But that's hard to do, Don't get stupid about adding to much, less is better most of the time. Go light and next time add more if you like until you get it like you want it.

  I've did plain beef a few times (DEAD COWS) same way. Good everytime.

[archeryrob]

Now we are into something else I am very familiar with which is jerky making. I waterfowl hunting and geese are the gamiest meat I have ever brought home. They need prep to be better meat as its the blood that makes them taste so rough.

1st, once breasted I put them in salt water in the fridge. The rest in there for 10 days changing the water often and its amazing how much blood still comes out.
2nd Next they dry on the counter for a couple minutes and are flash frozen before being vac packed. They are really wet and the water ruins the seal unless flash frozen. I never not freeze them first as it ruptures the cells and even more blood drains when thawing. It seems to dry the meat to accept marinade better also.
3rd Slice meat across the grain, that is if you like keeping all your teeth where thy are.

My process for jerky making, which will now be upgraded to the smokehouse.
https://archeryrob.wordpress.com/2014/10/26/jerky-making/

As Crooketarrow stated Worcestershire sauce and Soy Sauce are the base of most recipes and apple cider vinegar helps to tenderize the meat. We make a black pepper and teriyaki that is awesome.  I keep trying to get my wife to experiment more and make spice packages for sale. Marinate for 5 to 7 days and slow cook until ready.

Before anyone asks I can't share any recipes or my wife will be using my bean bag as a coin purse!!  The base is most of what you need to get there.

[DC]

I think it's funny that when people are making jerky which is usually considered a primitive North American food, the first things they reach for is a Japanese sauce and an English sauce. Neither were available to Primitve NA's

[JW_Halverson]

I think it's funny that when people are making jerky which is usually considered a primitive North American food, the first things they reach for is a Japanese sauce and an English sauce. Neither were available to Primitve NA's

Nothing like a little smoke and circulating dry prairie breezes to make the real stuff!

[archeryrob]

If SHTF, then maybe I will make plain smoked jerky, but until them I will flavor them as I have spices for. Lots of soy bean grown around here and soy sauce is not much but fermented beans floating in water with salt. Time and mixing of the product and I've watched videos on guys in bare feet in Japan stiring it. Must be the toe cheese that give it that authentic flavor. 

Also, everything primitive is not Native American, nor does it have to be. Salt cure has been around for a long time. Salt Peter cure has been around since the Romans found it worked better. Primitive people would have adapted and added spices, or salt, to their food, if a trade network was available to acquire those spices. So, why would we not do the same, if it is available for us to have?

Native Americans didn't stay with the Atlatl when they saw someone with a bow and they didn't stay on foot when they figured the value of horses.

[BowEd]

Ditto archerybob.My feelings exactly and thanks for all of the replies here from you all.
Right now I've gotta wait till I shoot a yearling or something this fall to try all of this.What my concern was I just did'nt want to reduce so much the quantity of meat so much with dried beef as it does when dehydrating down so much for beef jerky.It does'nt take long to extinguish a whole yearling deer made into beef jerky.Guess maybe 2 ought to be shot then ehhhhh???....lol.

[archeryrob]

Yea well, people eat twice as much jerky as they would in wet beef. The same people will tell you only to eat a 4oz or 6oz piece of chicken breast. Then later break out the jerky and eat 6 oz. of jerky which is equivalent to 12oz of meat or more.

[mullet]

Google Morton Curing salts. It will explain a lot. A big difference between jerky and cured meats.

[archeryrob]

I am deboning a front shoulder from the freezer and using 2 goose breasts. This first try I will be using TenderQuick as the cure and 1 Tbsp per pound of meat mixed with 1 Tbsp of brown sugar and 7 days or so in the fridge with flipping an massaging in their own bags. Then smoking low and slow to dry it out. I will post pics and details of my adventure later on.

[archeryrob]

I forgot to come back here and post up after it was completed. I put the right amount of cure on the deer and 1/2 again more on the goose, by accident. My wife does not like salty food normally and doesn't like goose at all and she liked the goose better than the deer and just loved them both.

The entire write up is posted on my blog here.
https://archeryrob.wordpress.com/2016/06/17/dried-beef-style-vension-and-goose/

Goose


Deer Shoulder