Beef Jerky

[theCryptofishist]

That's partly economy of scale, of course, but partly that they are using cheap cuts of meat, and the meat itself doesn't come from organic cows. And the amount of salt used... So, it may not matter to you, but you can bet, in a city of 60,000, it matters to someone.

[kalouts1]

Yes, of course you can't really control the quality if you buy it already cooked. Especially the sodium.
On the other hand, organic meat is expensive, and for someone who does not have the experience of cooking beef jerky..it's taking the risk of wasting good meat!

I'm willing to spend money on good pieces of meat if I grill it and I'm sure it comes out good...no sauce or marinade. Just salt and pepper...and rare.

[ranger magnum]

Its way cheaper to make it. Most store jerky costs $1.00 per ounce. My cost is less than half. And a shit ton better.

[kyleecoyote]

I tried to make some with wasabi powder, soy and lemon pepper....the taste was OK+.
However, I don't master the art of drying it in an oven, so it was way too dry and crispy... I figured out that you have to check the dryness of the meat more often..

Dunno if I want to take the risk to cook some more in big quantities...and it's actually almost cheaper to buy it already done..

Add a little brown sugar next time. That will give you the extra moisture. Also you can put a little pan of water in the oven so you get a little humidity.

[kyleecoyote]

I make jerky on a big scale. If anyone has any questions I would love to answer them.
My favorite recipe consists of
Soy Sause
Water
Brown Sugar
Cayenne pepper
liquid smoke
Black Pepper
I use top round fully denuded or eye of rounds. 1/4" thick cooked at 170 f for 3 hrs at 80% humidity
I also use this marinade on Elk, Venison, Buffalo, Pork.