URGENT! jerky maker!

[matter11]

I procrastinate, dad needs a present.

Jerky maker? sounds good on paper.

However, seems like the thing where I could easily buy something that makes crap jerky.

Do I need to buy more of a smoker type deal?

anyone have any product suggestions?

Help fast so I can get two day shipping and have it on time!

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Is a jerky gun necessary?

This won't be for hunted game, just cuts from the butcher so could he just slice them up himself?

[Evil Cheese]

You've asked a lot of questions but I'll try to answer them in the most logical way I can.

What is jerky? Jerky is simply dried (sometimes smoked or cured) meat. Jerky can take a lot of different forms and it all depends on what kind you're trying to make. The flavor of jerky mostly comes from what it is seasoned or brined in, and you do not need a smoker to make decent jerky.

What style of jerky are you trying to emulate? Are you trying to make something chunky like Jack Links, or more of a tube like Slim Jim, or a uniform strip of ground meat like you get at the gas station? Answering this question will also help determine what equipment you might need.

Chunky jerky is the easiest to make, all you need to do is get a piece of skirt or flank steak, brine/marinade it (there are a ton of recipes online for jerky brines and marinades) for a few hours, and then cut the steak into thin (as in volume, not area) strips or chunks and season it however you'd like, then lastly dry it. You don't even need a food dehydrator if you're crafty, but this is likely the only piece of equipment you'll need to buy.  You shouldn't have to break the bank on it, just do a little research first if you've found a model that you like and make sure it's not a total stinker.

For tube jerky you'd probably need a casing, and it would be more like sausage making. You would likely need a sausage maker for this method. Grind seasoned and spiced meat up then push it through a casing before dehydrating. It would also probably be benefited from smoking.

The strips of ground meat are the kind you'd need a jerky gun for, and this method is kind of in between chunky and tube. For this method you'd also either need to grind the meat yourself or get it ground from the market/butcher. This is why this method is usually advertised heavily with game meats and home sausage makers.


Good luck, hope it works out. Personally, I'd say that products advertising themselves as jerky makers or jerky making systems are likely overpriced and trying to capitalize on a few specific niche markets. You're better off going with decent run of the mill food dehydrator unless you specifically want a meat grinder or some other accessory with it.