How necessary is it to marinade meat before making jerkies?
So I just got myself a dehydrator, for the purpose of making jerkies.
I was thinking of just seasoning the meat lightly instead of marinating them, which takes considerably more time, needs more sauce and a bit more effort.
Would it make a lot of difference? I suppose I could always experiment, but from the "making sure I won't get sick from parasites" point of view, will a super dry jerky be safe if it's not been marinated?
Also, would it depend on the meat?
Best Answer
Marinating your meat makes it safer primarily by introducing it to salt, which kills bacteria. It is possible to make jerky safely without it, though you need to be careful.
You should use lean meat; fat is the most likely component in the meat to go bad.
It's also important to regulate the temperature closely and make sure hold the meat at temperature for long enough.
You can get some really really nasty bacteria if you don't cure meat correctly, so it's worth taking some time on it. Check out this guide on safely making jerky in a home dehydrator for more info.
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Do you have to marinate meat before making jerky?
There is no need to 'marinate' these like you do with a traditional wet marinade. I dried these jerky strips in my Nesco Snackmaster Pro Dehyrator for 6hrs at 160\xb0F. Because this meat was very fatty, I had to blot dry the jerky every hour with a paper towel to soak up any liquid fat. The jerky turned out pretty good.How long do you marinate meat for jerky?
Place the whole bag into the fridge to thoroughly marinate for up to 24 hours, but no fewer than 4 hours. The longer you marinate, the deeper your flavor and tenderizing action. The most convenient process is to simply refrigerate overnight and start your next step, the drying process, on the following day.Does meat need to be marinated?
Marinades soften leaner meats that tend to be dry and make tougher cuts tastier. Moisture/Tenderness: Similar to brining, marinating is an effective way to introduce extra moisture into meat that can get too dry when cooked, as well as making what you marinate more tender.Why do we need to marinate meat before cooking?
A marinade is a liquid solution in which you soak foods, particularly meats, before cooking. A marinade adds flavor to foods and makes them more tender by beginning the breakdown process of cooking.I am giving you my SECRET technique to make Perfect BEEF JERKY
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Answer 2
Two methods of protecting you from bacteria chemically, is with vinegar and sugar (brown). These are not sure fire remedies. Five minutes of boiling prior to drying is a mechanical method as is ten minutes of oven heating to 175 degrees after drying. Salt cure curing is a safe bet too and if you want less salt after curing add potato slices to the mixture over night and remove in the morning. A lot of the salt will be gone.
Answer 3
Yes. If you don't, you've made biltong instead.
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