“How’d you do it?” I asked my friend who’s just lost seven pounds.
“Jerky,” he said. “From Costco.”
Admittedly, it had been a while since I’d had jerky, so when I went to the grocery store to check out the jerky spread, I admit I was shocked by the prices. Many, many dollars for just a few strips of jerky per package.
After all, what is jerky? It’s dried meat. And let’s face it, they don’t make it from the rib-eye or filet mignon — jerky comes from the cheap cuts. Surely there must be a cheaper way?
The answer was closer than I’d imagined. Turns out that Helen Dollaghan, the legendary Denver Post food editor for 40 years, published this remarkably simple recipe in her 1980 cookbook, “Helen Dollaghan’s Best Main Dishes.” (Not an easy book to find, sadly; I was lucky to track down a copy in an antique shop in Lakewood.)
If you’re a hunter, or you have hunter friends, go with the venison here. If not, use beef or bison.
Spicy Jerky
Recipe from “Helen Dollaghan’s Best Main Dishes” (McGraw/Hill, 1980). Makes about 1 1/2 pounds.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 pounds venison, cut from the round, brisket or flank, trimmed of all fat and partially frozen (beef flank steak or the lean end of fresh beef brisket may be substituted).
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup soy sauce or to taste (soy sauce intensifies salty flavor)
Directions
Cut meat in 1/4-inch thick slices with the grain. (Length of the slices is a matter of personal preference, but remember they will shrink during the drying process. Meat must be partially frozen in order to slice it this thin. However, if frozen too hard, it cannot be sliced.) Combine salt, garlic powder, pepper, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. Mix well. Place strips of meat in a shallow, glass dish. Add marinade. Mix to coat all of meat with marinade. Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, for 10 to 12 hours. Stir meat occasionally. Drain meat. Lay strips, sides barely touching, in a single layer on oven’s center rack. (Do not let strips overlap or they will stick together.) Place a jelly roll pan or a piece of foil with sides built up on bottom oven rack to catch any drippings. Set oven temperature to 150 degrees, leaving oven door ajar. Let meat dry 8 to 10 hours. During the last 2 hours, test meat for desired degree of chewiness. If more crispness is desired, let it remain in oven until desired texture is reached. Refrigerate jerky in jars, tightly covered, or freeze. It may be stored in freezer up to 6 months; in refrigerator up to 6 weeks. Bring to room temperature before serving.
