Seasoning of Beef brisket and Preparation of Beef jerky
From: The 4-Hour Chef by Timothy Ferris, copyright 2012, pages 424-425
Note 1: We also use this for brisket. We cannot comment on how well it
ages because the brisket meat is always gone within minutes of leaving
the oven.
Note 2: We present this as a fair-use extract from the copyrighted
work. It is also an unpaid advertisement: we strongly recommend that
you go purchase this book. It's superb!
Inspired by: Neil Strauss
Shorthand: Thin slice 2 kg brisket. Whisk 470 ml soy, Worcestershire &
teriyaki sauce, 240 ml liquid smoke, 120 mg dark corn syrup. Stir in
3T garlic powder, onion powder, sesame seeds & brown sugar, 1t
cayenne. Chill marinade and meat for 24 hour. Dry 70 C for 3 hr with
door open, turn, dry for 3 more hours.
Hands-on time: 15 min
Total time: 15 minutes, plus 24 hours for marinating and up to 24
hours for drying and cooling.
Gear: knife, large container with lid, aluminum foil, wooden or
plastic serving spoon.
Ingredients:
- 2 kg lean brisket
- 470 ml (2 cups) Kikkoman soy sauce
- 470 ml (2 cups) Thick, flavorful teriyaki sauce (eg Kikkoman Takumi
- Garlic & Green Onion or, surprisingly great, Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki)
- 470 ml (2 cups) Liquid smoke (It's not always easy to find, so any
brand will do)
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) Karo dark corn syrup (you can also try blackstrap
molasses)
- 3 T (tablespoons) garlic powder
- 3 T (tablespoons) onion powder
- 3 T (tablespoons) sesame seeds
- 3 T (tablespoons) brown sugar
- 1 t (teaspoon) cayenne pepper
Prep:
00. Put the meat in the freezer for an hour to make the slicing
easier. Slice meat with the grain as thin as possible (less than 0.6
cm or 1/4"). If you're lazy or not great with the knife, call the
butcher ahead of time and ask him to slice 2 kg (5 lb) of lean brisket
at this thickness. The leaner the meat, the better and longer-lasting
the jerky.
Pickup:
- 00. In a large container, mix the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce,
liquid smoke, and dark corn syrup.
- 01. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, sesame seeds, and brown
sugar. Throw in the cayenne pepper. Add more if you like it spicy, but
a little goes a long way. Note: cayenne pepper is also great for
putting on a cut to stop bleeding, and it doesn't sting.
- 02. Stir well, then drop your meat into the marinade. Your meat should
be fully submerged.
- 03 (optional). Sometimes I'll take a smaller container and play with a
slightly different marinade, adding in different oils, spices, and
notes (even soda, wine, or beer) to the same base marinade. I'll add
in a litt of the sliced meat for a batch of experimental jerky.
- 04. Close or cover the container(s), then leave in the refrigerator
for at least 24 hours.
- 05. Once the meat is well marinated, it's time to dry it: Cover the
bottom of your oven with aluminum foil. Things will get messy.
- 06. Place the meat on the racks of your oven, one next to the
other. The higher the racks are placed in the oven, the better.
If you like, you can put the mean on aluminum foil or hardware cloth.
[See picture B on page 425 for layout on rack: the edges of the pieces
appear to be about 1/4" apart).
- 07. Set your oven temperature to 70C (160F), or 80C (180F) if you're
in a rush. Crack open the oven door by sticking a wooden or plastic
serving spoon in the top of the door. Steve Rinella uses a crunched
beer can. The goal is to dry the meat but avoid cooking it.
- 08. Let it dry for 3 hours, then turn over the jerky. After another 3
hours, it should be done. The total time, however, is dependent on the
thickness of the meat and the temperature of the oven. The jerky is
done when it's dry enough that you can rip off a piece easily, but
before it snaps when you bend it.
- 09. Leave meat out in the air to cool. It is now ready to eat. The
longer you leave it t ocool, the drier it will get. After no longer
than 24 hours, store it in sealed Ziploc bags. Without refrigeration,
it will be good for 4-6 months.