Smoked beef jerky

Beef jerky is something that is a life-saver if you're a heavy camper, hiker, survivalist.  It, along with pemmican kept the American Indians fueled between foraging.  They'd dry berries, deer, turkey, bison, fish - knowing the journey could be rough.

All you need for good jerky is air flow, a fire (heat) and smoke (if outside, this keep flies and other pesky things at bay).

Slice your meat very thinly, use a sharp knife and sharp wits.

For large cuts of meat American Indian women would cut the thinnest butterfly you can imagine of the meat so it was near lace and then hang it over the fire, keeping it well above the flames but not well covered in the smoke.

• For my jerky I used sirloin (I recommend grass fed and grass finished - cows eat grass, everything else we make them eat to falsely {grains allow the cows to unnaturally throw on the saturated pounds} fatten them)- cut it thinly.
• On a baking sheet I laid it all out and sprinkled it with coarse sea salt and CRUSHED juniper berries (they don't release all their aroma until you crush them).

Let the meat and salt sit and the salt will draw water from the meat.  Pour off any water.  You can let it sit for 4-8 hours or overnight for this.  The meat will feel firmer to the touch - that means the salt did it's job.  I then rinsed the meat well and reserved plenty of juniper berries crushed and ready for mixing back into the meat.  You can cut up the crushed berries to really get them all over.

I smoked the meat for 5 hours shifting them around.  The heat wasn't quite high so usually I would think it could be done in 3 in a grill smoking situation.
You also don't HAVE to smoke it, it is just more flavor punchy!  You also can control the kind of overtones the meat will have with the kind of wood you use.  You can buy (or chop) the chips you like.  This time I used cherry.

Woods for smoking:
Hickory - Has a very distinct wood flavor.  Good for BBQ meats. May need very little to get the job done otherwise it can overpower.
Mesquite - Has a very distinct wood flavor.  Good for BBQ meats. May need very little to get the job done otherwise it can overpower.
Alder - makes AMAZING smoked salt, also good for all meats, but best on fish (Salmon!).  A clean lovely round wood smoke.
Apple - beautiful for fish (Salmon!), good for all meat.
Cherry - pretty straight smoke even though many call it sweet or fruity, I found it to not be as destinct or as powerful as Mesquite ad Hickory.
Maple - Sweet smoke, good on birds and ham.
Oak - Used for larger cuts of meat that need long smoking times.  Strong smoke flavor.
Pecan - "Colder" smoking wood, good for larger cuts of meat - partly since the smoke alone wont cook the meat.

I'd just make sure what kind of wood you end up with and be careful since wood from some conifers can be resinous and make your meat inedible and other the resinous quality is pleasant and will be subtle.  Other woods are bad for you, so look them up!  Know what you're using.

Craigslist sometimes has orchard prunings for free.  I've gone and picked up a truck load of applewood.  Of course we then had to painfully chip chip chip all of it down into smokable chunks.

After the meat is smoked I move it to a 250-275 degree oven with the door cracked (this is important! you want air).  You simply check your meat and turn it over.  At this point it is like cooking bacon.  If you like flimsy bacon, you may like your jerky this way.  If you plan on a long shelf life then you want it pretty dry.

After it is done I move it to a surface to cool and then double baggie a few servings worth (enough for Jason and I - be generous to the family members!) and place into the freezer.  As long as you've packaged them well they'll keep a good long while. 6-8 months

When you go fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, climbing, driving, biking, walking - grab a baggie and put it into your pack.  This will keep for three days at least so you can feed yourself over the weekend or long car trip.  Granola is a great accompaniment.

Chocolate Cherry sauce

Yes, I'm serious.

Who thinks "I need to eat more chocolate?"  I do.  Chocolate (not milk chocolate, and not Hershey's) is good for you.

I sliced pork tenderloin into thin coins so it cooks quickly on a low-med heat in a well seasoned cast iron pan (I sprinkle them with salt and maybe if I'm feeling real crazy some paprika) and then set aside.  I'll pour off any liquid from the meat for my dog pal.

For the sauce:
3 heaping TBSP Cherry preserves (or 1/4 Cup sweet cherries pitted and halved)  Tart pie cherries are fine too you just need to adjust them with some vegan sugar.
2 TBSP vegan sugar (more if using straight sour pie cherries)
2 TBSP cocoa powder (straight real stuff not with anything added)
1/4 Cup water to dissolve sugar and cocoa powder in.

I put my sugar and water into a sauce pan and simmer it just until sugar is dissolved, you'll need to be constantly stirring.  After the sugar is dissolved I add cocoa and whisk it in to make it as smooth as possible.  Now the little teeny balls of cocoa is NOT a bad thing.

  * Tangent*Most cocoa powder is "Dutched" or Dutch process and that means they've removed the cocoa butter which then gets turned into chocolates and white chocolate and non-food things.  So those tiny annoying balls of cocoa form from the residual cocoa butter and oils in the cocoa - and try as you may to smash them, they are stubborn.  * Tangent over*

So once it is as smooth as I can get it I pour it over a tiny screen to filter out the lumps and let the sauce pour through into another little pan.  I'll use a steeping ball made of mesh to do this since the wire is a very fine mesh.  Then on very low I'll scoop in the cherries, or cherry preserves.  Blending everything until it become a warm smooth syrupy bliss.

This will be a thin sauce, like a glaze.

You can now drizzle this over pork tenderloin, chicken, duck, a roast.  I get all sloppy and just toss the meat in it so it coats it like a really fancytown bbq.  This sauce likes a darker meat, a gamey meat best... but unless you're rich or a hunter you may be limited.

If you're vegetarian this is CRAZY delicious over garlic mashed potatoes!  No kidding at all.
It is also an intensely wonderful thing to sop up with bread and biscuits!

There are a million variations you can do on this.  Like using a liquer, sherry, lavender blossoms etc.
Enjoy!

Bulgogi - no soy sauce -

Bulgogi was something I used to dream of and think of fondly feeling I could never recreate it without the magic of soy sauce.  Like MOST recipes I found a beyond suitable representation of my favorite and I couldn't be more happy with this one.

There is a sweet bulgogi (often served on beef) and a hot bulgogi (often served on pork).  I love both but prefer the super hot!

For the sweet bulgogi you cut all the pepper(s) in half (or even further if cooking for the heat tolerant impaired) the amount below and double the sugar of the amount below.

For Hot bulgogi you will need:
1 to 2 lb (mine is usually 1.5 beef) of London broil beef or equivalent of pork loin cut sliced thinly 1/8th inch.  I get mine from Afton field farm and I let it half thaw so it is really easy to cut, if you let it thaw fully it will wiggle and squish away from your blade's edge.
1 tsp Cayenne
1/2 tsp Serrano
1 tsp Paprika  (Getting good paprika is a pain - it should smell Earthy and taste like a round light warmth - not just be red)
1/2 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes OR an equally high heat pepper flake I use - Thai Orange.
A handful of garlic cloves, 6 med. cloves approx.  Crushed using a press.
1 TBSP - 1/4 Cup vegan sugar
1/2 tsp - 1 TBSP any honey you like (I use a really light colored honey for the hot bulgogi and a dark honey for the sweet bulgogi)
1/2 tsp sea salt

Optional:
1/2 inch knuckle of Fresh Ginger if you want.  I don't usually, but it is really tasty with it as well.
Top with toasted golden flax seed or sesame.
Top with spring onion, green onion sliced thinly or chives.

All of these peppers I grow and process into either powder or flake form. But if you have a flavorful and reliable spice resource then use those.

 

Preparation:
When making bulgogi the most important bit is that the meat is sliced thinly (against the grain) this does several things it coats the meat in the spices thoroughly, the meat will curl a bit as it cooks and hold little spicy pockets of garlic, peppers and sugar lastly it cooks it very very quickly and it should be very tender (not overcooked) and made after all other foods for the meal are finished or on their way to being done.

If it looks like way too much pepper, it is perfect.

I cook this, like many things, in a dry (but well seasoned) cast iron pan.  The meat goes directly into a warm-hot pan - it will stick a little but it will release juices from the meat and free up.  Quickly press or add chopped garlic to meat and toss.  Add all peppers and salt, stir in and lastly add sugar and stir making sure all is coated.  If at any point you find this frustrating, or don't have a cast iron pan you can use a spoonful of sunflower oil, safflower oil to the pan to aid in cooking.

 

It is done once the salt and sugar have dissolved, coat with juices and pepper in the pan and serve with your choice of goodness.

This is usually served with rice and wrapped in a fat green leafy vegetable like a romaine or butter lettuce.  I like it with sweet potatoes or squash in the winter.  Hot and spicy meals make the winter get scared away at least for a moment.  Num.