I have the BEST HUBBY EVER!!!!!!!!!!!

[TurtleMama]

Oh my gosh, can I just say...

 

MY HUSBAND IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

 

Do you know what he got me for Mother's Day? Guess! Just guess!!

 

A DEHYDRATOR!!!!!!!

 

He's the best!!!!!!!!! Oh, I'm gonna swoon...

[Annarchy]

Awesome! Congratulations! Sounds like he's a sweetheart!

[Dee]

It always amazes me to find other women like me who simply LOVE a gift like that instead of a new pair of earrings, for example. My friends think I'm odd and it's so nice to come here and find others that are odd too. Good for you on having such a great DH, sounds like a keeper to me.

[Amishway Homesteaders]

....................... and just WHAT are you going to be making for him first thing? LOL

[Amishway Homesteaders]

It always amazes me to find other women like me who simply LOVE a gift like that instead of a new pair of earrings, for example. My friends think I'm odd and it's so nice to come here and find others that are odd too. Good for you on having such a great DH, sounds like a keeper to me.

 

Been there....................... done that too.

 

Someone will ask what one of us got as a gift and sometimes it may be something used from a thrift shop or yard sale - but it will be something we need or would love to own but new is to high priced for us.

 

Then they look at us with a ' why would you do THAT' look.

 

Then I ask what they got .........

and it cost a lot of money most of the time.

 

so I ask is they are using it?

well no - she 'savinig it for when we......................'

 

WELL Lori loves it and we use it most every week.

PS by the way..................

Lori is getting 3 or 4 gifts for mOther's day ( I don't know what the cats got her yet?) LOL

adn only 1 is new and THAT cost me a dollor!

the rest are from yard sales and all are in the box thatthey came in and are just about new and I think I paid $3.00 for one an dthe rest was $2.00 or less?

The best was a very cute littlle ................................... well I can't say as SHE reads this! LOL

[Cat]

Dittos to Dee's post... give me practical!

 

 

But somewhere in the back of my mind is the nagging thought that TurtleMama's Dear Husband is thinking ahead to *payback*... POUNDS of BEEF JERKY!!!!!

 

~~~~~

 

Basic Jerky Recipe

 

2/3 cup soy sauce

2/3 cup Worchestershire sauce

1 1/2 Tablespoon liquid smoke

1 Tablespoon black pepper, ground

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

 

Cut lean sirloin into thin strips. (Freeze slightly for easier slicing.)

Marinate strips for 24 hours; dehydrate.

 

Options:

want it spicer add more pepper, want it HOT - add dried chili pepper seeds and flakes.

From this recipe you can add any dried herbs and spices or combinations thereof.

 

~~~~~

 

Or just soak the strips in Teriaki sauce and dry that... works for me!

 

 

 

[CoM]

TM:

 

If you haven't already checked out this site, do so. This lady is the Dehydrate Queen

 

 

www.dehydrate2store.com

[out_of_the_ordinary]

Congrats on the dehydrator! A word of caution with husbands, though: when I'm dehydrating something and he's home, a full tray or two is magically emptied before the stuff is completely dehydrated.

[TurtleMama]

LOL Y'all always crack me up!!

 

Dee, Cat -- believe it or not, four years ago I was that un-practical woman. Oddly enough (that's supposed to be said sarcastically, LOL) I wasn't that happy of a person. Then I started seeing the world around me changing, and I saw my precious children and DH threatened by that change, and something inside me shifted. Suddenly, material things didn't matter as much anymore...I wanted to keep my family safe and ready for the future. Now I'm not only a happier person, but I've learned useful skills that I will be grateful to pass on to my kids someday.

 

And yes...my husband gets the advantages of the cool things we have now, like the pressure canner, wheat grinder and dehydrator! Cat, that jerky recipe sounds to DIE for, and I'm sure he'll like it! hehehe

 

Amishway, kudos to you and your wife...I am grateful that we, too, are starting to see the benefits of a simpler life. You are so fortunate to have the gems of wisdom from your Amish friends. What a treasure trove of knowledge to be able to access!

 

CoM, thank you SO much for the link...I will certainly be checking that out today and I'm sure my printer will be going overtime! Right now, I'm starting out simple...an hour after DH gave me the dehydrator, we went to our local farmer's market and I got bananas and pineapple -- now there are two trays of each humming along happily on my counter, and our house is starting to smell...tropical... LOL

 

 

 

 

[Violet]

I love it when husbands pay attention to what their wive's want ! How thoughtful and sweet.

What kind did you get ? Tell us what you think of the fruit. Bananas are chewy, not like store bought banana chips. They are not even always bananas, but plantians that are flavored and they are always deep fried in coconut oil. How natural is that for you ?

 

As for the jerky, that is not a current, safe method. Sorry, Cat..... Yesterday in class the students did jerky as one of their lab experiments. They had to take it home to dry it, but got it started in class.

It needs to be preheated to 160 degrees first, or dipped in a vinegar solution. Then you dry at 145, at least.

Turtlemama, no ground meat, either, for jerky, not even with those packaged season mixes. Not all ecoli may be destroyed in ground meat.

******************

Why is Temperature Important When Making Jerky?

Illnesses due to Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 from homemade jerky raise questions about the safety of traditional drying methods for making beef and venison jerky. The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline's current recommendation for making jerky safely is to heat meat to 160 °F and poultry to 165 °F before the dehydrating process. This step assures that any bacteria present will be destroyed by wet heat. But most dehydrator instructions do not include this step, and a dehydrator may not reach temperatures high enough to heat meat to 160 °F.

 

After heating, maintain a constant dehydrator temperature of 145F during the drying process is important because:

the process must be fast enough to dry food before it spoils; and

it must remove enough water that microorganisms are unable to grow.

Why is it a Food Safety Concern to Dry Meat Without First Heating it to 160 °F?

The danger in dehydrating meat and poultry without cooking it to a safe temperature first is that the appliance will not heat the meat to 160 °F and poultry to 165 °F — temperatures at which bacteria are destroyed — before it dries. After drying, bacteria become much more heat resistant.

 

Within a dehydrator or low-temperature oven, evaporating moisture absorbs most of the heat. Thus, the meat itself does not begin to rise in temperature until most of the moisture has evaporated. Therefore, when the dried meat temperature finally begins to rise, the bacteria have become more heat resistant and are more likely to survive. If these surviving bacteria are pathogenic, they can cause foodborne illness to those consuming the jerky.

PREPARING THE MEAT :

Partially freeze meat to make slicing easier. The thickness of the meat strips will make a difference in the safety of the methods recommended in this book. Slice meat no thicker than ¼ inch. Trim and discard all fat from meat because it becomes rancid quickly. If a chewy jerky is desired, slice with the grain. Slice across the grain if a more tender, brittle jerky is preferred. A tenderizer can be used according to package directions, if desired. The meat can be marinated for flavor and tenderness. Marinade recipes may include oil, salt, spices and acid ingredients such as vinegar, lemon juice, teriyaki, or soy sauce or wine.

JERKY MARINADE

1 1/2 - 2 pounds of lean meat (beef, pork or venison)

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

 

 

1/4 teaspoon each of black pepper and garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon hickory smoke-flavored salt ( optional)

Combine all ingredients. Place strips of meat in a shallow pan and cover with marinade. Cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours or overnight. Products marinated for several hours may be more salty than some people prefer. To heat, bring strips and marinade to a boil and boil for 5 minutes before draining and drying. If strips are more than ¼ inch thick, the length of time may need to be increased. If possible, check the temperature of several strips with a metal stem-type thermometer to determine that 160ºF has been reached.

 

Method #2: Vinegar-Marinated Jerky

(Ingredients per 2 pounds of lean meat slices)

PRETREATMENT DIP

2 cups vinegar

Ingredients

2 lb. lean venison, elk, or beef ( not ground meat)

Marinade

2 cups vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce

l/4 tsp. black pepper

l/4 tsp. garlic powder

l/2 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. hickory smoked salt

Directions

Cut lean venison, elk, antelope, or beef into long, quarter-inch thick pieces. Slice across the grain for tender jerky and with the grain for a chewier product.

Soak the slices in 2 cups of vinegar for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure each strip remains completely covered by the vinegar.

Combine a quarter cup of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce, a quarter teaspoon each of black pepper and garlic power, a half teaspoon of onion powder, and a teaspoon of hickory smoked salt. Pour the marinade into a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag, then add meat slices and seal the bag. To distribute the marinade thoroughly over each strip, massage the pieces through the bag, then refrigerate for 1 to 24 hours.

Remove the meat slices and lay them flat—in a single layer with no pieces touching—on clean drying racks. Using an oven, dehydrator, or smoker, dry the slices at 145°F for 10 to 14 hours.

Test for doneness by letting a piece cool, then bending it. It should crack but not break, and no part should remain moist or underdone.

Drying Jerky

Pre-heat the dehydrator or oven to 145°F for 15 to 30 minutes, using a calibrated thermometer to monitor its circulating air temperature. Place trays filled with single layers of meat in the preheated dehydrator, leaving enough open space on the racks for air to circulate around the strips. Let the strips dry for 10 to 14 hours, or until the pieces are adequately dry.

Properly dried jerky is chewy and leathery. It’s as brittle as a green stick but won’t snap like a dry stick. To test, remove a strip from the oven or dehydrator, let it cool slightly, then bend it. It should crack but not break. When jerky is sufficiently dry, remove the strips from the drying racks to a clean surface. Pat off any beads of oil with absorbent paper toweling and let cool.

Storing Jerky

Store your cooled jerky strips in airtight plastic food bags or in jars with tight-fitting lids. Pack the strips so that only the least-possible amount of air is trapped in the container. (Too much air causes off-flavors and rancidity.) Label and date your packages and store them in a cool, dry, dark place or in the refrigerator or freezer. In a sealed container at room temperature, properly dried jerky will keep for about two weeks. You can store it for three to six months in the refrigerator and for up to a year in the freezer. Check occasionally to make sure that mold isn’t forming.

Source : Colorado State University

When making jerky, use only lean meats in excellent condition. ( Never use ground meats. Studies show that home drying won't sufficiently destroy E.coli in ground meat.)

 

[TurtleMama]

That's good to know about the jerky, but sad because Cat's recipe sounded divine!! I don't know...maybe until all of that bacteria stuff is sorted out, I'll hold off on the jerky and just can the beef!! He'll still like it... My dryer's book did have directions for a little "gun" that you put ground meat mixed with seasoning and a "cure" into, then "extruded" it to make jerky strips. That definitely sounded wierd to me and I was going to ask about it...you beat me to the punch! That just sounds...icky. Anything with the word "extrude" is icky.

 

I just checked on my bananas just a little while ago -- they are getting nice and chewy, but when I tore one and squished it, a little soft pulp still came out, so I'm letting them dry a little more. They were alredy delicious, though, as was the pineapple, which certainly needed some more time!

 

And I LOOOOVE that they are not fried in coconut oil...that is the wierd taste that I could never identify in those store-bought banana chips.

 

 

[Violet]

If you look at the recipe I sent it is basically the same thing. It has a good flavor.

The vinegar one does taste like vinegar, but I like it. My husband thinks it yicky. Just depends upon personal taste.

Yep, those store bought, so called banana chips, are not really health food as they try to make them appear.

Same with dried apples, you will find the ones in the store have been sulfured. Most all store fruits are. Just one more thing I avoid. You can sulfur at home, but I have never done it. I just peel and slice my apples on the apple peeler machine and dry them. No dip in lemon juice or anything for me.