Log In

Your email is not your username

Register

If you were a member of the old Bodybuilding.com forums and would like to reuse your previous username, you can request it below. We use your email only for registration and do not store it. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy.

Confirm your email

A registration code was sent to your email. Enter it here.

Welcome

You have successfully setup your account.

Sign in

Quick Navigation Bottom Misc
Forum » Anybody make their own Beef Jerky? I’m thinking of trying it.
  1. Results 1 to 21 of 21
  2. Page 1 of 1

Thread: Anybody make their own Beef Jerky? I’m thinking of trying it.

post 1701354193 05-21-2024, 04:30 AM
-
#1
  1. JustiNtense
  1. JustiNtense
  3. Join Date: Jul 2006
  4. Location: Houston, Texas, United States
  5. Posts: 39,787
  6. Rep Power: 426532

Anybody make their own Beef Jerky? I’m thinking of trying it.

What kind of dehydrator would you recommend and what do you flavor it with?

Also, other than the Initial purchase of the machine, have you noticed if buying your own meat and making jerky from it is actually cost effective savings vs buying beef jerky from the store? Or do you at pay the same amount of buying from the store? I’d make my own as long as I’m not losing money
post 1701354523 05-21-2024, 04:45 AM
-
#2
  1. wasp9166
  2. straight out da bronx
  1. wasp9166
  2. straight out da bronx
  3. Join Date: Nov 2008
  4. Location: NY
  5. Posts: 52,567
  6. Subscribers: 3
  7. Rep Power: 511073
Look jerky ....
post 1701355413 05-21-2024, 05:40 AM
-
#3
  1. Hutrapper
  2. Registered User
  1. Hutrapper
  2. Registered User
  3. Join Date: Mar 2019
  4. Age: 56
  5. Posts: 19,735
  6. Subscribers: 1
  7. Rep Power: 249297
Jerky is expensive for a reason.

I made all mine out of deer. Buying beef for jerky is not to be done to save money in my opinion. It is delicious for sure, but when you put in an entire roast worth and get out enough to fill a ziplock bag, you feel a bit weird.

I got a cheap ass dehydrator and run it hot as possible for jerky. I have had it 20 years now.

Where a dehydrator shines is when you find deals on bushels of apples, pears, or mangoes. We often find produce boxes the store is clearing out for $2-4.00 and slice and dehydrate it all.


Jerky is a labor of love once you add the price of meat, spices, hot sauce, etc. But it is super delicious.
See BrianDaMans sig.

Rep SoapKing on sight crew.
Semi tradie crew
lol@tradies crew
Certified HTC
post 1701355423 05-21-2024, 05:41 AM
-
#4
  1. batmanman
  2. Rep Power: 696969
  1. batmanman
  2. Rep Power: 696969
  3. Join Date: Oct 2006
  4. Location: Manhattan, Kansas, United States
  5. Age: 36
  6. Posts: 29,598
  7. Rep Power: 55554
this is what I use

NESCO FD-75A Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator, For Snacks, Fruit, Beef Jerky, Grayhttps://a.co/d/2UYF0QD
post 1701355623 05-21-2024, 05:52 AM
-
#5
  1. LateShow
  2. smashing and dashing
  1. LateShow
  2. smashing and dashing
  3. Join Date: Dec 2013
  4. Location: Minnesota, United States
  5. Posts: 5,433
  6. Rep Power: 56450
My favorite flavor ended up being honey with cayenne pepper. Simple but tasty
You won’t be saving any money making your own if you buy meat from the store to dehydrate
post 1701355723 05-21-2024, 05:56 AM
-
#6
  1. jtaylor2010
  1. jtaylor2010
  3. Join Date: Mar 2010
  4. Location: United States
  5. Posts: 33,185
  6. Rep Power: 441422
Not for myself, but I make liver jerky for my dogs. Most air fryers have a dehydrate option which works well enough. If you want to get serious about it you should probably get a better one, but if you just want to mess around then an air fryer will do the trick while also being useful in other ways.


And I’m starting to think that liver jerky may be the best way to finally incorporate more of it into my diet(no liver king). With the right seasonings it could be good, and turning it into jerky takes care of the texture issue.
post 1701355983 05-21-2024, 06:05 AM
-
#7
  1. higginsworks4me
  2. Registered User
  1. higginsworks4me
  2. Registered User
  3. Join Date: May 2009
  4. Location: Florida, United States
  5. Posts: 1,230
  6. Rep Power: 13376
I usually do teriyaki seasoning. Your break even point will depend on how much you're paying for the meat and seasoning, and your opportunity cost.
Quads for the broads
post 1701357403 05-21-2024, 06:56 AM
-
#8
  1. jimmybobjim
  2. Registered User
  1. jimmybobjim
  2. Registered User
  3. Join Date: Feb 2020
  4. Age: 56
  5. Posts: 2,764
  6. Rep Power: 20053
Is anyone buying prime cuts of expensive beef and turning them into jerky? That sounds retarded. The correct thing to do is buy cheaper leaner cuts of beef, slice them thin, marinate them, smoke them or even bake them (you don't need a dehydrator) into jerky. I've done it before and the results were astounding. The jerky was 100x better than anything store-bought.
post 1701357493 05-21-2024, 06:58 AM
-
#9
  1. GuineaDago585
  2. Bert McGirt
  1. GuineaDago585
  2. Bert McGirt
  3. Join Date: Nov 2012
  4. Posts: 40,547
  5. Subscribers: 3
  6. Rep Power: 404777
Inspired by that Getter_done thread last week?
post 1701358493 05-21-2024, 07:36 AM
-
#10
  1. miscinbro
  2. Registered User
  1. miscinbro
  2. Registered User
  3. Join Date: Mar 2016
  4. Age: 43
  5. Posts: 22,420
  6. Rep Power: 46435
I do smoked salmon with a smoker. That’s a lot more economical - it doesn’t really loose much in size and smoked salmon is stupid expensive, where as I can get a side of wild caught salmon for like ~$10 a pound at the store.
post 1701360023 05-21-2024, 08:17 AM
-
#11
  1. JustiNtense
  1. JustiNtense
  3. Join Date: Jul 2006
  4. Location: Houston, Texas, United States
  5. Posts: 39,787
  6. Rep Power: 426532
Originally Posted By GuineaDago585⏩
Inspired by that Getter_done thread last week?
Not aware. I just like jerky. Ready to eat flavored meat is convenient.
post 1701360083 05-21-2024, 08:19 AM
-
#12
  1. higginsworks4me
  2. Registered User
  1. higginsworks4me
  2. Registered User
  3. Join Date: May 2009
  4. Location: Florida, United States
  5. Posts: 1,230
  6. Rep Power: 13376
Originally Posted By jimmybobjim⏩
Is anyone buying prime cuts of expensive beef and turning them into jerky? That sounds retarded. The correct thing to do is buy cheaper leaner cuts of beef, slice them thin, marinate them, smoke them or even bake them (you don't need a dehydrator) into jerky. I've done it before and the results were astounding. The jerky was 100x better than anything store-bought.
In my experience as long as the meat is lean it doesn't matter what cut it is. It's just a vehicle for spices.
Quads for the broads
post 1701360393 05-21-2024, 08:25 AM
-
#13
  1. swolefnatic
  2. Swole Fanatic
  1. swolefnatic
  2. Swole Fanatic
  3. Join Date: Apr 2016
  4. Posts: 5,601
  5. Rep Power: 29212
You don’t need a fancy dehydrator. My mother uses. Some cheap **** from Amazon and it works. Just be sure it’s big enough for the quantities you want to make.

And yes it’s way more cost effective. Just get a big hunk of top round at your local grocers or butcher shop and slice them thinly.
"It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience."

- Julius Caesar
post 1701361563 05-21-2024, 08:58 AM
-
#14
  1. jimmybobjim
  2. Registered User
  1. jimmybobjim
  2. Registered User
  3. Join Date: Feb 2020
  4. Age: 56
  5. Posts: 2,764
  6. Rep Power: 20053
Originally Posted By higginsworks4me⏩
In my experience as long as the meat is lean it doesn't matter what cut it is. It's just a vehicle for spices.
Correct. My point was for the people who think making their jerky isn't cost effective. It certainly is a great way to break down tougher cheaper cuts of beef. Cuts of beef that are flavorful, cheap, and lean, but tough and stringy so that most people don't know what to do with them. Round steak would be a good example.

edit: got wizard'd hard.
post 1701364123 05-21-2024, 10:07 AM
-
#15
  1. crupiea
  2. Lifetime Member
  1. crupiea
  2. Lifetime Member
  3. Join Date: Aug 2006
  4. Location: San Diego, California, United States
  5. Posts: 42,878
  6. Rep Power: 232216
I have a big cheap walmart dehydrater with a bunch of racks, its round.

jerky is one of the most over thought things ever.

make it simple.

I get a big pack of those cheap flat steak looking things, they are like 1/4" thick and you get 3-4 for like $12.

I think them some with the meat hammer thing. Then I throw into a big ziplock and marinade the, You can use store bought marinade or just whatever you have in the cupboard.

Next day put them on the machine, thats it. Doesnt need to be fancy meat or any of that crap. just whatever you find.

You can also do maburger, breakfast sausage, whatever meat you have, be creative. ASlso fruit dehydrates well too.
"To be a warrior is not a simple matter of wishing to be one. It is rather an endless struggle that will go on to the very last moment of our lives. Nobody is born a warrior, in exactly the same way that nobody is born an average man. We make ourselves into one or the other."-- Carlos Castaneda
post 1701364873 05-21-2024, 10:28 AM
-
#16
  1. sowilson
  2. Registered User
  1. sowilson
  2. Registered User
  3. Join Date: Aug 2014
  4. Age: 67
  5. Posts: 6,145
  6. Rep Power: 25816
My wife is from Thailand and she will dry marinated meat in the sun. The marinade is usually fish sauce (the salt component), a little sugar, and black pepper. the meat is marinated in the fridge over night and then laid out on racks in the sun, usually for a day maybe two. Then the beef is fried. It will keep for a couple of weeks. It's great as a trail snack. Camping it can also be rehydrated and made into a stir fry. The jerky isn't as dry as typical American jerky so it will only keep 2-3 weeks at room temperature
post 1701365013 05-21-2024, 10:32 AM
-
#17
  1. Maestro
  2. отличнo!
  1. Maestro
  2. отличнo!
  3. Join Date: Oct 2002
  4. Location: New Mexico, United States
  5. Posts: 58,400
  6. Rep Power: 203698
Originally Posted By Hutrapper⏩
It is delicious for sure, but when you put in an entire roast worth and get out enough to fill a ziplock bag, you feel a bit weird.
ouch, this is the harsh truth. Spend about $50 for some big ass roast and once its dehydrated it all fits in a couple of ziplock baggies, lol. Its certainly an expensive hobby.
post 1701365143 05-21-2024, 10:35 AM
-
#18
  1. Destor
  2. Registered User
  1. Destor
  2. Registered User
  3. Join Date: Apr 2012
  4. Location: Alberta, Canada
  5. Age: 41
  6. Posts: 43,481
  7. Rep Power: 254906
I have this Cosori dehydrator but also used one of the plastic cylinder types for like a decade and it worked fine



I just buy beef rouladen from the store, season it, and slice it into chunks/strips
post 1701365193 05-21-2024, 10:37 AM
-
#19
  1. SirFapsAIot
  2. YEAH YOU MAD
  1. SirFapsAIot
  2. YEAH YOU MAD
  3. Join Date: Apr 2013
  4. Posts: 37,166
  5. Rep Power: 430786
I only make my own jerky, so I can't help you there.
post 1701365423 05-21-2024, 10:45 AM
-
#20
  1. guest89
  2. Forever aBOARD
  1. guest89
  2. Forever aBOARD
  3. Join Date: Sep 2003
  4. Location: United States
  5. Posts: 41,691
  6. Rep Power: 169649
Originally Posted By sowilson⏩
My wife is from Thailand and she will dry marinated meat in the sun. The marinade is usually fish sauce (the salt component), a little sugar, and black pepper. the meat is marinated in the fridge over night and then laid out on racks in the sun, usually for a day maybe two. Then the beef is fried. It will keep for a couple of weeks. It's great as a trail snack. Camping it can also be rehydrated and made into a stir fry. The jerky isn't as dry as typical American jerky so it will only keep 2-3 weeks at room temperature
Mine is Viet/Chinese and they do the same. Sun dried > dehydrated for sure. In terms of flavor and it seems to not be as wasteful.
post 1701366993 05-21-2024, 11:33 AM
-
#21
  1. jimmybobjim
  2. Registered User
  1. jimmybobjim
  2. Registered User
  3. Join Date: Feb 2020
  4. Age: 56
  5. Posts: 2,764
  6. Rep Power: 20053
Originally Posted By Maestro⏩
ouch, this is the harsh truth. Spend about $50 for some big ass roast and once its dehydrated it all fits in a couple of ziplock baggies, lol. Its certainly an expensive hobby.
Dude read the fuking thread. It's not a hobby it's literally one of the oldest methods of food preservation/preparation in all of history. It costs nothing.
Quick Navigation Top Misc
Bookmarks
Digg.com
Digg
del.icio.us
del.icio.us
Stumbleupon.com
StumbleUpon
Google.com
Google
Facebook.com
Facebook
Posting Permissions
  1. You may not post new threads
  2. You may not post replies
  3. You may not post attachments
  4. You may not edit your posts