Homemade Jerky - Tools to Make it Easy

Venison is excellent for jerky, and jerky is an excellent way to preserve venison, especially since by having venison usually means having a lot of venison! Because it can become contaminated during field dressing, and because it's often kept at higher then desired temperatures during transport, safe approaches are essential to ensure it will be great to eat down the road. Jerky is a great way to make venison last and also used as a great snack treat. Homemade jerky preparation must begin with cooking the raw ingredient so that it reaches a minimum of 160 degrees. You can use a food dehydrator or put strips of meat on a cookie sheet for five minutes at 325 degrees, and check that the temperature is high enough by placing a food thermometer between two slices. Another approach is to brine the meat in a solution of 3/4 cup of salt, 1/2 cup of sugar and 3 tablespoons of spices, dissolved in a gallon of boiling water. Ten pieces of the meat at a time can be boiled in the brine for two minutes. Ground meat, which is also used for homemade sausage recipes, can be used for jerky. This too requires careful handling. Meat must be thawed in the refrigerator and heated to 160 degrees on a cookie sheet.

More information on Food Dehydrators!

You can make sausage in your home, the tools that we have available make it easy. That's the good news. You'll need a thermometer, a scale, and a meat grinder. Similar to the making of homemade jerky, sausage making requires the following safety measures to ensure it is safe to eat and tastes great:

• Your meat thermometer is your best friend.
• Your raw meat should not exceed a temperature of 40 degrees.
• Cooked sausages should be heated enough to pasteurize the product, which means you're raising the internal temperature of the product to kill any pathogens.
• Because homemade sausage recipes turn out varied diameters of sausages, safety relies on temperature rather than time, and 160 degrees is the magic number.
• Sanitation too is of utmost importance. Antibacterial soap and diluted chlorine bleach combine well to fight pathogens that may lurk in your prep area.
• Be sure your meat is fresh, and doesn't have an "off" odor or color.
• When you've finished making your sausages, cool them quickly to avoid the growth of any unfavorable bacteria.