Perpetual Ruminations

Jerk!

It's another nice day, sunny, a light breeze, and almost 40^oF. If it weren't so icy and slippery, it would be a nice day to walk around the loop. But the road is terribly slippery, so I'll pass. Besides, it's supposed to be even warmer for the next slew of days (if those who profess to forecast the weather aren't lying and risking their pants catching fire again).

Instead of risking a slip and a fall, I've decided to do a bit more smoking out back. Not today, today I'm preparing the meats for the smoker, which will be ready to go tomorrow. One item that doesn't need much preparation is a small ham from the pork we purchased. The local butcher shop sells double-smoked hams that are so damn good it's almost scary. What's scary about them is the price, and that's why I decided to try double-smoking one of the hams we received with our pork. I'm also going to smoke another pork roast from the same fresh pork. I did a couple back in December, and they turned out awesome. I still have one from the other day when I went out to smoke, but since they are so good, I want more. (My wife also wants me to make more.)

So, what about the title, "Jerk", you ask? At least, I'm pretending you're asking. It's like this:

We take beef jerky along when we hike and use it as a special treat for our dogs (as well as for ourselves). But the store-bought stuff is very expensive, full of unwanted chemicals, and not as good as homemade. So, I decided it's time I taught myself how to make beef jerky. There are plenty of recipes to pick from, and I'm sure they are good, but I want something basic, old-style, and easy; something similar to what people made a century ago, cured with salt, sugar, and smoke.

I came across a recipe in my Mom's old cookbook for jerky that she had written down on paper. It's a simple recipe that consists of salt, brown sugar, black pepper, and coriander. This is mixed together and rubbed on chunks of meat cut one inch thick, then wrapped in waxed paper (I used plastic wrap) and aged for two days. The meat is then rinsed and placed on racks in the smokehouse (I'll use my pellet smoker) and cured with low heat for eight hours. After, they are left to cool overnight, then sliced to a thickness of a nickel, placed on racks, and dried in the oven.