MORE FROM THE MORTON SALT BOOK
(Page 8 of 10)
March/April 1973
By the Mother Earth News editors
It is self evident then that obtaining high quality meat from wild game, as from domestic animals, is actually a. race between the time the animal is killed, properly cleaned and thoroughly chilled before curing and/or cooking.
RELATED CONTENT
JERKY
"JERKING" is a quick and practical way to preserve Venison, Moose, Antelope, Caribou, Bear, Elk, Buffalo as well as beef. The end product is known as "JERKY." Jerky can be kept without refrigeration. It can be eaten uncooked or cut into paper-thin slices and creamed as one would cream chipped beef.
There are several ways of making jerky.
PREPARING THE MEAT Cut chilled (35-40 degrees °F) muscle meat lengthwise of the grain. Cut the meat into strips approximately one-inch thick and about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. Make the strips as long as you can.
DRY-CURE JERKY Rub each strip of meat generously with Tender-Quick. In three or four hours repeat the process and pack the strips in a stone crock, wood barrel, or wood curing box or non-metallic container for curing. Sprinkle a light covering of Tender-Quick over each layer of strips as they are packed.
At the end of two days, overhaul the strips, repack, and again sprinkle a small amount of Tender-Quick on each layer. Allow to cure for another 48 hours. When the curing time is finished, brush off the surplus cure, or lightly wash each piece in tepid water and let the meat dry thoroughly. After the pieces are thoroughly dry (see drying instructions), wrap them in parchment paper and hang away in the driest, coolest, best-ventilated place available. If the meat is damp when hung away, or kept in a damp, warm place, it will mold much faster than if it is kept dry and cool and in a well-ventilated place. A little mold, however, does not hurt the meat as it can easily be washed off with vinegar or trimmed off when the meat is used.
SWEET PICKLE CURE Pack the strips of muscle meat in a stone crock or clean, well-scalded wooden barrel. Then mix a Tender-Quick curing pickle at the rate of 2 lbs. Tender-Quick per gallon of water. The water should be previously boiled and allowed to cool. Stir the curing pickle until the Tender-Quick is completely dissolved. Pour the curing pickle over the meat until the meat pack begins to shift; then weight the meat down with a clean stone or other weight on a large plate or board and pour in enough additional curing pickle so that the top layer of meat is a few inches below the pickle. Leave the strips of meat in the curing pickle for about five days.
The meat should be overhauled and the position of the pieces changed when the curing time is about one-half up. When overhauling, it is best to remove the pickle; then change the position of the pieces by repacking, and pour back the pickle. After the curing time is up, let each strip dry thoroughly and follow storage instructions as for dry-cure jerky.
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