Spicy Beef Jerky

[julirama723]

Sillygirl, you brought up an excellent point, though! And I don't hate you. I posted this recipe a LONGGGGGGGGG time ago, and haven't thought much of it since. In fact, I haven't made beef jerky in months. I had read that worcestireshire sauce was ok, and it's such a small amount that it didn't bother me. It's no more sugar than you'd find in ranch dressing, or mayo.

Now that I think of it, would the splenda actually work? The jerky recipe is not a sweet recipe. Does splenda have the same properties as sugar, meaning, would it still draw out the moisture? I would think splenda would be added for a sweetening effect, not a diuretic one.

If you are worried about the worcestershire, I would simply omit it and add more soy sauce, garlic, and onion powder.

[sillygirl]

WHEW! I don't think Splenda would be a moisture drawer outer. I did notice this was an old thread, but since it had been revived I thought it worthy of a mention.

It all depends on how neurotic you are about this kind of thing. I actually still don't use worchestershire, and I rarely use mayo either because of the sugars. I probably get the prize for most neurotic or something.

tmn, don't sweat it!

[julirama723]

But I am conscious of the fact that the marinade has carbs. There is a difference between UNKNOWN carbs and known carbs. I just count them in my fitday totals.

Terry is right, it is a give and take. I would rather eat beef jerky that I made myself than eat processed pre-packaged stuff with preservatives, and I would rather eat this than lunch meat, which ALSO has these ingredients, and I'd rather eat this than pepperoni, which ALSO has these ingredients.

Sue, don't freak out. You're not getting any more carbs in this than you would from legal condiments you have with your meals.

[sillygirl]

And, one of my favorite meat marinades is this in a baggie:

Unseasoned rice wine vinegar, about a tblsp of sesame oil, about 1 tblsp of soy, white pepper and a packet or two of Splenda.

I'm surprised my family isn't tired of this because use it all the time and I'm thinking the flank steak I just bought warrants me getting the dehydrator out! I actually froze it about 1 1/2 hours ago so it should be perfect for thin slicing. I'll post a pic here when it's done!

[tmn]

I was just looking at other recipes for beef jerky - some have liquid smoke added to it. Well, I may have to add a dab of that! YUM!

[julirama723]

Blechhh liquid smoke. LOL.

In my recipe, I go light on the worcestershire, medium on the soy sauce, and heavy on the hot sauce! Also heavy on the cayenne and garlic, medium on the oregano. This stuff makes tears come to my eyes it's so hot.

[sillygirl]

I waste no time when it comes to food! It may be marinating a few days because I'm expecting the electrician to come to do the kitchen tomorrow so I maybe won't have power for the dehydrator!

Before:

[tmn]

Originally Posted by julirama723

Blechhh liquid smoke. LOL.

In my recipe, I go light on the worcestershire, medium on the soy sauce, and heavy on the hot sauce! Also heavy on the cayenne and garlic, medium on the oregano. This stuff makes tears come to my eyes it's so hot.

LOL! The jerky was on the verge of being too hot for me. And I LOVE liquid-smoked foods!

To each their own.

Maybe this is one of those deals we shouldn't get anal about. After all, you Julie, have done marvelously, even with the jerky, right? I'm looking for more easy protein each day and the jerky will do that for me.

[julirama723]

Yeah, it's a trade off. I always count the carbs in my daily totals. To me, it's the same carb-wise as eating lunchmeat or pepperoni, except it's freshly made with no preservatives.

[tmn]

Good enough for me, then. Particularly when so little of the juice stayed with the meat.