Beef Jerky

Yes, yes, it's that time...random project season! I mean, now that I am back in New York and it's getting cold, the adventures significantly drop off, but I have some things to keep me occupied and relatively sane.

My friend Abe pointed me towards this episode of Alton Brown's Good Eats where he makes beef jerky...with no heat and no dehydrator! I was extremely interested. I recommend watching the two videos before you continue reading: One Two

I followed Brown's recipe and video as closely as possible, with two exceptions:

1. I didn't add onion powder or liquid smoke (too much work) to my marinade.
2. I put all 2lbs of my marinated flank steak in just one (1) air filter and then capped it with an empty air filter

The set-up (new fan in place, note the distance between fan and filter)

Things I learned from my first batch:

-Putting stuff right up against a fan breaks it. Don't do this. I'm not sure why Brown didn't mention this in the video, he may have just had the freakish luck of not running into this problem.
-The pleated air filters that Brown recommends restrict the flow of air significantly. This batch took 24 hours to dry, on a mixture of low/medium fan settings, mostly on medium.

I was convinced that there was a Better Way. That's probably because there almost ALWAYS is. I decided to create a low-cost alternative that would allow the meat to dry faster, hold more meat, and also be re-usable (by virtue of being washable). Enter...

THE MARK II DEHYDRATOR

What is that thing? Very simple, comrades-in-construction:

-A cardboard box. Mine measures 18"x18"x16.5" and was acquired for free from a friend's garage.
-Wooden dowels. I got the thinnest, least expensive ones I could find. I believe I paid $.55 for each one.
-Materials to build screen windows. This is a simple skill that I had to learn because we kept on walking through our sliding screen door and I figured I could repair it. We no longer have this problem because of some high-tech adhesive butterfly technology.
-High flow furnace filters (the green thing in the picture) that fits over one of the openings on your box. I think this does significant work in keeping the jerky dust free until it is dried.
-All these materials can be purchased at a home depot or found for free if you are clever.

Assembly:
1. I made screen window "trays" that fit in the box. To err on the side of caution, I factored in about 1/2" clearance (total) for the width.
2. I cut two of the flaps off each end of the box. They should be flaps that are opposite to each other. The other two remain in place and will act as outriggers to keep the box open during operation.

The inside of the box; one tray in place

3. After cutting holes ever 1.5" (space between trays) I poked the dowels through the box to act as cross-rails for the trays to rest on.
4. To operate the dehydrator, put a strip of duct tape between the fore and aft flaps; this keeps them from folding and allowing the box to collapse.
5. Place the filter in front of the box, position your fan, and turn it on!


Things I learned from this batch:

-After slicing the steak into strips, make sure it's totally thawed before you begin marinating. Frozen flank steak doesn't seem to absorb marinade very well.
-Watch out for overdrying. This batch (~5lbs) took 9 hours to dry on a high fan setting. Once it was dry, it kept on drying out. This may also have to do with the storage method. I was a bit paranoid about the jerky developing mold, so I stored it in the open. A semi-sealed (NOT a ziplock bag) may be the answer.
-I think I also stretched the capacity of the marinade ratio. Stay as close to 2lbs of steak for the amounts given.

If you try this, let me know of any improvements.