Jerky lasts a fairly long time, to begin with, but there are a few things you can do to make it last much longer, even pushing the shelf life to be multiple years.
Most of these ways involve removing the oxygen and correctly storing the jerky. Read on to find out how to make jerky last year in your home.
Which Beef Cuts Are Best For Jerky?
There are several popular cuts that people use most often for making beef jerky at home.
These include, but definitely are not limited to, round cuts taken from the rear, flank, and sirloin.
Round cuts from the rear will be one of the more flavorful of cuts.
The rear is a huge muscle and has very little fat.
This is a great cut to make jerky from and is very popular with home jerky makers because of its flavor.
The flank comes from the stomach. It isn’t as soft as the round cuts, but is still plenty flavorful. This is also a popular cut for jerky makers, but the flavor can be impacted by how the butcher cuts it.
When looking at purchasing this cut, try to find it sliced with the grain rather than against it, as this will make it more tender.
Sirloin comes from the cow’s lower back. It is extremely flavorful and tender, making it really popular for not just steaks, but jerky as well.
How Do You Properly Cure Meat For Jerky Making?
To start with, make sure everything that the meat will be touching has been properly cleaned.
The cutting boards, the knives, bowls, and any utensils (including your hands) should be cleaned with a bleach solution to make sure there are no leftover bacteria on them that could contaminate the meat you are getting ready to prepare.
Because jerky is a tough thing to make, extra precautions need to be taken to avoid bacterial growth. For jerky especially, let the meat thaw in the refrigerator rather than on the counter.
Letting meat sit on the counter for an extended period of time can start the growth of bacteria, so you want to avoid it as much as possible.
This means that you should leave the meat in the refrigerator while mixing the marinade.
If possible, add the meat to the marinade in the fridge if you can, and then make sure you throw out the excess marinade.
When the marinade has finished, it is time to heat and dehydrate the meat.
Beef jerky needs to be heated to 160 degrees Fahrenheit and chicken and turkey need to be heated to 165 degrees Fahrenheit to be safe.
The heating of the meat needs to happen before the dehydrating part.
After it is heated, you can dehydrate the meat and that is it!
Why Is It Important To Properly Cure The Meat?
Curing the meat is incredibly important to do correctly because you want to avoid any bacterial growth that may occur.
If you do not properly cure the meat, bacteria can grow on the surface and then be ingested.
If the meat sits too long on the kitchen counter, it is exposed to oxygen that accelerates the growth of bacteria.
Ingesting this bacteria can make the consumer sick.
To avoid this, make sure you keep the meat in the refrigerator as long as possible and heat it to the correct temperature.
What Can You Use To Cure Meat For Making Jerky?
To cure meat, there are several products available. All cure products include sodium nitrite, but can include sodium nitrate as well.
Since such a small amount is needed, most cure products are mixed with salt as well for added flavor.
You can find curing salts in most grocery stores and even some sporting goods stores since people use them with meat they have hunted and caught in the wild.
Are There Natural Ways to Cure Meat?
Some people are uncomfortable with using nitrite based products. Luckily, there are some natural alternatives you can use to cure the meat and still get tasty jerky out of it.
These products have to be organic and as such, contain only natural products that can affect the flavor of the jerky.
When selecting the natural curing products you want to use, make sure you keep in mind the flavor may be affected.
These natural products also include naturally occurring nitrate and nitrites.
Some natural curing options include raw sugar, sea salt, evaporated cane juice, and other natural flavorings.
How Do You Properly Store Beef Jerky For A Long Shelf Life?
Beef jerky is easy enough to store and create a long shelf life for. The easiest way is to store it in an airtight container and keep it on a shelf in a cool, dry place. This will only last about two weeks though.
To extend the shelf life of your jerky, you can put the jerky strips into a paper bag for a few days to draw out any leftover moisture.
This will help it last longer once properly stored. You can do this before putting it into the airtight container.
In addition to drying out the jerky strips, you can add oxygen absorbers to whatever container you are going to store the jerky in.
These will add an additional period of time to the shelf life of the jerky.
Last, you can use a vacuum sealer to suck out all of the oxygen from the container that you are storing jerky in.
Reducing the amount of oxygen in the container will keep any bacteria from growing on the meat and it will vastly extend the shelf life of your jerky.
Vacuum sealing the jerky and then keeping it in a cool, dark place will give you about two years of shelf life on the jerky.
However you decide to prepare and cure your jerky, there are a couple key points to remember.
Heat the jerky strips to the correct temperature before dehydrating them, and then store them in a cool, dark place.
Whether you put them in an airtight container or you vacuum seal them, the jerky should be stored in a dark place where it can stay nice and cool.
To be safe, put the date you made them on the container, and be sure to eat it up before it goes bad!