Bacon jerky!

[Sniper-T]

that's right, I said it! And I'll say it again!

BACON JERKY!!

since I have 50+ pounds of awesome bacon in the freezers, that sounded like a challenge...
so I thawed 3 pounds, 2 regular and one thick. kept 1/2# of thick for Ravioli Carbonara dinner tonight and cooked the rest for the dehydrator as follows...

Laying out for the oven:

http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/tt140/Sniper-T/food%20-%20cooked/0810151535a_zpskhmzp1fe.jpg (http://s605.photobucket.com/user/Sniper-T/media/food%20-%20cooked/0810151535a_zpskhmzp1fe.jpg.html)

first batch draining;

http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/tt140/Sniper-T/food%20-%20cooked/0810151535b_zpsxamtrd2u.jpg (http://s605.photobucket.com/user/Sniper-T/media/food%20-%20cooked/0810151535b_zpsxamtrd2u.jpg.html)

Sprinkled some with Malabar pepper:

http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/tt140/Sniper-T/food%20-%20cooked/0810151539a_zps6tyradgf.jpg (http://s605.photobucket.com/user/Sniper-T/media/food%20-%20cooked/0810151539a_zps6tyradgf.jpg.html)
http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/tt140/Sniper-T/food%20-%20cooked/0810151549a_zpsour0tto9.jpg (http://s605.photobucket.com/user/Sniper-T/media/food%20-%20cooked/0810151549a_zpsour0tto9.jpg.html)

Tried some thick cut too:

http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/tt140/Sniper-T/food%20-%20cooked/0810151604a_zpsepkpdkkp.jpg (http://s605.photobucket.com/user/Sniper-T/media/food%20-%20cooked/0810151604a_zpsepkpdkkp.jpg.html)

[Sniper-T]

Sprinkled some with Mexican Cayenne Pepper:

http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/tt140/Sniper-T/food%20-%20cooked/0810151547a_zpsx6otrmi3.jpg (http://s605.photobucket.com/user/Sniper-T/media/food%20-%20cooked/0810151547a_zpsx6otrmi3.jpg.html)

For shits and giggle, I tied wrapping a couple in some paper towel:

http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/tt140/Sniper-T/food%20-%20cooked/0810151551a_zpsyidmsj3d.jpg (http://s605.photobucket.com/user/Sniper-T/media/food%20-%20cooked/0810151551a_zpsyidmsj3d.jpg.html)

I am going to do a tray worth with a maple syrup glaze, but 'll let them dry a little first:

http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/tt140/Sniper-T/food%20-%20cooked/0810151551a_zpsyidmsj3d.jpg (http://s605.photobucket.com/user/Sniper-T/media/food%20-%20cooked/0810151551a_zpsyidmsj3d.jpg.html)

- - - Updated - - -

details, and results to follow...

[ElevenBravo]

I hate you T! You took two great things and put them together, BACON + JERKY = AWESOME!

On a serious note, more details on dehydrate time and outcome... Also curious how long the jerky will last? Both in fridge and on trail, for example..


Thanks for the delicious post!

EB

[Sniper-T]

I've been reading a bunch online and hearing mixed results, anything from 2 days counter time to 8 months and counting. The general consensus thus far is cooking the bacon first (a few advocate going commando), but I didn't want to do a mixed batch, and I needed some cooked for dinner. I will post more info about the steps I took, and why, along with additional info about the dehydrator tray set up and rotation. This is new to me too, so thoughts, ideas, and questions are welcome (as always).

Oh, and i'm sure that if I covered it with msg or some other 'cure' it would increase longevity, but I am not into that kind of stuff if it can be avoided.

[bacpacker]

Looks AWESOME. What times dinner?

I to am curious about times and temps? I will definatly be giving this a try next time the dehydrator comes out.

[realist]

Hey Sniper I was always told to use very lean meat when making jerky. Obviously bacon is the last thing to be lean. Do you seen any problems with all the fat. Tks

[Sniper-T]

So I kicked on the dehydrator to 160 degrees (as hot as it would go) and let it rip.

I shuffled trays about every 4 hours, and wiped/blotted off excess oil/fat from the bacon itself and from the trays.

After 12 hours, I turned it down to 130 degrees, but only because I was leaving it for the day, and didn't want it at high temp unattended.

Will report more when I get home.

I am concerned about the fat, as I have always been a 'lean' minded guy as well, but I'll try anything once (or twice)

Once it is 'done' I'll package up some in several standard ways, and do the torture test on the counter to test longevity. (I say torture, because it'll be torture for me looking at it and not being able to eat it.

The rest I imagine I will inhale!

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=cookie+monster%2c+gif&view=detailv2&qpvt=cookie+monster%2c+gif&id=E1F1F7739644911906A71BCDB27B6EA5F8564799&selectedIndex=2&ccid=99sw9J8I&simid=608015156141165018&thid=JN.C6lds0w7TSfe21h2On5%2fcw&ajaxhist=0

I am getting better though, it used to be bacon mainlining like this:

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=cookie+monster%2c+gif&view=detailv2&qpvt=cookie+monster%2c+gif&id=475AF9AF1ED8810B29CD7F0CEADA0405F83B7834&selectedIndex=30&ccid=OnKVkbo1&simid=608013025841645942&thid=JN.DIrN89tk%2fpUYR6eMnWPuVg&ajaxhist=0

[AlphaTea]

I have to say that I am a connoisseur of fine bacon and well seasoned Jerky.
HOWEVER, in all my attempts at combining the two into an undiscovered man food have failed miserably. Any that was made by others was just not as good as regular bacon or regular jerky.
I wish you the best of luck and await your recipe if successful.

[Domeguy]

I know this is going to sound stupid, but can't you just cut off most of the fat. I know you won't have much left. Some of us with more 'delicate' systems can't stand the fat anyway. I think I'll try some as I seem to have the same dehydrator as you do. I'll do a pack with quite a bit of the fat trimmed off and see how it turns out.

[Kesephist]

My contribution.

What I have read of drying meats leads me to think that lower fat content means a more successful and longer-preserved end product.

That in mind, how would, I wonder, ham cuts, as opposed to bacon cuts of pork fare in drying?

Further, how about turkey bacon jerky?

Just some thoughts...

I do see the need to keep fat content down... but not OUT. Fat is the body's more basic fuel source. I carry a few more pounds than I should, and have lost a step or two in years because of it. The strenuous routine of post-SHTF will make the entire matter self-correcting, in one way or another.

[AlphaTea]

YMMV but it has been my experience that beef is about the only thing worth making jerky out of.
A gazillion years ago when I got my first dehydrator I was trying to dry everything and anything.
Fruit, vegetables and various proteins. Most were edible but that may be subject to interpretation. I tried different seasonings and cures but then I realized that I actually preferred the el-cheapo store brand jerky from Walmart and Target over my own stuff.
Then I had an epiphany. The cost to benefit ratio was not favorable for trying to make stuff on my own HOWEVER when SHTF finally does happen, I will have the resources and the experience necessary to preserve whatever surplus I have for even leaner times.
I am experimenting with smoking meats like the great pioneers of the past.

[Sniper-T]

I precooked the bacon in the oven on racks to get much of the fat off, and then into the dehydrator at 160 C for the night. I don't like leaving it unattended during the day when I am away (at max power), so I dropped it down to 130C for the day.

When I got home, I emptied the dehydrator onto paper towels to blot, and cleaned all the trays. Reloaded and back on at 160C for the evening/night, and then back down to 130 for the next day.

At this time, the bacon was very hard/crumbly, so I took a bunch and crumbled it and put it in an empty spice jar as bacon bits. I left the rest on the racks for a day, with the machine off.

By the next day, it absorbed enough ambient moisture to return a good chew, so I packaged most of it up and put it in the fridge for ready use, but also took a few slices and bagged them and tossed them on a shelf in the pantry to test longevity.

This all said, The thick cut was better, but none of it was really 'jerky' in the true sense, it is more like perfectly cooked and mostly fat free bacon.

If I were to try again (and I am sure I will), I will buy a pound of uncut bacon and cut it myself to a solid 1/4" thick slices (or maybe a bit more) to see if that gives it a truer jerky texture.


My favorite was the stuff that I dusted with Malabar black pepper prior to cooking. It held the pepper and the flavor and made the nicest bacon bits and 'jerky'. But then again, I love pepper.

I also didn't get to make candied bacon this time around, but will on the next batch.

The best part of the adventure was having a big bag of bacon in the fridge, ready to eat, or add to dishes being cooked. The wife approved too, as I made one mess of the kitchen and provided for our bacon needs for 2+ weeks. rather than frying up small batches more frequently.

Alpha, I have successfully made Jerky out of every protein that I have access to, including duck, goose, chicken, pork, and fish. I prefer my own over store bought because mine isn't packed full of salt. typically, I use only herbs and spices and NO salt (or cure), which limits my shelf life, but I usually keep it in the freezer anyways. I also do a combination method, where I'll start in the dehydrator until it just starts to firm up, and then throw it in the smoker for about 4 hours with whatever type of wood(s) I fancy that day, and then back into the dehydrator to finish off (if necessary)

[AlphaTea]

...I also do a combination method, where I'll start in the dehydrator until it just starts to firm up, and then throw it in the smoker for about 4 hours with whatever type of wood(s) I fancy that day, and then back into the dehydrator to finish off (if necessary)

Hey thats a darn good idea! Im going to try that.

As for "other" meats. chicken jerky was the most miserable failure I had. I cured/marinated for a day or so before starting. The finished product was like glass. Dog would not eat it.

[Sniper-T]

dude... you gotta think like meat!

if you cut chicken breast across grain, there is nothing to hold it together. It is stupid fall apart tender at the best of times... If you want to jerky it, angle cut the breast sharp to provide a steep meat slice that will jerky well. a tight cross cut just goes moosh! slice along the skin.

similar to fish... filet like normal then slice with the skin to create drying slices.

creates a chewy slice, as opposed to a tender munch!

[Sniper-T]

Update!

Been over three months, and all the bacon bits and fridge bacon is long gone, but that small bag is still sitting on the shelf in my pantry. I opened it up yesterday, and pulled out a slice.

It looked fine
It smelled fine
and it tasted fine.

In fact no change from when I stored it 3+ months ago.

I'm thinking this is a win!

[Stormfeather]

i think im in love...