Jerky

[Feathers and Fins]

Jerky

I thought with hunting season now on us to share one of my favorite treats with everyone, Goose Jerky. Though you can make it with most lean meats I really love goose jerky though it seems wrong in some ways to be eating it while shooting them.

1^st When I know this is what I have planned I try to take extreme care in cleaning the birds. I fillet the meat off the breast making sure to get all the fat off and to never pierce the body cavity and release the crud inside.

Now this is where having a wife that doesn’t mind you making a mess in the kitchen or oven comes in real handy.

2^nd Bring it in the house and clean the meat off good making sure to get all feathers off and remove any bruised meat from the shot as well as any remaining fat. I do this with very sharp knives to waste as little meat as possible.

3^rd Is the brine/ seasoning mix, I personally have found Himalayan Salt is wonderful to use I will mix up ½ cup of it to 1 cup hot water and stir till dissolved and let cool on the counter while I fillet the goose in to ¼’’ wide strips inspecting each strip to insure no feathers or bruising, be sure to mix this in a bowl that will handle at least 4 cups.

4^th Place the meat in a plastic container of some sort that can be tightly sealed as you complete each strip.

5^th By this time your brine should be cooled and you can add spice’s, for this example I use ½ cup Bookers Bourbon, ½ cup A-1 Sauce ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce and stir for about a minute to mix it up.

6^th pour the brine/seasoning over the meat and seal the lid and shake well for about 30 seconds. This entire process takes about 20 minutes minus the original cleaning of the bird.

7^TH Soak for at least 24 hours and shake the brine/meat mix at least 1 time per hour while you’re awake to mix in to the meat well.

8^th Place on metal skewers about 1 inch apart ( your oven racks are perfect for this ) with the meat hanging and be sure to keep them separated so none is touching each other. This allows the airflow to circulate around the meat perfectly. Place a pan under it to catch drippings.

9^th Set your oven to 180 ( Note: you will want an instant thermometer ) close the door but leave it slightly cracked to allow moisture to escape, after 1 hour you will want to use the thermometer to check the temp at the top of the door where heat is escaping, I want it to be 165 degrees +- 2 degrees. 165 is safe internal temp for meat. If your oven is running to hot reduce heat by 5degree’s if it’s too cold increase heat and check in 10 minutes. Once you get the temp to the 165 range simply let it dry for 8 to 10 hours.

I should also let you know if you did any canning during the summer and made salsa you can add the salsa to the brine mix for a mouth watering jerky. One of my favorites is to simply take ( Anaheim , Jalapeño, Banana, Green and Yellow peppers ) reduce them down to almost a mash and can them up then when I make my brine pull them out of the can and use them.

Storage; In the refrigerator in an air tight container 5 months would be the maximum I will store it and in a freezer up to a year. I do not believe in storing it on the counter or in the open at all. Granted most jerky doesn’t even last a month due to its wonderful taste but that is my guidelines. Like with anything that spoils or can pose food borne dangers do so at your own risk.