Jerky

Does anyone make their own jerky? if so what machine/spices/marinade/types of meats/cuts of meats do you use?

Once I get to that stage I'd like to try to make my own

I don't know about others... but I recently had some jerky (Trader Joe's and organic) and was constipated for 3 days.  I won't be doing that again.  

I'm 8 months out.

I would love this information too! I eat jerky all the time and haven't had a problem! It is so convenient to leave in the car :)

My husband is our "jerky" maker. I'm not sure which recipes he uses, as he is always experimenting with different ones. For meat, he varies it to whatever is on sale, he just makes sure it is a very lean cut.

Hubby made jerky yesterday in the Nu Wave oven...it was so good!

Piggybacking onto this initial post, I understand that making chicken and turkey jerky requires special equipment.  It's somehing about the dehydator.  Can anyone that is for certain "in the know" explain?  I'm wanting to purchase a dehydrator so I want to get the correct equipment for all food including poultry.

When getting beef do you have the butcher slice it in real thin strips?  Is there any particular website or YouTube you recommend on the ABCs of dehydrating?

no bites on this yet huh? lol darn, I was hoping for some guidance .. I'd like a dehydrator for chicken, beef and turkey

At the end of hunting season, we always make a huge batch of venison jerky. My oven has a special drying setting, but for meat, I set it on 175 degrees. We use the meat slicer to slice the slightly frozen meat about 1/4 inch thick or just under. Marinate the slices overnight in a non metal bowl in the frig. We use lots of powdered spices like onion, garlic, chili, paprika, black and white pepper, etc. I also add liquid smoke and whorchester sauce. We usually also add a can of strong beer if we have it. The next morning, drain the meat slices and spread them out on jelly roll sheets. Put in the dryer or oven over night. Flip them over the next morning and return to oven/dryer for another 4 to 6 hours. Should be hard and when you do bend it, the inside should also be dry. You can also remove from cookie sheets the second day and dry directly on the oven racks... It won't be drippy by the second day. Keep in airtight jars in the freezer. Venison is very low in fat and high in protein.

If you are lucky enough to live on the coast, and you have a smoker, you can make fish jerky from those small fish that might otherwise be crab bait. Mix together your favorite dry herbs and spices (I love curry for this), and toss the little fish in it, then smoke until dry. Back when we ate pasta, I would sometimes debone a couple of these little guys and add to the dish as a topping.  My hubby just eats them like large chips.