Jerky (meat product)

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Jerky in the dehydrator
Jerky made from game meat
Crushed, smoked beef jerky

Jerky is a meat product of American cuisine the most in a combination of, salting , smoking and drying is made. Smoking and curing are alternative and are only used for flavor enhancement.

For jerky, thin strips are cut from very lean meat or formed from minced meat, mostly from beef ( beef jerky ), but poultry, game, mutton or lamb are also possible. Jerky has a moisture content of 30 to 40% and an a w value of 0.55 to 0.70, which prevents bacterial growth and does not require refrigeration.

etymology

The English word jerky comes from the Spanish charqui , which in turn comes from the Quechua word ch'arki , which means "dried meat". In addition to the Hispanic spelling charqui (or charquí with an accent), the Portuguese word form charque was also created .

An alternative theory brings Spanish charqui with the French verb charcuter in connection consisting charcutier (French for "butcher") regressed was and as much as "snip" or "chop" means. French pirates reportedly called dried and smoked pork charcuitier .

preparation

The thickness of the meat strips should not be thicker than ¼ inch to ensure even drying to the core. All of the fat is removed from the meat as it goes rancid quickly. If a tough jerky is desired, cut the meat with the fiber. Cut across the grain for a softer jerky. For jerky made from ground beef, the seasoned meat is formed into strips by hand or with a special press, and as with whole lean meat slices, the meat strips should not be more than ¼ inch thick.

Part is meat tenderizer used. The meat can be marinated for more flavor and tenderness. Marinade recipes can contain oil, salt, spices, and sour ingredients such as vinegar, lemon juice, teriyaki or soy sauce, or wine. For health reasons, the meat is heated before drying; this can also be done in the marinade. Then the heated (dried, marinated) meat strips are dried, placing them on trays or grids.

Health risks

Sun drying and adiabatic (shade) drying are the oldest and most widely used methods of food preservation, but drying meat (especially in the sun and in dryers) is problematic. Salmonella and E. coli O157: H7 homemade jerky diseases raised questions about traditional jerky drying methods for beef and game. The current recommendation for a safe preparation of jerky is to heat the meat to 70 ° C and the poultry to 75 ° C before the dehydration process, so that existing bacteria are destroyed by moist heat. During the drying process, a constant drying temperature of 55 ° C to 60 ° C must be maintained so that the food dries before it spoils and enough water is removed so that microorganisms cannot grow. Dryers usually do not reach temperatures high enough to heat meat sufficiently.

If pork or game meat is used, the meat should first be treated for trichinae . Smoked poultry meat is preferred to raw poultry meat for making jerky because of the texture and taste of the finished product.

Manufacturing methods

  • "Beef Jerky" is made from a piece of beef.
  • "Beef Jerky Chunked and Formed" is made from pieces of meat that are shaped and cut into strips.
  • "Beef Jerky Ground and Formed" or "Chopped and Formed" is made from ground or minced meat, shaped and cut into strips. Beef dried meat that contains binders or extenders must have the correct product name (e.g., "Beef Dried Meat and Soy Protein Concentrate, Ground and Shaped").
  • For "Species Jerky Sausage" (Jerky sausage) the product is chopped, dried (at each stage of the process) and stuffed into casings.

Web links

Commons : Jerky  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Jerky and Food Safety. In: www.fsis.usda.gov. United States Department of Agriculture, November 3, 2016, accessed October 18, 2019 .
  2. ↑ a b c Katharine Shumaker, Christine Kendle: Food Preservation: Making Jerky. In: ohioline. Ohio State University Extension, accessed October 19, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Steven M. Lonergan, David G. Topel, Dennis N. Marple: The Science of Animal Growth and Meat Technology . Academic Press, 2018, ISBN 978-0-12-815278-2 , pp. 227 ( google.de [accessed October 18, 2019]).
  4. ↑ jerky (n.) In the Online Etymology Dictionary
  5. ↑ a b Etimología de CHARQUI etimologias.dechile.net
  6. ↑ Cf. charcuter in the English Wiktionary.
  7. ^ A b c Judy A. Harrison, Mark A. Harrison: Preparing Safer Jerky. University of Georgia, accessed October 18, 2019 .