Pork Loin Jerky
Although I used pork loin chops to make homemade jerky this weekend, you can prepare jerky using lean cuts of beef, chicken, turkey, duck, and venison using my recipe. You'll just need to make a jerky marinade using tomato paste, water, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, seasoning salt, molasses, mustard, freshly ground black pepper, onion, garlic, cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika. Then follow each step pretty much in the same fashion as I do my pork jerky.
Ingredients:
8 to 10 pork loin chops
Marinade Ingredients:
1 (6-ounce) can of tomato paste
1 cup of water
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup of molasses or honey
2 teaspoons of yellow mustard
1 teaspoon of seasoning salt
4 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons of onion powder
2 teaspoons of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper powder or flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons of smoked paprika
Instructions:
In a large container, add 1 (6-ounce) can of tomato paste, 1 cup of water, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 1/4 cup of molasses, 2 teaspoons of yellow mustard, 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt, 4 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper, 2 tablespoons of onion powder, 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, and 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper powder or flakes. Stir the marinade well. Set aside.
Now, using a cutting board and a sharp steak knife, try to cut each pork loin into 1/4-inch-thick strips. The pork strips should be cut about 1½ to 2 inches wide. Try to cut each strip into even-sized pieces. Trim as much fat off the meat as possible.
Add the strips to the container with the marinade. Using a fork or your hands, flip the pork pieces in the sauce. Try to evenly coat each piece in the sauce. (Every few hours, you'll want to flip the pork strips over, or you can double the marinade sauce recipe so that you can skip flipping them.)
Now, transfer the container to your refrigerator and allow the pork strips to marinate for ten hours or up to 24 hours.
After the pork strips have marinated for several hours, transfer them to your dehydrator trays. I also sprinkled more black pepper on each side of my pork strips. This is completely optional. (I add more because I am a pepper fanatic.)
Dehydrate at 160 degrees for about 8 to 12 hours. Each dehydrator is different, so you'll want to check on your jerky every few hours.
Allow your jerky to completely cool, then, for long-term storage, place the jerky in Mason jars and vacuum seal them, or place the jerky in freezer bags and store it inside your freezer. Otherwise, if you're making it to have for snacks right away, just place your jerky in an airtight container or Ziploc bags.
Note:
About midway through dehydrating the jerky, I generally flip each piece over. Doing this helps speed up the dehydrating process.
To test for doneness, your jerky will slightly crack but not break when you do the bend test. It should not be moist, squishy, or soft.
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