Where's The Beef - Jerky?

Jerky on a GM Daniel Boone

This recipe is gluten free.

This recipe is a variant of several I've read.  I reviewed many and they had ingredients and flavors that I wasn't really interested in using.  The basic content of most was similar.  I was really interested in a flavor that wasn't dominated by soy sauce.  What I came up with worked really well and tastes very nice.

The Recipe

• 1/2 cup Aloha brand gluten free soy sauce (1)
• 2 tbsp table grind black pepper
• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 1 2/3 cups dark brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
• 1 cup water

All of the ingredients were mixed together in a bowl and whisked together until the salt and brown sugar were dissolved.  

The Meat

For this recipe I used a 3.8 lb sirloin roast from a Pinzgauer cow.   This specific cow was grass fed most of the year - receiving grain/hay during part of the winter.  The meat is very lean.  I don't think a retail sirloin roast would be a good choice for this recipe.  Something a bit more lean, such as a chuck roast, would be a better choice.  

The meat was sliced across the grain to reduce chewiness of the finished result.  The meat was placedin our deep freezer for about 8 months at -20 degrees Fahrenheit.  It was still very cold and had some ice crystals when the sauce preparation started.  During that time the roast was placed in the freezer again to firm it up for slicing.  The meet slices were approximately 1/4in to 5/16in thick.  Slices were cut by hand.  It would have been more consistent to use the electric slicer.

The meat slices were placed in a gallon freezer storage bag with all of the seasoning/salt mixture.  This placed inside of an additional gallon freezer storage bag to prevent any leakage in the refrigerator where it was kept for about 20 hours prior to smoking.

Gluten Free Aloha Soy Products

Nuts for Nuts

Smoked Almonds

Another recipe/experience by Tom Roeder

Here's my recipe for smoked almonds. I can't find the original web site where I got the recipe, unfortunately.

Recipe

• 1.5 pounds of raw almonds (Costco has a 3 lb bag)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup of salt
• 2 cups of water

Preparation

Combine salt, sugar and water and mix until dissolved.

Preheat the smoker to 160. I also use my A-Maze-N smoker tube with hickory or any flavor pellets to add more smoke flavor.

Soak the almonds in the brine for 10 minutes, no more, no less. Drain but do not rinse.

Spread the almonds on a baking mat or small holed grate that will hold the nuts. Put  on smoker for 45 minutes. Stir the nuts to get each side some exposure. Smoke for 45 more minutes. Stir again and turn up smoker to 230 degrees, smoke for another  hour.

Take off the smoker and season the warm nuts. A very finely ground salt is all that 

is needed but you can be creative with the seasonings. Let air dry for 8 hours 

minimum.

If you put in containers too soon, the nuts will become mushy and soft.