How do you make jerky over an open fire?

[44minimum]

If you just shot a deer and wanted to make jerky so that the meat would last for a while, how would you go about it over an open fire and how long would the process take?

[KCSO]

You cut your meat into long thin strips and hang on a rack over a smokey open fire tilll they look and feel like jerky. Depends on the weather and the fire there is no exact time. The last time I made it this way was years ago for a M/L demonstration and If I remember right it took about 3 hours that day from on the rack to in the bag. Now this jerkey isn't going to be any more than dried meat as you have not doe any marinade and I am assuming you havent salted or otherwise seasoned the meat. Dried meat like this will keep for quite a while in a rawhide container but much like pemmican is not up to modern tastes.

[44minimum]

I was thinking of a hypothetical situation-------like, if the year was 1875 and you were in Indian country and needed some food, so you shoot a deer, cook and eat as much of it as you can and then want to preserve more of it for later. I was just wondering about how fast you could do it so that you can hurry up and get out of there before you got caught by the Indians.

[76 WARLOCK]

If you were living off deer you would not have to do much but hang it in the shade and it would last long enough for you to eat it. Two guys could eat a deer in a week and it would not spoil if kept cool.

[runfiverun]

jerky in the open oven is done at 200-f for about an hour on each side.
many times i have read about jerky being made on racks out in the open air in the sun light or by letting the wood smoke filter through drying racks.
they would pound the jerky before re-using it or mix it with berry's and flour to make pemmican before drying it.

[montana_charlie]

I think that making jerky in the open relies on the sun and wind (mainly) for drying the meat to a long lasting condition.
The smoky fire is to keep flies off of the meat so they don't lay eggs on it to produce maggots.

CM

[TCLouis]

Jerky that is smoked dry, or smoked and finish dried is about as good as it gets.

Making jerky in the west with low humidity is a different ballgame than in the more humid parts of the world.

[10x]

I do a cold cure, cold smoke on boned out muscle from deer. This makes large chunks of jerky that one shaves off slices with a very sharp knife.
I make sure the temperature of the meat never gets over 45F during the cure, cold smoking (about 8 hours over alder or hickery) and drying (dying can take between 1 to 4 weeks depending on the size of the cut)

I use mortons Tender quick as a cure. I will add a bit of sugar and liquid smoke sometimes
Sometimes I will use brine, or I mix pepper and cloves into the cure and rub it on.
THe important part is the cold smoke - never over 45F.

[williamwaco]

I was thinking of a hypothetical situation-------like, if the year was 1875 and you were in Indian country and needed some food, so you shoot a deer, cook and eat as much of it as you can and then want to preserve more of it for later. I was just wondering about how fast you could do it so that you can hurry up and get out of there before you got caught by the Indians.


Not fast enough.

About 30 minutes after you start the fire, you are going to be dodging arrows. Except by 1875 I expect they had Henry rifles.

[Wayne Smith]

I do a cold cure, cold smoke on boned out muscle from deer. This makes large chunks of jerky that one shaves off slices with a very sharp knife.
I make sure the temperature of the meat never gets over 45F during the cure, cold smoking (about 8 hours over alder or hickery) and drying (dying can take between 1 to 4 weeks depending on the size of the cut)

I use mortons Tender quick as a cure. I will add a bit of sugar and liquid smoke sometimes
Sometimes I will use brine, or I mix pepper and cloves into the cure and rub it on.
THe important part is the cold smoke - never over 45F.

Never over 45 F? It doesn't often get below that here! Certainly not for sustained periods like several days or weeks.

[44minimum]

OK, thanks for the information

[oldred]

Except by 1875 I expect they had Henry rifles.

Don't you ever watch the movies? Anyone who has watched Hollywood westerns knows that by 1875 everyone was carrying a 92 Winchester! Well they were, weren't they? :kidding:

[10x]

Never over 45 F? It doesn't often get below that here! Certainly not for sustained periods like several days or weeks.

We haven't seen a day over 35F for three weeks...

[Reg]

Don't you ever watch the movies? Anyone who has watched Hollywood westerns knows that by 1875 everyone was carrying a 92 Winchester! Well they were, weren't they? :kidding:



Ya, I think you are right .

:bigsmyl2::bigsmyl2:

[fouronesix]

As KCSO posted. Cut in strips and hang over a fire. Just enough smoke and heat to dry it. Of course it would have to be done under some sort of cover during rain or snow. I've seen native villages do it in AK when weather was wet.

Here's a pic of how it's done in the bush by people who depend on it. About 400 lb of elephant meat.

[williamwaco]

Don't you ever watch the movies? Anyone who has watched Hollywood westerns knows that by 1875 everyone was carrying a 92 Winchester! Well they were, weren't they? :kidding:

Touche'

[Wolfer]

I once saw a movie set during the civil war and one of the officers was using a peacemaker. Must have been a prototype.